Colombia launches new anti-drug plan till 2033. Here's what it focuses on

Colombian President Gustavo Petro launched a new national drug policy on Tuesday (Oct 3) that would focus on reducing the size of coca crops, cutting potential cocaine output, and preventing deforestation linked to drug trafficking. Addressing an event in El Tambo, a municipality in Cauca province, President Petro said that the policy would run from 2023 to 2033.

Petro said that the policy would support regions, communities, and ecosystems affected by illegal drugs, helping people to abandon illegal activities in favour of legal economies, and transforming their economic and social conditions in the process.

"We want to carry out the first concerted experience with the entire community, some will want to, some will not. This is to transform one economy into another. This is undoubtedly worth money and this requires a state and more than the state, a social effort that goes beyond our own nation. It is a national effort. With you we want to change this economy," Petro added.

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The president also pointed out that his government wanted to show the world how a policy that is not based on prison, extradition, and state corruption or repression could be far more effective. It would encourage the voluntary eradication of coca crops, to replace the plants with coffee, cocoa, or fruit, and will see the State increase its presence in Colombia's remote regions.

The policy would also focus on implementing environmental management and measures to conserve and restore areas affected by drug trafficking while tackling drug use with a focus on public health and human rights.

Colombia has been among the top global producers of cocaine and of the coca leaf it is made of. As per the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, in 2022, coca crops covered some 2,300 square kilometres of Colombia's territory - up 13% from the previous year. Meanwhile, the potential cocaine output rose 24% to 1,738 metric tons.

Despite the launch of the new drug policy, the government would continue to target the finances of criminal organizations involved in the drug trade.

Last month, President Petro proposed an alliance between Latin American countries to transform the war on drugs by recognising drug consumption as a public health problem instead of confronting it with what he called a "failed" militarized approach.

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