Colombian President Gustavo Petro is not known for biting his tongue and a recent cabinet meeting in his Bogotá residence, Casa de Nariño, is a case in point. The president sparked a global controversy by questioning the illegality of cocaine and suggesting that the drug could be legalized and taxed, with the revenue used for health campaigns to prevent children from using drugs.
During the meeting, Petro cited scientific analyses to argue that cocaine is not more harmful than whiskey. He proposed that, if legalized, cocaine could be sold like wine and the profits from its sale could be used to fund health campaigns. The president drew parallels with the current situation surrounding alcohol and tobacco.
In the same breath, Petro labeled synthetic opioid fentanyl as a much greater threat than cocaine, citing the numerous overdose deaths in the United States. He also implied that the US pharmaceutical industry had a role in the proliferation of fentanyl, which was initially marketed as a painkiller before becoming a highly addictive and deadly drug. The president accused the US government of using the fentanyl crisis to pressure Mexico, rather than addressing the root issue in the US pharmaceutical industry.