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LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

A daily publication Of the dialogue

September 22, 2023

What Would a New Approach Mean for Fighting Drugs?

Colombian President Gustavo Petro this month proposed a new alliance to fight illegal drugs by focusing on narcotics as a public health issue. Lines of cocaine are pictured. // File Photo: U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Q

  • Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Sept. 9 proposed an alliance among Latin American countries to fight drug trafficking, focusing on drug consumption as a public health issue. At the close of the Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Drugs, Petro said the five-decade war on drugs had failed and led to incalculable pain and bloodshed in Latin America. Days later, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported that cocaine production increased 13 percent in Colombia last year, reaching an all-time high. What would Petro’s plan to transform the war on drugs entail, and what elements would it need to succeed? How likely is the rest of the region to cooperate, and how would it address drug production? What kind of cooperation can Petro expect from the United States on his drug policies?

A

Gary J. Hale, nonresident fellow in Drug Policy and Mexico Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy: “Colombian President Petro has proposed to recalibrate national and regional drug policy by placing more emphasis on the health and welfare side of a well-established threat assessment formulation that is generally defined as drug production (supply), or drug abuse treatment (demand). Colombia undeniably produces most of the cocaine that is distributed worldwide, and continues to exceed production compared to past years, making it the most important source of supply for transnational criminal organizations that distribute the drug worldwide. Accordingly, Petro should also provide equal policy importance to supply-side efforts by continuing to disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks that produce cocaine in Colombia and to promote equal emphasis among other Andean Ridge nations. Despite this,…”

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The Inter-American Dialogue publishes the Latin America Advisor every business day for a distinguished membership of informed corporate leaders, scholars, and government officials invested in Latin America’s development and future. The Advisor‘s highly regarded Q&A section covers questions submitted by subscribers themselves. Commentators regularly include heads of state, business leaders, diplomats, economists, analysts, and thought leaders from around the world. Many of the world’s largest and fastest-growing companies subscribe to the Advisor. To subscribe, click here. For terms and conditions, click here. For more information, contact Gene Kuleta, editor of the Advisor, at gkuleta@thedialogue.org.
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