Colombia Changes Stance on Drugs

The government has decided drug addiction should be treated as a public health issue, not a crime.

Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos has ratified a law deeming drug addiction a public health issue rather than a crime, local media reported Tuesday.

The newly-enacted bill recognizes "the consumption and abuse of, or addiction to, psychoactive substances, legal or illegal, as a matter of public health and the well-being of family, community and individuals."