Colombia's New Government Is Reportedly Considering Decriminalizing Cocaine
Colombia’s brand-new president, Gustavo Petro, is reportedly reassessing the country’s role in the international war on drugs, starting with potentially decriminalizing cocaine.
By Tom McKenna, and Christian Arriaga-Flores
Published on 9/1/2022 at 2:39 PM
Colombia’s brand-new president, Gustavo Petro, is reportedly reassessing the country’s role in the international war on drugs, starting with potentially decriminalizing cocaine. The country is currently the world's biggest producer of the drug.
During his inaugural speech in August, President Petro said it’s time to accept “that the war on drugs has been a complete failure.” His administration is proposing legislation to decriminalize and regulate the use of cocaine and recreational cannabis. According to the Washington Post, Colombians are already allowed to carry small amounts of both drugs, but the Petro administration’s proposals go much further.
Petro, who assumed the presidency on August 7, is Colombia’s first leftist president in history. His election coincides with a growing trend of left-wing leaders taking power in historically conservative parts of South America, including in fellow cocaine-producing nations Peru and Bolivia. Previous Colombian administrations had historically worked closely beside the U.S. government to combat illegal drug trafficking in the Americas.
Suffice to say, the White House is supposedly not too pleased with the proposals. “The United States and the Biden administration is not a supporter of decriminalization,” Deputy National Security Adviser Jonathan Finer told WaPo bluntly.
More:
https://nowthisnews.com/news/colombias-new-government-reportedly-considering-decriminalizing-cocaine