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Colombia Calls Out US For Being Hypocritical About Drug War

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7 months ago

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After a recent visit to New York, and smelling weed in the streets; Colombia President calls out the US for being hypocritical over drug war, while introducing new drug policy.

What did Colombia’s President say

This current story is related to the release of a new drug plan by Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Colombia and the US have a strained history, mainly because of the war on drugs which the US waged, not on its own people, but on Colombia; an entirely different country with its own laws. Now, as the tide of public opinion changes concerning drugs like marijuana, Petro is going hard at the US for its hypocritical behavior about the ever-present drug war.

Petro spoke of a recent trip to New York, in which he could smell marijuana in the streets of the city. While he didn’t technically have a problem with this, he commented that it was “enormous hypocrisy” to allow such sales in a country that not only holds cannabis as illegal; but which killed so many Colombians in a useless war on drugs, just to allow legal sales of its own.

In a recent speech, with translation through Marijuana Moment, Petro got to the heart of the idea of weed; going from a crop to wage wars over, to one being sold which earns the government profit via taxes. He said, “Marijuana is sold today in Times Square. It smelled on all the streets, all the way around the corner, and they sold it…like any other product. I suppose they charge taxes and that New York City or the state of New York lives partially from them.”

Colombian president points out US hypocrisy over weed
Colombian president points out US hypocrisy over weed

He continued, speaking about the damage of this so-called war, “That’s where the war on drugs began. How many people have been imprisoned? How many people have died? Because undoubtedly illegality brought violence.”

This is interesting because the US rarely answers for its bad behavior; particularly what its done in countries like Colombia. Whereas the US tore apart Colombia over drugs like cocaine and marijuana; it likes to ignore this now. No apology made, no damages paid. The US acts like it didn’t do anything, even as it still pressures countries like Colombia to end drug trades, and even as it hypocritically allows the taxation of products that it has gone into other countries to kill people over.

Petro’s new drug policy plan

The whole reason this statement on US hypocritical behavior concerning the drug war, came out; is because Petro is introducing a new plan for Colombia. And one for which he probably doesn’t want the US trying to intervene in any way. By so publicly calling the US out for its hypocrisy, he might even be able to shame the US into trying to get involved.

Petro’s new plan would seek to reduce the cocaine production in Colombia by 43%. This is separate from a coca industry, however. In conjunction, Petro wants to legalize an adult-use market for cannabis, as well as promote the coca leaf for non-psychoactive purposes. The plan specifically targets limiting the environmental issues of drug production and trafficking, and to reduce drug trade violence, in part by lessening criminal enforcement.

The plan is meant to help with the mass poverty of the country, and the continued cycle that exists for families in the industry; as well as to minimize criminal prosecution for these families which produce drugs. The hope is that this also reduces the general violence from these trades. Said Petro in his October 3rd speech, “We want a prosperous peasant economy that allows—as I said in my campaign speeches—any daughter or any son of the peasant to study medicine, mathematics or philosophy. That is the goal.”

In the last couple years, Colombia attempted to pass a cannabis legalization, and a cocaine legalization bill; neither went through. The latter would have required the government to buy all crops, essentially ending the more expensive crop elimination programs. If this sounds impossible, consider that both Bolivia and Peru have legal coca industries, and the latter allows legal cocaine up to two grams. These two countries rank as two of the lower crime-rate countries of Latin America. Petro’s current plan involves a two-year program to initiate legal cannabis. In July, the country’s legislature approved this reform.

US hypocritical drug war behavior called out by Colombia
US hypocritical drug war behavior called out by Colombia

Petro in general takes an anti-drug war stance. He has compared the war on drugs, to a “genocide;” and pointed out that Colombia and Mexico have faced the brunt of this. At a recent Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Drugs; 19 countries including Colombia, came to the conclusion that “the expected results have not been obtained when combating the world drug problem, leaving in many cases the underlying problems to be solved and exploiting and exacerbating vulnerabilities of our territories and societies.”

What else did Petro say about effects of war on drugs?

In his speech, Petro said a lot of things that couldn’t be said in earlier years, for fear of US retaliation. Now, with changing times, these ideas are possible to openly state. He pointed out that “Drug trafficking was not born in Colombian blood. They built it for us,” and that it is more a result of the country being poor; and providing the ability for low cost production of illicit drugs.

In terms of the countries that exploited this, he said such countries “never wanted to develop a policy of prevention or regulation or mitigation of harm among consumers,” and that it was an “easy policy” to blame the poor countries that were being used for production, like Colombia. He explained how this promoted “xenophobic and racist complexes” in other populations, geared at places like Colombia.

He said countries like Colombia took all the blame, as if the countries themselves had set it up to be drug traffickers. He said it was easier for big foreign powers to do this, than to question why their populations wanted drugs so bad. This is similar now to the issue of fentanyl in America, with nearly all blame going to countries like Mexico; and a complete dissociation in corporate news, from the fact this issue started and continues, as a legal production, and legal prescription, issue.

