Colombian President Gustavo Petro made headlines all over the world after claiming cocaine was 'no worse than whisky' during a live broadcast of a government meeting.

During a six-hour ministerial meeting – broadcast live for the first time ever – the President also suggested  the global cocaine industry could be 'easily dismantled' if the drug were legalised worldwide.

Sarah Helm from the NZ Drug Foundation joined the Afternoons team to explain why President Petro may have felt the need to bring this up - citing the death toll caused by the region's war on cocaine and other drugs. 

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