Countries › Colombia › Guide › 12. Sectors › Medical, scientific and industrial cannabis in Colombia: the five licences, who grants them, quotas, the 1 percent THC line, ten year terms, exports and what licensees may not do

Medical, scientific and industrial cannabis in Colombia: the five licences, who grants them, quotas, the 1 percent THC line, ten year terms, exports and what licensees may not do

Last verified: 2026-10-27 · Status: Changing

Colombia allows cannabis for medical and scientific purposes, and non psychoactive cannabis also for industrial uses, under a State licensing system: INVIMA licenses the manufacture of derivatives and the Ministry of Justice licenses seeds and grain and the cultivation of psychoactive and non psychoactive plants. Cannabis with less than 1 percent THC by dry weight is non psychoactive; psychoactive cultivation and manufacture also need annual quotas, licences last ten years and are renewable, and complete applications must be decided within 30 days. Exports of seeds, grain, plant material, cannabis, derivatives and finished products are allowed to the rest of the world and to free trade zones on terms set by joint ministerial regulation, and licensees pay evaluation and follow up fees and face strict bans on advertising, unlicensed transfers and exceeding quotas.

Key facts

THC limit by dry weight for non psychoactive cannabis and hemp	1 %Decreto 780 de 2016 art. 2.8.11.1.3 (Decreto 811 de 2021), as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Term of a cannabis licence, renewable	10 yearsDecreto 780 de 2016 art. 2.8.11.2.1.8 (Decreto 811 de 2021), as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Deadline to decide a complete licence application	30 daysDecreto 780 de 2016 art. 2.8.11.2.1.10 (Decreto 811 de 2021), as of 2026-10-27 · in force

The rule

1. The State takes control and regulation of the cultivation, production, manufacture, acquisition, import, export, storage, transport, sale, distribution, use and possession of cannabis seeds, cannabis, its derivatives and products containing it for medical and scientific purposes, under the terms of the regulation; the ministries of Justice, Health and Agriculture jointly regulate those activities.Ley 1787 de 2016, Art. 1 and art. 3 and par. 1, 2016-07-06 official text · verified 2026-10-27

2. INVIMA issues licences to manufacture cannabis derivatives and non psychoactive cannabis derivatives. The Ministry of Justice, through its Subdirectorate for Control of Chemical Substances and Narcotics, issues the licences for seeds for sowing and grain and for cultivation of psychoactive and non psychoactive cannabis plants.Ley 1787 de 2016 art. 6 as amended by Decreto Ley 2106 de 2019 art. 85; Decreto 780 de 2016 art. 2.8.11.1.4 as substituted by Decreto 811 de 2021, Ley 1787 art. 6; Decreto 780 art. 2.8.11.1.4, 2021-07-23 official text · verified 2026-10-27

3. There are five licences: (1) manufacture of cannabis derivatives (INVIMA), covering psychoactive and non psychoactive derivatives for national use, research and export; (2) manufacture of non psychoactive derivatives only (INVIMA); (3) seeds for sowing and grain (Ministry of Justice), for sale or delivery, research or grain processing; (4) cultivation of psychoactive cannabis and (5) cultivation of non psychoactive cannabis (Ministry of Justice), each in the modalities of seed production, grain production and processing, manufacture of derivatives, industrial purposes, research and national use and export, and each including the activities of the seed and grain licence.Decreto 780 de 2016, art. 2.8.11.2.1.2 as substituted by Decreto 811 de 2021 and num. 4 and 5 amended by Decreto 1138 de 2025 art. 3, Art. 2.8.11.2.1.2, 2025-10-27 official text · verified 2026-10-27 · changed: Decreto 1138 de 27 October 2025 (Diario Oficial 53.286, same day) partly amended Title 11 of Part 8 of Book 2 of Decreto 780 de 2016, adding industrial purposes and national use and export modalities to cultivation licences.

