Is medical cannabis legal in Colombia?

Yes, with a doctor's prescription. Law 1787 of 2016 allows the medical use of cannabis, and rules from the Ministry of Health and Invima set how it's prescribed, where you get it and when it can be delivered to your home.

Reviewed on 8 October 2026. Each rule links to its official text, in Spanish.

Which law allows it?

The Constitution bans carrying and using narcotic or psychotropic substances, except with a medical prescription (art. 49, as amended by Legislative Act 02 of 2009). On that basis, Law 1787 of 2016 created the legal framework for safe, informed access to the medical and scientific use of cannabis.

The rules for licences and products are in Decree 780 of 2016, in the text given by Decree 811 of 2021 and with the changes made by Decree 1138 of 2025. The Ministry of Justice issues seed and cultivation licences, and Invima issues licences to manufacture derivatives.

Do I need a prescription?

Yes. The type of prescription depends on how much THC the product has per dose: per tablet or capsule, or per gram or millilitre in oils, solutions and creams. THC is counted with its isomers and acid forms, such as THCA (Resolution 315 of 2020, art. 5).

How a cannabis treatment is prescribed and delivered in Colombia, by THC content
	Under 2 mg of THC per dose	2 mg of THC or more per dose
Classification	Not a controlled product	Controlled medicine
Prescription	Standard, can be electronic	Official paper form (recetario oficial)
Length per prescription	As your doctor decides	30 days at most
Delivery	At the pharmacy or to your home	At the pharmacy, as a general rule

At 2 mg of THC or more per dose, the product is a controlled medicine (Resolution 315 of 2020, art. 5). The doctor writes it on the official paper form, the recetario oficial (Resolution 1478 of 2006, arts. 81 and 84), and each prescription covers 30 days of treatment at most (art. 80, as amended by Resolution 315 of 2020).

An electronic recetario oficial is planned, but it depends on a special regulation before it can start (Resolution 740 of 2024, art. 36). In 2026 the Ministry of Health confirmed that the recetario oficial is mandatory for these medicines (External Circular 0019 of 2026, num. 4).

Under 2 mg, the product isn't controlled and a standard prescription is enough; it can be electronic (Decree 780 of 2016, arts. 2.5.3.10.15 and 2.5.3.10.16).

Who can prescribe it?

A doctor registered in Colombia's national health workforce registry, ReTHUS (Law 1164 of 2007, art. 23).

Controlled medicines can only be prescribed by doctors who are qualified and legally practising, on the recetario oficial issued by each department's Fondo Rotatorio de Estupefacientes (Resolution 1478 of 2006, arts. 81 and 84).

Can it be prescribed in an online consultation?

Yes. Resolution 1644 of 2026 allows prescribing medicines in teleconsultation, tele-expertise and teleconcept, with an electronic, digital or digitized signature backed by the medical record (art. 20). Tele-guidance can't be used to prescribe (art. 10, par. 2).

Controlled medicines keep their own rules, including the recetario oficial where it applies (art. 20). That paper original has to reach the pharmacy, which keeps it (Resolution 1478 of 2006, art. 86).

The consultation takes place on the health provider's own licensed platform, with security certification and your informed consent (arts. 7 and 24). WhatsApp and social networks don't meet those requirements (art. 24.5).

Can it be delivered to my home?

It depends on the THC. Under 2 mg per dose, yes: Invima has said that outpatient or home delivery is compatible with dispensing, as long as the patient gets the corresponding information (External Circular 1000-016-2026, num. 7). That circular doesn't change the rules for controlled medicines.

At 2 mg or more, as a general rule you pick it up at the pharmacy. Resolution 1478 of 2006 bans selling these medicines through the internet, by mail or by any similar means (art. 5, num. 4). When home delivery of them has been allowed, it was through express, temporary rules, such as Resolution 615 of 2020 during the COVID-19 emergency (art. 10).

Where do I get it?

At an authorized pharmacy, with your prescription. Magistral preparations are made for each patient, and only pharmacies and pharmaceutical services holding Invima's Good Compounding Practices certificate for cannabis can make them, using raw material from licensed Colombian crops (Decree 1138 of 2025, art. 12). A drugstore (droguería) can't compound them (Decree 780 of 2016, art. 2.5.3.10.11).

If the product is controlled, only an establishment registered with the national or departmental narcotics fund (Fondo Nacional or Fondo Rotatorio de Estupefacientes) can dispense it, and not if the prescription is more than 15 days old (Resolution 1478 of 2006, arts. 12 and 97).

There are also cannabinoid medicines with an Invima marketing authorization. They're sold on prescription, and at 2 mg of THC or more per dose, on the recetario oficial.

You can choose the authorized pharmacy you prefer (Law 1751 of 2015, art. 6). If your health insurer (EPS) covers the product, it's dispensed through the insurer's network.

How do I check that the doctor and the pharmacy are authorized?

The health provider must be listed in the Special Registry of Health Service Providers (REPS), and if it sees patients online, the REPS must show its telemedicine services (Resolution 1644 of 2026, art. 28.1). The doctor must be in ReTHUS (Law 1164 of 2007, art. 23).

The pharmacy that compounds your prescription must hold Invima's Good Compounding Practices certificate for cannabis (Decree 1138 of 2025, art. 12). Invima publishes the list of certified establishments. If your preparation is controlled, the pharmacy must also be registered with the Fondo Nacional or Fondo Rotatorio de Estupefacientes (Resolution 1478 of 2006, art. 12).

What backs you legally is your prescription, not a card or a membership: the Constitution allows carrying these substances only with a medical prescription (art. 49). And a consultation over WhatsApp doesn't meet telemedicine rules (Resolution 1644 of 2026, art. 24.5).

What about cannabis flower?

Decree 1138 of 2025 recognized cannabis flower as a finished product, for medical purposes only, and ordered the rules that would allow its sale (arts. 13 and 17). Until those rules are in force, flower isn't dispensed as a finished product.

In May 2026 the government published a draft decree to open that market in phases.

Why are there no products or prices on this site?

Because the law doesn't allow it. Magistral preparations may not be advertised in any way (Resolution 1896 of 2023, art. 13).

Prescription medicines may only be advertised in publications for doctors and dentists, and informing about them or advertising them in mass media, digital platforms, messaging apps and social networks is banned (Decree 334 of 2022, art. 11). Mass advertising of controlled medicines is also banned (Resolution 1478 of 2006, art. 5, num. 5).

That's why you won't see products, product prices or lists of conditions on this site. What you can book is the consultation: your doctor decides with you whether treatment is right for you.

Official sources (in Spanish)

Official registries to check (in Spanish)

General information on the rules in force on 8 October 2026. It isn't legal or medical advice, and it covers medical use with a prescription only.