• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Colombia president claims cocaine is 'no worse than whiskey' and has bold suggestion on how to 'dismantle the industry'

Home> News> World News

Updated 13:36 8 Feb 2025 GMTPublished 13:35 8 Feb 2025 GMT

Colombia president claims cocaine is 'no worse than whiskey' and has bold suggestion on how to 'dismantle the industry'

Colombia's president Gustavo Petro has argued there's only one way to achieve 'peace' when it comes to the drug trafficking industry

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck

Colombia's president Gustavo Petro has argued the best way to 'dismantle' the drug trafficking industry while comparing cocaine to whiskey and fentanyl.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime states in its 2023 Global Report of Cocaine that the 'global supply of cocaine is at record levels' and 'the world's supply of cocaine originates virtually entirely in South America, specifically in the three countries of Bolivia, Colombia and Peru'.

And the President of South America's Colombia has suggested how the 'business' of drug trafficking could be 'easily dismantled'.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime's report reads: "In 2021, cultivation in Colombia increased sharply by 43 percent and potential manufacture of cocaine also increased significantly by 14 percent, reaching record levels in both cases."

Advert

"Colombia continues to account for the largest share of the area under coca bush cultivation and potential manufacturing of cocaine," it adds.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse also states there's been a rise in cocaine-related deaths in the last six years, with 2022 seeing 27,569 deaths recorded.

In a live-streamed government meeting which lasted six hours addressing the issue, Petro argued the drug is 'illegal because it is made in Latin America, not because it is worse than whisky' and claimed 'scientists have analyzed this'.

The president then went on to compare cocaine to fentanyl - a drug contributing to the opioid crisis in the US which saw 73,838 overdose deaths reported in 2022, as per the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Advert

Gustavo Petro has has suggested if cocaine was legalized the 'business' of drug trafficking could be 'easily dismantled' (ANDREA ARIZA/AFP via Getty Images)
Gustavo Petro has has suggested if cocaine was legalized the 'business' of drug trafficking could be 'easily dismantled' (ANDREA ARIZA/AFP via Getty Images)

"[Fentanyl is] killing Americans but it's not made in Colombia," Petro added, reflecting on fentanyl as being 'created as a pharmacy drug by North American multinationals'.

Petro ultimately argued 'if somebody wants peace, the business [of drug trafficking] has to be dismantled'.

How? Well, he suggested: "It could be easily dismantled if they legalized cocaine in the world. It would be sold like wine."

Advert

Petro has vowed to tackle drug trafficking since he assumed office in 2022, however, the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime report from 2023 states 'the main markets for cocaine worldwide are North America, Western and Central Europe, followed by South and Central America and the Caribbean' with 'North America and Western and Central Europe remain the largest destination markets for cocaine'.

Petro has said that 'cocaine is no worse than whiskey' (Horacio Villalobos#Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
Petro has said that 'cocaine is no worse than whiskey' (Horacio Villalobos#Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

It states the 'cultivation doubled between 2013 and 2017, peaked in 2018 and rose sharply again in 2021'.

However, the report also notes: "In parallel, law enforcement agencies are seizing greater amounts of cocaine. Preliminary figures for 2021 suggest a very sharp rise in seizures. In recent years, seizures showed an underlying upward trend across most regions, punctuated by a 'bump' brought about by COVID."

Advert

If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can call American Addiction Centers on (313) 209-9137 24/7, or contact them through their website.

Featured Image Credit: NurPhoto/Getty

Topics: Drugs, Food and Drink, Health, Politics, World News

Poppy Bilderbeck
Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

an hour ago
2 hours ago
  • an hour ago

    Underrated Jennifer Lawrence movie that fans say is 'the best they've ever seen' is leaving Prime very soon

    The movie saw Jennifer Lawrence get her first Oscar nomination

    Film & TV
  • an hour ago

    'Cause' of tragic nightclub roof collapse that killed 236 people revealed as owners are arrested

    The roof of the Dominican Republic-based club collapsed in April

    News
  • 2 hours ago

    Rare resurfaced interview with man who survived 9/11 from 72nd floor as same tower collapsed behind him

    The man was speaking to a journalist when the tower he'd just been in crumbled in front of him

    News
  • 2 hours ago

    Donald Trump claims US now has 'total control' of Iran's sky in bizarre statement following nuclear site bombing

    The POTUS has seemingly threatened Iran with US intervention if the conflict escalates

    News
  • Man Is Walking Longest Possible Distance On Earth That No One Has Attempted Before
  • This is how one alcoholic drink every day can impact your body over time
  • Stash Of Cocaine Worth Almost €80 Million Delivered To Supermarkets By Mistake
  • McDonald’s forced to close after customer claims they found crack pipe in breakfast order