4. Non psychoactive cannabis means the flowering or fruiting tops of the cannabis plant (excluding seeds and leaves not attached to the tops) whose THC content, including isomers, salts and acid forms, is below 1 percent by dry weight; hemp is a cultivar below that threshold and is licensed under the cultivation regime.Decreto 780 de 2016, art. 2.8.11.1.3 as substituted by Decreto 811 de 2021, Art. 2.8.11.1.3 num. 10 and 11, 2021-07-23 official text · verified 2026-10-27

5. A licence lasts ten years from the date the granting act becomes final and may be renewed for equal periods as often as requested, as long as no resolutory condition arises and it is not cancelled at the holder's request. Complete applications must be decided within 30 days.Decreto 780 de 2016 as substituted by Decreto 811 de 2021, Art. 2.8.11.2.1.8 and 2.8.11.2.1.10, 2021-07-23 official text · verified 2026-10-27

6. Quotas (cupos) are granted for cultivation of psychoactive cannabis, for manufacture of derivatives, as exceptional quotas to use psychoactive derivatives, and as exceptional quotas to use surpluses; the three ministries set the requirements for each category. Cultivating or manufacturing without the required quota, or exceeding the authorized maximum, is prohibited.Decreto 780 de 2016 as substituted by Decreto 811 de 2021, Art. 2.8.11.3.3 and art. 2.8.11.2.3.2 num. 5 and 6, 2021-07-23 official text · verified 2026-10-27

7. Exports of seeds for sowing, grain, plant material, cannabis plants, cannabis, derivatives and products obtained from derivatives or plant material are allowed from the national customs territory to the rest of the world, from free trade zones to the rest of the world, and from the national territory to free trade zones. The permitted purposes and requirements for exports to the rest of the world are set by joint regulation of the ministries of Agriculture, Justice and Health. Cannabis may also go to qualified industrial users of free trade zones holding the relevant manufacturing licence and quota.Decreto 780 de 2016 as substituted by Decreto 811 de 2021, Art. 2.8.11.6.8 and par., 2021-07-23 official text · verified 2026-10-27

8. Licensees must not, among other things: advertise seeds, plants, cannabis, derivatives or products in breach of product specific advertising rules; sell or deliver anything from personal cultivation or grow for personal use on licensed premises; deliver to unlicensed or unreported third parties; allow minors into storage, cultivation or manufacturing areas; operate without or beyond their quota; start before meeting the start up conditions; or operate at an unauthorized location.Decreto 780 de 2016, art. 2.8.11.2.3.2 as substituted by Decreto 811 de 2021, Art. 2.8.11.2.3.2 num. 1 to 7 and 10, 2021-07-23 official text · verified 2026-10-27

9. INVIMA, the Fondo Nacional de Estupefacientes and the Ministry of Justice must charge applicants and licence holders for evaluation and follow up services, with tariffs set under a cost based method (process mapping, inputs and staff time).
Cost to do it: Evaluation fees are payable before filing and follow up fees during the licence; the amounts are set by ministerial tariff resolution and are not reproduced here.Ley 1787 de 2016, art. 8 as amended by Decreto Ley 2106 de 2019 art. 86, and art. 9, Art. 8 and art. 9, 2016-07-06 official text · verified 2026-10-27

Licence	Authority	Scope
Manufacture of cannabis derivatives	INVIMA	Psychoactive and non psychoactive derivatives; national use, research, export
Manufacture of non psychoactive derivatives	INVIMA	Non psychoactive derivatives only
Seeds for sowing and grain	Ministry of Justice	Sale or delivery, research, grain processing
Cultivation, psychoactive	Ministry of Justice	Seed, grain, derivatives, industrial, research, national use and export; quota required
Cultivation, non psychoactive	Ministry of Justice	Seed, grain, derivatives, industrial, research, national use and export

Cannabis licences in Colombia (Decreto 780 de 2016 art. 2.8.11.2.1.2, as amended to 2025)

Step by step

Define the business line (cultivation, derivatives, seeds and grain) and whether material will be psychoactive (THC 1 percent or more by dry weight).
Apply to the Ministry of Justice for seed, grain and cultivation licences and to INVIMA for manufacturing, paying the evaluation fee before filing.
For psychoactive cultivation or derivatives, apply for the annual quota before starting activities.
Before exporting to the rest of the world, check the current joint ministerial regulation for permitted purposes and requirements.
Diary renewal well before the ten year term ends and keep the activity register, security protocol and reports current.

Common traps

A non psychoactive cultivation licence does not cover crops that test at 1 percent THC or more; variations trigger specific control procedures.
Operating beyond the quota, at an unauthorized address, or delivering to a counterparty not reported in the licence breaches the prohibitions and can lead to suspension or loss of the licence.
Advertising is restricted by product category; general consumer marketing of cannabis products is a common breach.
Export rules to the rest of the world come from joint ministerial regulation that changes more often than the decree; check it for each shipment type.

Sources

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