In a nation whose modern history is defined by international interference, drug trafficking forces and a raging drug war, Colombia has been building momentum for a transformative and reconciliatory new drug policy. Could the regulation of psychedelics be one of the possible outcomes of this new reality?
This article encapsulates the diverse perspectives and expectations of key stakeholders in Colombia, unveiling a complex tapestry of cultural, social, economic, and political dimensions essential to be considered.
Psychedelic “renaissance”?
Colombia, the second most biodiverse country in the world, is home to a great variety of plants, fungi and animals, along with a rich socio-cultural diversity. Local communities have used these resources to satisfy their needs and ways of life. Among these resources, indigenous communities employ various psychoactive substances in collective practices and rituals deeply rooted in their cosmologies, fostering social cohesion whilst keeping traditions alive. For these communities, yagé (ayahuasca), yopo and kambô, among others, are not mere psychoactive substances; they are medicines, spirits or power plants, concepts that in turn reflect notions of life and well-being that transcend the limitations of Western thought.
With the arrival of European colonisers in the 15th Century to the Americas, many ancestral practices using psychoactive substances were initially perceived as demonic, or discredited as primitive and linked to witchcraft. Nonetheless, some practices and the drugs used attracted interest, leading to commercial exploitation and global expansion. Substances like tobacco, once confined to specific communities, began to be valued for their psychoactive effects across the globe, and were subsequently extracted and marketed worldwide, reshaping their use and traditions under colonial and capitalist frameworks—a process labelled by historian David Courtwright as the psychoactive revolution.
Today, in what has been called the ‘psychedelic renaissance’, we see a resurgence of interest in plants and substances typically found in the Global South to treat many of the conditions of modern society, such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. This phenomenon has fostered discussions about psychedelic regulation around the world – including the nations from which they originate from – and how similar mechanisms of extraction can be avoided in future legal industries.
The psychedelic ecosystem of Colombia
In Colombia, psychedelic services, information and substances are blooming. Diverse actors, from therapists, entrepreneurs, researchers to cultivators, are actively feeding a varied market of therapies, spiritual practices, and recreational use. Operating in legal grey areas or enshrined in legislation protecting the religious use of substances, some adhere to strict protocols and careful practices; while others are less cautious or grounded in traditional use, catering to different clientele.
A psychedelic tourism industry has emerged, attracting national and international visitors looking to experience the Amazon and its shamanic experiences; experiences are delivered by therapists trained in health sciences or New Age esotericism, with some offering experiences overseen by indigenous shamans, operating (sometimes) with blessings from their communities.
At the same time, the recreational use of psychedelics has grown through recreational consumption in party settings playing techno and guaracha (a genre sometimes described as psychedelic reggaeton) late into days and nights. Colombia, in the global periphery, is paradoxically at the centre of the global psychedelic scene.
Reasons for regulating psychedelics
This exploding world has come with its consequences. Indigenous communities have highlighted that this expansion of interest in psychedelics is reproducing pre-existing colonial dynamics, which have exploited, excluded, and even exterminated their lives and livelihoods. Several demands, like including ancestral caretakers of psychedelic plants in policy-making processes and research practices, to ending environmentally extractive practices, have been made to ensure psychedelics are regulated in an inclusive and diverse way. Indigenous-led organisations have proposed models of inclusion of traditional communities and self-regulation that should be implemented to avoid these harmful outcomes.
The current excitement around psychedelics brings numerous challenges, including adverse individual reactions and broader issues like unregulated markets, cultural appropriation, and the overexploitation of natural resources, affecting communities and their cultural knowledge within complex geopolitical contexts.
Within the global “psychedelic renaissance,” Colombia has unique motivations for discussing psychedelic regulation. The nation aims to reform its drug policies, moving beyond the violent War on Drugs which has exacerbated violence and insecurity in the country for decades. This shift, as outlined in their 2023-2033 National Drug Policy Plan, intends to refocus Colombia’s drug policy from prohibition to social justice, peace, and environmental protection.
The state of regulatory experiences in Colombia
Regulatory experiences and discussion in Colombia, provide critical lessons for the future regulation of psychedelics. The regulation of medical cannabis in 2016, perceived as the birth of a large industry in Colombia, ended up facing serious obstacles such as bureaucracy, corruption, and built to attract foreign investment. This relegated the country to the role of a simple producer of raw materials within an extractive global economic framework.
Recent conversations around recreational cannabis reform have been much more oriented towards social justice and repairing past harms to impacted communities. However, regulatory discussions have been overtly focused on economic dimensions, and have been co-opted by partisan political battles and negotiations, meaning smaller producers and consumers have had less say.
The case of discussions for the regulation of coca leaf is even more complex, with a persistent stigma associated with cocaine and drug trafficking. Despite efforts to change the perception of the coca leaf and combat existing stigmas, the strong association of coca and its derivates (like cocaine and cocaine paste) with narcotrafficking and violence remains deeply embedded in public imagination, moral judgements and political debates.
Different interpretations on ideal regulatory models
Most stakeholders interested in the regulation of psychedelics focus on their therapeutic potential to improve community’s mental health and wellbeing; a pharmaceutical access model, with some considerations for home cultivation, have come out as the preferred forms of access. Psilocybin has come out on top, chosen as a favourite substance due to its accessibility, global availability, and existing legal pathways (such as protections under religious use) that could accelerate its therapeutic use. Many of these actors have remained silent about wider regulation or decriminalisation of use.
On the other hand, actors like indigenous communities have remained focused on increasing the reverence and respect for psychedelic substances, as well as abandoning prohibition and pursuing regulation with them actively involved in its construction. Community-based approaches are favoured, fixing many of the violent and divisive policies put forward by the War on Drugs. They propose a regulatory model that combines therapeutic benefits with social justice and sustainability, respecting ancestral knowledge and ensuring economic and social benefits for conflict-affected communities. This model seeks to avoid excessive medicalization and the domination of large corporations, promoting equitable distribution and community participation.
Future challenges
The psychedelics regulation in Colombia could be a comprehensive and inclusive process, reflecting how important drug policy is for the country’s future. This possibility is filled with transformational potential: there is an indigenous history of use, cultural use to respect, as well as local and global interest. The regulatory process can be a societally open and inclusive process with all communities, especially those historically marginalised by the drug war.
The regulatory framework should transcend past patterns of epistemic and economic extractivism, embrace environmental justice to safeguard natural resources, and honour the link between communities and their environments. Moreover, this approach must rectify deficiencies in the healthcare system to make psychedelic therapies accessible and integral to a fairer health model.
Ultimately, psychedelic regulation should not just change their legal status, but advance a plan for a more equitable society, valuing diverse voices and traditions as foundational pillars of national transformation.
