Colombian President Gustavo Petro said during a government meeting that cocaine “is no worse than whiskey” and that it’s only illegal because it comes from Latin America.

“Cocaine is illegal because it is made in Latin America, not because it is worse than whiskey,” the left-wing president said during a six-hour ministerial meeting broadcast live, according to POLITICO.

“Scientists have analyzed this: cocaine is not worse than whiskey,” he added.

According to POLITICO, Petro suggested the global cocaine industry could be “easily dismantled” by legalizing the drug worldwide.

Colombia is the world’s largest producer and exporter of cocaine.

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From POLITICO:

By contrast, Petro pointed out that fentanyl, a contributor to the opioid crisis in the United States, “is killing Americans, but it’s not made in Colombia.”

“Fentanyl was created as a pharmacy drug by North American multinationals” and those who used it “became addicted,” he added.

Petro has already been at odds with new U.S. President Donald Trump, after his country initially barred American military planes from landing with returning migrants aboard.

Trump’s administration responded by threatening to impose punitive tariffs on Colombian exports to the U.S., pushing Bogotá to agree to accept the migrants “without restriction or delay,” according to the White House.

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“If you want peace, you have to dismantle the business (of drug trafficking),” Petro said, according to CBS News. 

“It could easily be dismantled if they legalize cocaine in the world. It would be sold like wine,” he added.

Per CBS News:

Since coming to power in 2022, Petro has attempted to make peace with all the armed groups that are fueled by drug trafficking, in the hope of ending six decades of conflict.

Cocaine production in Colombia reached a record-high in 2023, jumping 53 percent to 2,600 tons, according to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime.

 

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