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Colombian president says cocaine 'no worse than whisky' (www.rfi.fr)
submitted 11 hours ago by xiao to c/[email protected]
59 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Cocaine "is no worse than whisky" and is only illegal because it comes from Latin America, said Colombian President Gustavo Petro during a live broadcast of a government meeting.

Colombia is the world's biggest cocaine producer and exporter, mainly to the United States and Europe, and has spent decades fighting against drug trafficking.

During a six-hour ministerial meeting -- broadcast live for the first time ever -- the leftist president said "cocaine is illegal because it is made in Latin America, not because it is worse than whisky."

"Scientists have analyzed this. Cocaine is no worse than whisky," he added, suggesting that the global cocaine industry could be "easily dismantled" if the drug were legalized worldwide.

"If you want peace, you have to dismantle the business (of drug trafficking)," he said. "It could easily be dismantled if they legalize cocaine in the world. It would be sold like wine."

Petro also pointed out that fentanyl "is killing Americans and it is not made in Colombia", referring to the opioid responsible for around 75,000 deaths in the United States a year, according to official data.

"Fentanyl was created as a pharmacy drug by North American multinationals" and those who consumed it "became addicted," he added.

Since coming to power in 2022, Petro has attempted to make peace with all of the armed groups that are fueled by drug trafficking in the hope of ending six decades of conflict.

Cocaine production in Colombia reached a record-high in 2023, jumping 53 percent to 2,600 tons, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (3 children)

Just to add a note that this graph comes from a study made on rats. I love the study and i use this graph frequently when discussing drugs, but i think it's important to know.

Being done on rats also raises the point that it's done excluding a mental component of using the drug, like for instance how some people use cigarettes in depression for its antidepressant effect or use alcohol to cope with mental health issues.

It also doesn't explore the mental health effects of repeated exposure to large doses of hallucinogens on people, which we still don't have research on because of how demonized hallucinogens are in most countries doing research on drugs.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

I've been doing an exhaustive study for the last couple of decades on the effects of whiskey on a human with mental health issues.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Feedback?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

It's hard to write down scientific conclusions when you black out at the end of the night, but so far I wouldn't recommend it. I'll try again tonight and get back to you.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 hours ago

Your commitment to science is commendable

[–] Tar_alcaran 2 points 4 hours ago (2 children)

It also doesn't explore the mental health effects of repeated exposure to large doses of hallucinogens on people, which we still don't have research on because of how demonized hallucinogens are in most countries doing research on drugs.

Also, I don't think you'll get that past an ethics board...

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

There’s that “therapist” at a mental health facility that would give ULTRA MACRODOSES of LSD to his patients, put them in a completely white room, strip them naked, chain them together, and play sad and horrifying things to them for DAYS in a row, and the only food they got was a nutrient slop they had to suck out of the wall… that didn’t go well.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 hours ago

what about testing the ld50 on humans?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 hours ago

Interesting! Do you have a link to the original study by any chance?