Gustavo Petro says the drug is only illegal because it is produced in Latin America
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has claimed that cocaine is no worse than whiskey, arguing that the drug’s illegality stems from its Latin American origin rather than its effects. Petro made the remarks amid tensions with US President Donald Trump’s administration over deportation policies and recent threats to impose trade tariffs.
Colombia has long been associated with cocaine production, with significant portions of the global supply originating from the country. The drug is made from the leaves of the coca plant, native to Latin America.
“Cocaine is illegal not because it’s worse than whiskey, but because it’s produced in Latin America,” Petro said during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. The president apparently used whiskey for the comparison because the US is a leading producer and exporter.
Petro went on to argue that the “business” from criminal organizations engaged in drug trafficking could be “easily dismantled if cocaine were to be legalized around the world.”
“It could be sold like wine,” he said, claiming that the profits could be used to prevent underage consumption.
Cocaine is a powerful stimulant that can lead to addiction and severe health issues. It is not legal for recreational use anywhere in the world. Excessive alcohol consumption has also been proven to lead to addiction and a range of serious health issues.
Petro’s remarks are in line with his broader criticism of US policies, which he has described as oppressive toward Latin America and which place the region at an economic disadvantage.
Last month, he described Trump and other American leaders as “slaveholders” who see Colombians as an “inferior race.”
Trump angered Bogota by launching deportations of Colombian migrants and threatening the country with steep tariffs if it did not comply. Petro initially refused to accept deportees but backed down when Trump threatened a 25% emergency tariff on all Colombian goods entering the US and sanctions on officials.
The US is Bogota’s largest trading partner, with around $12 billion worth of Colombian goods entering the US every year.
Trump has linked migration to drug-related crime, a claim that Petro has rejected. According to the Colombian leader, synthetic opioid fentanyl, not cocaine, is the problem in the US.
Originally developed for severe pain management, fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Illicitly manufactured fentanyl has flooded the US drug market, leading to skyrocketing numbers of opioid-related deaths.
Trump has attributed the fentanyl crisis primarily to external sources, particularly China, Mexico, and Canada. He has imposed tariffs on imports from these countries in response. Trump has since delayed tariffs on Mexico and Canada until March, after the two countries agreed to strengthen patrols of the borders they share with the US.
