Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos signed a decree which legalizes and regulates the consumption of medical marijuana on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015.

Colombia previously decriminalized the possession of small amounts of cocaine and marijuana for personal use.

The Agence France-Presse reports, Santos addressed the changing policy toward marijuana on television. “We have just taken an important step to place Colombia at the forefront of the fight against disease,” he said. According to Santos, the new decree would allow licenses to be granted for the possession of cannabis seeds, plants and marijuana.

Santos stipulated that the plant must be grown exclusively for medical or scientific purposes. "Our goal is for patients to be able to access medications made in Colombia that are safe, high-quality and accessible," he said.

The change in pot policy was first announced in November.

Aside from simply allowing their citizens to enjoy the benefits of medicinal marijuana, the move towards legalization of the drug is seen as a way to invigorate the economy. According to Quartz, Santos mentioned the marketing potential of medicinal marijuana before. “There are already firms in Canada and the U.S. that are using marijuana for a variety of therapeutic, medicinal treatments,” he said.

Reuters reports Santos said the new decree does not conflict with Colombia’s anti-drug trafficking stance. "Allowing the use of marijuana does not go against our international commitments to control drugs or against our policy of fighting drug trafficking," he said.

Although the growing, distributing and selling of cannabis remains illegal, current Colombian law allows for the possession of up to 20 grams of marijuana or 20 marijuana plants for personal consumption.

The growing list of countries that allow medical marijuana includes Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland and Israel. In the U.S. medicinal marijuana is legal only in certain states.