THE President of the world’s cocaine capital Colombia said the drug was “no worse than whiskey” amid a fiery feud with Donald Trump.
President Gustavo Petro urged for the legalization of the controversial substance shortly after facing pressure from President Trump regarding deportations.
Petro made the shocking claim during a six-hour ministerial meeting where he claimed the drug is only illegal because of its origins.
He said: “Cocaine is illegal because it is made in Latin America, not because it is worse than whiskey.
“Scientists have analyzed this. Cocaine is no worse than whiskey.”
Colombia, known as the largest producer and exporter of cocaine globally, has struggled for years to address drug-related problems, with the President arguing that American politicians have unfairly singled out the illegal drug.
Petro claimed America faced a bigger issue with fentanyl and alleged Cocaine was not a major problem.
During the meeting the President said fentanyl “is killing Americans and it is not made in Colombia”.
He added that “Fentanyl was created as a pharmacy drug by North American multinationals” and the people who used it “became addicted”.
Cocaine is a deadly and illegal drug responsible for over 27,000 US deaths in 2022, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Cocaine, a highly addictive substance, poses significant health risks including heightened chances of heart attacks, harm to the nervous system, and severe legal consequences.
The average prison sentence in the US, where most Colombian cocaine is sent, for possession is on average five years behind bars, according to the United States Sentencing Commission.
The Colombian President’s bizarre comments are set to raise eyebrows in Washington as they came just days after Petro and Trump narrowly avoided an immigration and trade war.
America’s Commander-in-chief started off his second term with a bang when he sent two military aircraft filled with around 200 deportees to Colombia.
Petro initially refused to accept these flights but he quickly caved after Trump mounted economic pressure on January 26.
The US President threatened to impose an eye-watering 25 per cent tariff on Colombian imports and immediate visa revocation for government officials in the US.
Petro even offered his presidential plane to “facilitate the dignified return of the compatriots who were to arrive in the country this morning from deportation flights”.
Bogotá soon sent two military aircraft on Monday equipped with medical staff on board to fetch its nationals in the cities of San Diego and Houston.
Just a week after this bold move, Petro’s bizarre cocaine rant even saw him suggest the drug should become legal.
He said: “If you want peace, you have to dismantle the business (of drug trafficking).
Dangers of cocaine
THE illegal drug is banned in the US and carries heaving jail sentences for possession, selling, and trafficking.
Here are some of the dangers of this addictive and deadly drug:
- Loss of sense of smell, nosebleeds, and problems with swallowing.
- Organ damage.
- An increased risk of stroke and seizures.
- Bleeding within the brain.
- Impaired cognitive functions.
- Increased risk of panic attacks, paranoia, and psychosis.
Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse
“It could easily be dismantled if they legalize cocaine in the world. It would be sold like wine.”
Trump has threatened huge sanctions on nations he believed were fuelling a drug trafficking epidemic into the US.
The US President placed 10 per cent tariffs on China as a response for the apparent flow of fentanyl from the Asian country to the US.
Trump also intimidated Canada and Mexico with 25 per cent tariffs as retaliation for illegal migration and alleged fentanyl trafficking.
This deadly drug is responsible for 75,000 deaths per year, according to The White House.
