What does Colombian law on medical cannabis say?

If you are evaluating treatment with medicinal cannabis in Colombia, first of all we have to understand the legal framework that supports it. The good news: it exists. The least intuitive: built on several layers - a law, several statutory decrees and decisions of the Supreme Court of Justice - that should be read as a whole, not independently.

In this guide we explain to you, in simple terms, what the regulations today allow, what still depends on future regulations and what role does the medical prescription issue by CAMED related professionals fulfill.

Act 1787 of 2016:

Act 1787 of 2016 was the starting point. It regulated secure and informed access to the medical and scientific use of cannabis and its products throughout Colombia. It aims at protecting public health while preventing problem consumption.

In practical terms, this law established a regulatory framework for medical and scientific access. A prescription can be part of a treatment's clinical support but does not convert any product, presentation, bearing or form of access into an automatic form.

Decree 811 of 2021: operational regulations

Decree 811 of 2021 regulated Act 1787 and organized the legal chain of cannabis: cultivation, transformation, manufacture and distribution. For the patient, what's important is that this decree consolidated the regulatory categories of cannabis as a product of health care and clarified the role of the treating doctor.

It is under this framework, with Act 1787 of 2016 and the applicable health rules, that currently the prescription routes, authorized products and health monitoring of medicinal cannabis are structured.

Decree 1138 of 2025: The following step

Decree 1138 of 2025 introduced an important change: a regulatory pathway through which dried cannabis flower could qualify as a finished product for medical use. This does not amount to immediate operational authorization to sell or dispense flower in any context.

The Supreme Court's judgements

Colombian jurisprudence has been key to protecting patients. Two decisions are especially relevant and are often referred to in court proceedings:

• The SP-497-2018 decision recognizes that the conduct of cannabis for therapeutic purposes, in reasonable quantity and with medical support, cannot be treated as drug trafficking.
• The SP-025-2019 decision lays down a deeper concept of supply dose, that is, how much a person can reasonably carry to cover his or her treatment for a period of time.

These decisions show that the aim, quantity and clinical context may be relevant for a legal analysis. Do not create an automatic authorisation or anticipate the result of each case.

What does all this mean to you?

Summing up the normative framework in practical terms:

1. 1Colombia has a regulated framework for medical and scientific uses and access, products and documentation have to meet applicable standards.
2. 2The limitation document document a clinical decision but its scope should be analysed with the product, quantity, provenance and applicable health rules.
3. 3The practical extent of production, transport or use should be consistent with the limitation, reasonable quantity of treatment and applicable health regulations.
4. 4The clinical decision as to whether cannabis is appropriate for your case lies exclusively with the treating professional.

The role of CAMED

CAMED isn't an IPS or a pharmacy. It's a technological platform that coordinates counselling and care with independent professionals. Evaluation, diagnosis and any prescription are exclusively for the treating professional and have to comply with applicable regulations.