Colombia Seeks Cocaine Legalization... Pursuing 'Government-Regulated Market'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Colombia, the largest cocaine producer, has declared a major shift in its drug policy and is exploring the legalization of cocaine.

According to the Washington Post (WP) on the 20th (local time), Colombia's first left-wing president Gustavo Petro's administration has proposed drug legalization as its first major agenda and is planning legislative procedures and cooperation with neighboring countries.

They have effectively declared the 'war on drugs' a failure and intend to allow transactions in a government-regulated open market. Felipe Tascon, who leads the Petro administration's drug policy, said, "If regulated like an open market, drug trafficking will disappear and the profit-making will be blocked."

In particular, they plan to take advantage of the rare opportunity of left-wing governments coming to power in Peru and Bolivia. He expressed willingness to meet with officials from these countries to discuss drug legalization, stating, "The ultimate goal is to form a South American regional alliance to enable international drug negotiations at the United Nations."

Until now, Colombia has sprayed herbicides from the air to disrupt cocaine cultivation, but this has been criticized for harming poor rural areas. Accordingly, the Petro administration plans to stop herbicide spraying. WP reported that the United States holds a negative stance toward Colombia's move.

An anonymous former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) official expressed concern that Colombia's recent measures would reduce the scope of cooperation between the two countries in drug trafficking investigations. The U.S. has invested billions of dollars to eradicate drug trafficking through Colombia's cocaine farms, but cocaine entering the U.S. from Colombia remains at record levels. The U.S. estimates that Colombia's cocaine cultivation has tripled over the past decade. Additionally, about 25,000 people died from cocaine overdoses in the U.S. last year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.