Colombia Still Produces High Amount of Cocaine – U.S. Study

The White House has released the results of a new study they conducted about cocaine production in Colombia. The study claimed that the illegal substance is still being produced in the South American country at near record levels in 2021.

According to the Associated Press, this new information will be racing the stakes for the new leftist government led by President-elect Gustavo Petro and his bilateral cooperation with the United States. Petro promised to rethink Colombia's drug policy and prioritize development programs rather than completely eradicating cocaine production.

Most of Colombia's Cocaine Exported to the United States

U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy released the findings in a press release. It stated that approximately 972 tons of cocaine were produced in Colombia in 2021. The report also stated that most of the cocaine the country produced was exported illegally to the United States.

It is also estimated that last year, 234,000 hectares of the country were used to plant coca, which is used in manufacturing cocaine.

ABC News pointed out that this year's figures are slightly lower than 2020's numbers, but they are still significantly higher than previous numbers when the country only produced an estimated 273 tons of cocaine ten years ago. Last year, an estimated 994 tons of cocaine was produced in Colombia, with 245 hectares being used to grow coca.

However, the White House still noted Colombia's efforts in fighting cocaine production. The release stated that Colombian armed forces eradicated 103,000 hectares of coca, as well as seized over 750 tons of cocaine. It emphasized that Colombia remains a close ally to the United States in terms of fighting the illegal drug's production.

President-elect Gustavo Petro Aiming To Change Farmers' Crops and Shift From Coca

Gustavo Petro is Colombia's next president, and he is also a former leftist rebel who might pose a challenge to the U.S. efforts in combatting cocaine in Colombia. As a member of the opposition, Petro criticized the policy of manually eradicating coca crops. He said that these policies often create conflicts between farmers who live in remote areas and the Colombian army.

According to Petro, coca farmers have used the crop as their main source of income. He campaigned to change that and aimed to boost development programs that will shift the crops that these farmers often grow. He currently aims to get farmers to grow more legal products as they voluntarily eradicate their coca fields. With this, he also wants to renegotiate a free trade agreement with the United States. Perto said that this agreement made it harder for Colombian farmers to sell their crops, which in turn made them grow coca.

Petro is also a vocal critic of the efforts to fumigate coca crops. These efforts are backed by the United States. He argued that while the spray is harmful to the crops, it is also harmful to the humans and the environment.

However, the United States government has shown willingness to work with the incoming Petro administration, according to the Washington Post. They will be sending the National Security Council's director for the Western Hemisphere, Juan Gonzalez, to speak with Petro and members of the incoming government.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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