A planned overhaul of Colombia’s counter-narcotics strategy remains among the most contentious policies pushed by President Gustavo Petro, who has called for the easing of a decades-long militarised crackdown on drug production and for the trial of new, more progressive methods. Plenty in Colombia’s security and political establishment remain sceptical of Petro’s plans. The new president may therefore have been quietly pleased by the publication on 20 October of a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) which stated that coca cultivation and potential cocaine output reached an all-time high in 2021 – discrediting, reformists claim, the hardline counter-narcotics policies pushed by Petro’s predecessor, Iván Duque (2018-2022). End of preview - This article contains approximately 1163 words.
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