Colombian President Gustavo Petro who challenged United States President Donald Trump on deportations of illegal immigrants has now pushed for legalisation of cocaine, saying that the drug is “no worse than whisky” and only illegal because it comes from Latin America.
Speaking during the live broadcast of a six-hour long ministerial meeting, Petro claimed that opioid fentanyl is the bigger problem for the US, not cocaine, and that legalising the drug would provide a solution.
What Did Gustavo Petro Say on Cocaine, Whiskey and Fentanyl?
The government meeting — broadcast live for the first time ever, according to an AFP report, say Petro claim that “cocaine is illegal because it is made in Latin America, not because it is worse than whisky.”
“Scientists have analysed this. Cocaine is no worse than whisky. The global cocaine industry could be easily dismantled if the drug were legalised worldwide. If you want peace, you have to dismantle the business (of drug trafficking). It could easily be dismantled if they legalise cocaine in the world. It would be sold like wine,” Petro said.
He further added that fentanyl is the bigger problem staring the USA in the face. As many as 75,000 deaths each year in the US are blamed on opioid fentanyl misuse, AFP reported citing official data.
Petro said, “Fentanyl is killing Americans and it is not made in Colombia. Fentanyl was created as a pharmacy drug by North American multinationals and those who consumed it became addicted.”
Colombia World’s Biggest Cocaine Producer, Exporter
Notably, Colombia is the world’s biggest cocaine producer and exporter, with its trade largely being with the US and Europe, according to an AFP report. As per the the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, in 2023, cocaine production reached a record-high in Colombia — skyrocketing 53 percent to 2,600 tonnes.
The South American nation has spent decades fighting against drug trafficking, the AFP report added. Since coming to power in 2022, the leftist president Petro has attempted to make peace with all of the armed groups that are fueled by drug trafficking in the hope of ending six decades of conflict, it said.
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