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 analysed this. Cocaine is no worse than whisky,” he added, suggesting that the global cocaine industry could be “easily dismantled” if the drug were legalised worldwide.

“If you want peace, you have to dismantle the business [of drug trafficking],” he said. “It could easily be dismantled if they legalise 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.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Photo / Getty Images

“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 fuelled by drug trafficking in the hope of ending six decades of conflict.

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

Wastewater testing in New Zealand last year showed Kiwis' cocaine consumption was at an all-time high, with the last quarter’s consumption almost twice (1.86 times) as high as the previous year’s average.

NZ Drug Foundation executive director Sarah Helm said the increase was because global cocaine production has risen significantly.

“Cocaine is considered among the more addictive substances. It wears off quickly and has a compulsive redosing impact making it harder for people to manage their use,” she added.

The testing also showed more methamphetamine was found and Helm said the results showed that evidence-based measures to protect the community have not received the right level of support.

“We want to see an investment in the rollout of Te Ara Oranga nationally, which we have been calling for many years,” she said.

“It is also beyond time to look at our drug laws, which have demonstrably failed. Since 1975, our drug supply has exponentially increased, become terrifyingly more potent and toxic, while our drug laws have prevented harm reduction and overdose measures by making them illegal.”

–Agence France-Presse, additional reporting NZ Herald