Colombia, which has suffered the most under Drug War violence, has made the most significant gains. Later that year, Colombia's top court ruled that small quantities of illegal drugs were not criminal offenses. Colombia joined Germany, Italy and Spain in decriminalizing. However, to recriminalize completely required changing Colombia's constitution, which could only be done by popular referendum. His successor, Ernesto Samper, has not pursued the crusade.
Small quantities remain de facto legal in Colombia.
However, Colombia remains the only country in the region where all coca cultivation is completely illegal. But no exception was made for Cauca, the heavily Indian state in Colombia's south, where there is indeed an ancient tradition of growing coca for local medicinal and religious use. Last October, the state of emergency was continued for another year by Clinton's signature, despite the fact that the Cali Cartel, Colombia's last centralized criminal organization, has collapsed. Coca cultivation and cocaine production in Colombia is once again under the control of a decentralized network of local bosses, while the new Cartels are now in Mexican border cities, most notably Tijuana. However, with campesinos angered by the eradication campaign, FARC strength is growing fast.