Colombia sees billion-dollar bonanza from legacy of marijuana trade

The new industry will not produce smokable marijuana but focus on oils, creams and inhalers
Reuters (UK)
Thursday, May 3, 2018

Farmers who want to be part of Colombia's medical marijuana project are required to destroy their illegal crops. Colombia has already issued 33 licenses and hopes to grow as much as 40.5 tons a year of medical marijuana - accounting for roughly 44 percent of licenses issued globally. So far, however, the government has authorized production of seeds and marijuana only for scientific research, not for commercial production of medical cannabis. "We've been offered false hope," said Hector Sanchez, who destroyed his marijuana plants to be part of a medical cooperative and is still waiting to start work. "If growers can't be involved, they'll just go back to marijuana."