Petro made the excruciatingly effective point that coca was grown for thousands of years, and during all those years, no one dreamed of making it into cocaine. In fact, cocaine is technically a pharmaceutical product, first produced in a German laboratory in 1859. It’s not like Colombia ever cared about the idea of cocaine, until it became desired by outside populations.

How bad has this drug war been for Colombia?

Colombia has a very good point when calling out the US for being hypocritical concerning the drug war. You’d think any country that worked as hard as the US did to invade other countries and influence their basic agriculture, would stand by its word. Technically, the federal government has to a degree. But then, the federal government does collect a lot of money via section 280E of the tax code, and it has since legal markets began. For a country that caused so much damage internationally over weed, it is striking how extremely hypocritical it is for someone like Petro, to smell weed in the streets of New York City.

Colombia has an extensive death toll from US drug war
Colombia has an extensive death toll from US drug war

Its hard to find any numbers out of the US, on the real damage of the drug war to a country like Colombia. While some articles make it sound like this is a shady issue of Colombia not reporting, this makes as much sense as the drug war to begin with. America caused a lot of damage, and a massive amount of unnecessary deaths; if information isn’t being given, its likely to cover the awfulness of US actions.

This is exemplified by a statement by DEA head of intelligence in Colombia, Elizabeth Zili, from 2016. She said in reference to the overall death toll, “I really couldn’t give you a number, but it was extremely high. We never totally trusted the statistics we were getting from the [Colombian] government. One never does, no matter where you are.” But… why would Colombia not want to release statistics of US killings in Colombia? Or be shady about it? It makes way more sense that the US wants to hide as much evidence as possible of its crimes against humanity, by making it sound like no numbers exist.

Colombia, in fact, does have numbers via it’s Truth Commission. The Commission estimates (via Reuters) that between 1985 and 2018 over 450,000 died, with over 121,000 going missing between 1985 and 2016. It posits over 55,770 were kidnapped, and thousands more were raped, and tortured. It estimates over 7.7 million were displaced from their homes. So there actually are numbers – they just don’t make the US look very good. On the topic of ending useless drug wars, Latin American countries are not the only ones pushing for this. Which is evidenced recently by pleas from Scotland, to also end these silly endeavors.

Conclusion

After years of abysmal treatment by the US under the guise of a drug war, its nice to see Colombia able to call out the US for its hypocritical behavior. Behavior that shows the US is not against drugs; something we already know from the massive pharmaceutical market of opioids, benzodiazepines, and a huge range of mind-altering drugs…all government approved.

Hello cannabis supporters; thanks for joining us at Cannadelics.com. We report on the drugs world at large, with a particular interest in cannabis and hallucinogens. Come by the site whenever possible to see what’s going on; and head over to the Cannadelics Weekly Newsletter; so you’re never late to get the news.



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Cannabis

Can Marijuana Give A Break From All The Drama

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1 day ago

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May 17, 2024

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It is a summer of political news, students protests, family gathering and just every day drama – can marijuana help with a temporary break?

This summer will be filled with ongoing political news as the presidential election is in the fall. Add oversees wars and campus protests and conversations with some people could be fraught with drama. And summer is the time of family gatherings, birthdays, weddings or a 4th of July picnic, it can be stressful. Can marijuana give a break from all the drama. The answer is heck yes! And you will feel better than overindulging in booze.

RELATED: Beer Sales Flatten Thanks To Marijuana

While taking a break, breathing, or going for a walk can help, sometimes you get overwhelmed. Avoiding putting yourself in these situations by reducing your news and social media input, putting boundaries around certain people and other healthy habits are import, a quick, easy solution is needed in some situations. Cannabis can provide a temporary relief as it is a proven help against anxiety. To use this tool, there are a few things to know and also not to be over reliant on it as a solution.

Photo by Anton Petrus/Getty Images

Part of the way marijuana chills you out with the active cannabinoid THC. It acts through cannabinoid receptors which activates the brain’s reward system. These includes regions that govern the response to healthy pleasurable behaviors.  It also adjusts perception of time, which is what makes movies and music sound better as it allows you to stop and really absorb the moment.

The younger generation has taken advantage of consumption methods to have marijuana on-the-go.  Vaping is the second, and trends show soon to be first, most popular method of use.  Like gummies (the third most popular way to consume), it is easy, discreet and portable for those with an active lifestyle. You can also manage dosing so you are not too high or suddenly have couch lock.

Done right, a high, even a moderate one, can last 2-10 hours.  Smoking a joint provides the quickest and most powerful, while a gummy takes 30-45 minutes to kick it, but it is much easier to manage the dosage. Vaping is a way to maintain a steady chill.

