EDITORIAL
Colombia Crowns Herself
By Anthony Wile - December 22, 2015

As many readers and observers around the world are aware, this week featured the highly embarrassing un-crowning of a Colombian beauty queen who was mistakenly announced as the winner of the Miss Universe competition by host Steve Harvey.

And, yes, this was a very sad event for the young lady who stood there on live international television celebrating what should've been her finest achievement only to be dethroned publicly and in a rather humiliating series of events.

I personally felt awful watching the news reports of this comedy of errors unfolding. It was truly a moment that all Colombians would rather forget … sooner rather than later.

But then again, Colombians are used to "moving on" and picking up the pieces with an optimistic "never say die" attitude. All one needs to do is look at the war on drugs and the devastating consequences that afflicted millions of people – and no group more so than Colombians.

In the early dawn of a new post-war on drugs era, it is not surprising then to see the country that suffered most positioning itself to benefit the nation's citizenry and citizens around the world by enacting legislation that can enable the country to demonstrate leadership in the global cannabis whitening process.

It is ironic perhaps that a country that has suffered so much, with hundreds of thousands of people left dead in the violent wake of the war on drugs and millions of others displaced, is now opening its universities' doors to researchers and scientists around the world in the hope of advancing medical breakthroughs by unlocking the healing power from within one of the very plants that was responsible for so much bloodshed.

President Santos, by signing a decree today that enables regulated cultivation, processing and exportation of medicinal-grade cannabis products, has provided the nation with an opportunity that no other nation in the world is more deserved to claim.

Could anyone suggest that there is a nation in this world more socially deserving and which possesses more favorable climatic and economic conditions than Colombia in which to produce large commercial quantities of naturally grown cannabis that could be further processed into medicinal-grade cannabis oil extracts?

Think about it for a minute. Colombia has a perfect climate for growing virtually anything floral. In fact, roughly 80% of all cut flowers purchased in the United States come from Colombia – and just under 20% of the world is supplied by Colombia.

Why are Florida or California or other countries not supplying the US market and the rest of the world in this multibillion-dollar cut flower industry?

The answer is simple. When you're operating near or at the equator the natural 12-hours-on/12-hours-off light cycle required to stimulate and maintain the flowering part of the cultivation cycle is constant, naturally regulated by the sun – meaning that you do not require supplemental electricity during the longest and therefore usually costliest phase of flowering plants.

And because Colombia has a variety of microclimates – subtropical, tropical, semi-arid high-elevation mountains and more all exist across Colombia – different types of flowers can be grown. So over the decades, the comparative advantages, climatically speaking, that Colombia has been naturally gifted have provided clear advantages that just can't be duplicated because some politician or bureaucrat decides that local production should occur to stimulate jobs in a regional, local economy.

And so in a world where open international trade is becoming more and more of a reality – which for Colombia has long been a reality due to its many international free-trade agreements – we can expect to see countries like Colombia rise to dominate the global cultivation and international supply of high-quality cannabis that is naturally produced, processed and exported.

It is important to point out that Colombia benefits not just from its highly advantageous climatic conditions, but also from a highly experienced and economically competitive workforce.

Again, the full package of climatic and economic conditions together with its favorable logistics for international exportation have positioned Colombia as the leader in the North and South American multibillion-dollar cut flower industry. And considering that growing cannabis is really no more complicated than growing chrysanthemums, the established infrastructure and experienced labor force already operating in Colombia will have very little difficulty in making the transition to large commercial cannabis cultivation.

As many people around the world know, Colombia has had a long and well-established reputation for being the home of some of the world's most sought-after strains of cannabis. If you're not aware of this history do yourself a favor and just Google "Colombian Gold cannabis" and you'll quickly find a plethora of nostalgic articles and posts reminiscing about this "king of cannabis strains."

The bottom line is this: I am confident the young lady who was humiliated by the inadvertent error that temporarily crowned her Miss Universe will find strength that propels her to even greater heights in life… Because that's just what Colombians do.

It is the same strength and determination to move forward that underpins the courageous effort now officially underway to transform the way the world views Colombia and cannabis. It is about shifting global mindset from a negative perspective to one that justly reflects the mature leadership being set forth by Colombians eager to demonstrate how the cannabis plant that has brought so much death and societal destruction to their country can become the plant that enhances life when intelligently regulated and standardized.

In the essence of full disclosure, High Alert Investment Management is actively involved in providing strategic consulting services to companies seeking to become participants in helping to build this brave new future of Colombia. It is a challenge we welcome – together with our Colombian friends and business associates.

NOTE: The Daily Bell will be on holiday the next few days as we enjoy the season with our families, and will resume publishing on Monday morning. Until then, on behalf of everyone at The Daily Bell, I extend a hearty "Season's Greetings!" to all of our readers.

For those interested in reading more about Anthony Wile's views on the burgeoning cannabis industry, here is another article that was published yesterday at NaturalNews.com in which he was quoted: "Anthony Wile: Let the Free Market Sort This Out."

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