Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s Strategy Awakens Concerns

President Gustavo Petro’s recent announcement about the state purchase of coca crops in the El Plateado region, in the department of Cauca, has provoked a series of criticisms and raised serious concerns about the direction of the fight against drug trafficking in Colombia. During an event, Petro declared: “We in El Plateado are going to start the state purchase of coca crops. Lightning and thunder will rain on us”, making it clear that the measure would be highly controversial, but, according to him, necessary to face the social and economic crisis affecting the region. The proposal is part of a broader solidarity credit policy for historically marginalized areas.

According to *Semana* magazine, the president justified the initiative by stating that peasants in the region cultivate coca due to a lack of economic alternatives. The promise to purchase the coca harvest would be a temporary solution, until it was possible to implement a “licit economy” in these areas. Petro highlighted that, without credit, these poor and excluded regions have no chance of diversifying their production: “Credit in all areas, the poorest and most excluded in Colombia. In these regions, credit does not reach, because credit does not reach the poor”. For him, the absence of the State in these locations is the main cause of peasants’ dependence on coca cultivation.

However, the context in which this proposal arises is worrying. As reported by *PanAm Post*, coca cultivation in the country will grow by 10% in 2023, while cocaine production will increase by an impressive 53%. The area planted with coca reached 253 thousand hectares at the end of 2023, according to the UN, and total cocaine production exceeded 2,664 tons, a jump compared to the 1,738 tons recorded in 2022. These numbers show that the problem is far away to be resolved, and Petro’s plan, instead of stopping the advance of drug trafficking, could end up legitimizing the illegal coca market. To top it off, manual crop eradication fell drastically, from 13,331 hectares eradicated in 2023 to just 4,504 hectares in the same period in 2024.

Furthermore, Petro did not make clear the final destination of the coca purchased by the government, nor the exact source of the resources that will finance these purchases. As *PanAm Post* points out, the president did not specify whether the coca would be destroyed or used in any way. This silence has generated criticism about transparency and the risks associated with the use of public money to finance harvests of a plant that, as the UN report highlights, is almost entirely destined for the production of cocaine.

Another point that increases distrust in relation to Petro’s policies is his already known stance on cocaine. In 2022, during a speech at the UN General Assembly, the president asked: “What is most poisonous to humans? Cocaine or coal or oil?”, suggesting that cocaine causes fewer deaths than fossil energy sources and should therefore be treated less rigorously. Two years later, the drug trafficking situation in the country appears to have worsened, and the Colombian government’s policies, instead of facing the problem head-on, have been seen as condescending to the cartels.

Although Petro insists that the purchase of coca crops is a transitional step, until the legal economy develops in these areas, the scenario suggests a risky solution with limited impact in the fight against drugs. In practice, the government runs the risk of subsidizing coca production, which today fuels drug trafficking and its criminal ramifications.

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The relationship of friendship and partnership between Lula da Silva and Gustavo Petro is long-standing

Petro and Lula da Silva reflects a solid and long-standing partnership. Lula, when expressing support for Petro during the recent 2024 investigations, stated: *”As someone who has already been a victim of all types of political persecution, I express my solidarity with President Petro. One cannot give up due legal process, even more when what is at stake is the will of the people democratically expressed through the ballot box.”*

Petro, in turn, highlighted his admiration for Lula on several occasions. In 2019, he stated: “His grandson died and Lula will remain in prison, imprisoned by judges who today govern with fascism. Lula is a political prisoner. His incarceration was essential to deliver Latin America to the darkest aspects of politics and the hatred of those who hold the greatest economic power.”. These comments reveal the connection between the two leaders, who share a common vision of integration based on the values ​​of Latin American socialism.