Colombian president calls on U.S. to legalize marijuana to curb illicit drug markets

Colombia's leader frames U.S. legalization as a tool to combat illicit drug trade, as the country expands its own cannabis framework.

FILE — statehouse · B.D. Gilfry / CC BY-SA 2.0

Colombia's president has urged U.S. marijuana legalization as a strategy to reduce illicit drug trafficking, according to reporting by Marijuana Moment. The argument appears to position legal cannabis markets—potentially including Colombian exports—as a counterweight to black-market supply chains that feed criminal enterprises.

The statement arrives amid Colombia's own regulatory expansion: lawmakers approved a legalization bill in May 2026, and the country authorized medical cannabis flower use in November 2025. Colombia has already begun exporting cannabis commercially, with shipments valued at $10.8 million as of April 2024, per MJBizDaily.

The diplomatic push suggests Colombia views U.S. legalization as economically and strategically linked to its domestic market growth. Watch whether this framing influences U.S. policy discussions or shapes Colombia's trade positioning in a wider legalization scenario.