Personal drug use decriminalized in Colombia

Colombia's Constitutional Court has approved the government proposal to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of cocaine and marijuana for personal use, Colombia media reported Friday.

Anyone caught with less than 22 grams of marijuana or one gram of cocaine for personal use may receive physical or psychological treatment depending on their level of intoxication, but may not be prosecuted or detained, the court ruled.

The Supreme Court paved the way for the legislative change when it ruled in 2011 that strict anti-drug laws introduced by the administration of former government Alvaro Uribe were unconstitutional.

To fill the legislative void created by the court's ruling, the administration of current Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos introduced decriminilization as part of 2011's Citizen Security Law, or law 1453, which sought to address a wide variety of public safety issues ranging from child trafficking to soccer hooligan violence.

Colombian Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon said the country's law enforcement would continue its fight against drug trafficking, but would not comment more on the ruling.

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