RELATED: 8 Ways to Enjoy Marijuana Without Smoking It

One good thing about taking a “time out” and breathing from the drama, it is a better on our mental and physical health.

One recent survey discovered

  • 1 in 5 had lost sleep over politics
  • 20 percent reported feeling fatigued because of political news
  • 29 percent reported losing their temper over politics
  • One quarter said they felt hateful toward those with opposing political views
  • More than 20 percent have had political disagreements damage their friendships

However you do it, be mindful of where you are and make sure you don’t let outside forces squash you happiness and enjoyment of each day.



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BDSA

Consumer Spending Validates Marijuana Rescheduling

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1 day ago

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May 17, 2024

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It is a historic move for a country which had prohibition, but consumers are using their wallets to show they support it,

Culture wars have been an American tradition – from the battle over TicTok to the alcohol prohibition in the 1920s. It was said the only thing to come out of the anti-liquor period was it taught good citizens how to break the law.  But in general, if the public wants it, the public will have it, legal or not. The perfect is example is the Pornhub ban in Utah and Texas, which has sent VPN sign ups sky high. And consumer spending validates marijuana rescheduling in a major way.

RELATED: Beer Sales Flatten Thanks To Marijuana

Some politicians and leaders believe in the nanny state option.  Those include a few governors lead by Ron DeSantis, Mitch McConnell, and a few other special interest groups.  But the Biden’s administration’s decision to reschedule cannabis lines up with public opinion. Over 85% believe it should legal in some form, and more importantly, they are putting their money toward what they want.  Leading analyst firm, BDSA, shared the public’s spending habit’s match their thoughts on rescheduling.

Photo by Anton Petrus/Getty Images

Following the tradition, cannabis sales moved higher again this year. Sales on 20 April 2024 sales were $167M, a 33% increase over the previous year.  Trends like California sober are going strong and Gen Z continues to move away from alcohol and move toward marijuana vapes and gummies. Lifestyle habits are starting to adjust slightly away from alcohol and more low alcohol drinks, mocktails, and cannabis eat away at the traditional market.  Alcohol is much rougher on the body, so many are opting for a semi-healthier option.

It is a benefit for fully recreational states as even Missouri makes significant tax income on cannabis. Most governors are on board with rescheduling at it is not only the public’s will, but it helps the state’s coffers and actually helps in other areas. Even New York State, with over 1,500 non tax paying illicit stores making money, made some income.  They have less than 100 licensed dispensaries generating over $175 million.

RELATED: How To Microdose Marijuana

On an interesting sidebar, like holidays, there are some holidays where cannabis use is up. Here are the largest for 2023

  1. 420
  2. Green Wednesday
  3. Black Friday
  4. St Patrick’s Day
  5. Veteran’s Day

In comparison, alcohol’s largest days are:

  1. New Year’s Eve
  2. St. Patrick’s Day
  3. July 4th
  4. Day Before Thanksgiving/ Blackout Wednesday/ Drinksgiving
  5. Black Friday

Let’s see how the next 12 months works for the industry, the government and the public.

 



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Biden

Cannabis Rescheduling Takes The Next Steps

Published

2 days ago

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May 17, 2024

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The Biden administration’s marijuana rescheduling takes the next step

The Department of Justice is moving marijuana rescheduling to the next step. The administration has proposed moving the drug from Schedule I, a strict classification including drugs like heroin, to Schedule III, which is more on the level of Tylenol. It also marks the federal government acknowledgement the plants medical benefits. The industry will watch over the next few months as the process of moving it forward grinds ahead.

RELATED: Americans Want It, Some Politicians Prefer a Nanny State

President Joe Biden announced move on his official account on X (formerly known as Twitter.  In a video Biden shared “This is monumental, It’s an important move towards reversing long-standing inequities. … Far too many lives have been upended because of a failed approach to marijuana, and I’m committed to righting those wrongs. You have my word on it.”

Vice President Kamala Harris also released a video Thursday, hailing the progress. It seems she has progressed in her position over the last 5 years.

Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks

A key part of the next step is a 60-day comment period. This will allow any and all parties to provide information, opinion, support or random thoughts. Already a group of GOP Senators want to either slow or stop the process. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) has started leading an effort to stall the plan if not outright stop it. They are going against the general public opinion with 85%+ believe it should be legal in some form.

The Drug Enforcement Agency is not 100% on board and there are still hurdles to rescheduling. After the comment person, there could be a review from an administrative judge, which could be a drawn-out process.  The total process can take from 3 months to a year, although it is unlikely the issue will not be resolved before the election.

RELATED: California or New York, Which Has The Biggest Marijuana Mess

Considering the stance of the federal government, Senator Mitch McConnell, and certain other opponents, the road is still going to be a bit bumpy.  The industry, in an awkward growth mood, is in need of the government not to be a hindrance.  But only time will tell.



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