[1/5] People demonstrate in front of the Colombian Congress, in favor of the regulation of marijuana for adult use in Bogota, Colombia June 20, 2023. Uruguay, Canada and some states in the U.S. allow the sale of recreational marijuana. Backers including Interior Minister Luis Fernando Velasco said recreational marijuana's continued illegality only benefits criminals. "From the government we will insist on this issue," Velasco said in quotes shared by the Senate on Twitter. We have majorities, we lacked seven votes," he tweeted after the vote on the bill, which needed 54 votes in favor and won 47, with 43 against.

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Persons: Luisa Gonzalez BOGOTA, Gustavo Petro, Luis Fernando Velasco, Velasco, Juan Carlos Losada, Oliver Griffin, Carlos Vargas, Julia Symmes Cobb, Alexander Smith Organizations: Colombian, REUTERS, Colombia's, Senate, Twitter, Liberal Party, Thomson Locations: Bogota, Colombia, Uruguay, Canada, U.S