Colombian President Gustavo Petro has sparked controversy by comparing cocaine to whisky and suggesting it is only illegal because it is produced in Latin America.
His comments came during a televised cabinet meeting, where he argued that legalizing cocaine worldwide could dismantle the drug trade, saying it “would sell like wine.”
Petro’s remarks come amid growing coca production under his presidency. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, coca cultivation in Colombia increased by 10 percent in 2023 to 253,000 hectares, with potential cocaine production rising by 53 percent to 2,664 tonnes. Colombia remains the largest producer of cocaine globally.
Petro, a former guerrilla member and outspoken critic of the US-led war on drugs, has shifted his government’s focus from military and police operations targeting coca farmers to intercepting drug shipments at sea. However, critics argue his policies have failed to address trafficking and the public health crises linked to drug use.
The remarks come just days after Colombia and the US narrowly avoided a trade war over Petro’s initial refusal to accept deportees on US military planes. Relations between the two nations remain tense, especially given US President Donald Trump’s hardline stance on drug trafficking.
The televised cabinet meeting, intended to showcase Petro’s leadership amid recent crises, descended into chaos. Vice President Francia Márquez and other cabinet members criticized the president’s decision to appoint Armando Benedetti as chief of staff and Laura Sarabia as foreign minister. Both figures have been implicated in a government scandal involving wiretapping, illicit campaign financing, and a missing briefcase of cash, though they deny any wrongdoing.
The fallout continued with the resignation of Jorge Rojas, head of the presidency’s administrative department, just a week after taking over Sarabia’s previous role. Culture Minister Juan David Correa also quit, while Interior Minister Juan Fernando Cristo described the cabinet as “unsustainable” and called for a collective resignation.
Observers say the infighting has weakened Petro’s administration. Nicholas Watson, Latin America managing director at consultancy Teneo, described the televised meeting as a failed attempt to project confidence amid tensions with the US, calling it a “spectacular backfire” that exposed Petro’s struggles to maintain control over his government.
Source: Richard Nana Appiah Kubi/Ahotoronline.com
