President Juan Manuel Santos signalled his support Thursday for a bill that would allow the medical use of marijuana in Colombia. The ruling Liberal Party proposed the measure for a vote in the current session of the Colombian Congress, which opened July 20. "We look favourably on the initiative on the medical and therapeutic use of marijuana," Santos said, during a forum on the country's drug policies.
He said the measure was both a "compassionate" response to pain experienced by patients with terminal illnesses, and a way to remove criminals as the middlemen. Colombia produces marijuana but is better known as the world's largest exporter of illegal cocaine.