Colombia acknowledges the “failure” of its policies with the U.S. to combat drug trafficking

Colombia’s new ambassador to the United States, Luis Gilberto Murillo, has advocated a paradigm shift with regard to Washington and Bogota’s joint fight against drugs as so far it has not only not worked, but has proven to be a “failure”.

Murillo has stressed the need to “review” the anti-drug policy that has been applied so far “because everything that has been done has not worked and is a failure,” as she expressed in an event on the occasion of the International Day of Indigenous Peoples.

Murillo’s words are in tune with the idea that the president, Gustavo Petro, advanced on this issue during his inauguration speech this Sunday, when he recalled that the war on drugs has been a “resounding” failure as evidenced by the million Latin Americans killed in the last 40 years.

In turn, the Colombian ambassador has advanced that another of the objectives of the new administration will be to “review” the Free Trade Agreement they have had with the United States since 2012, as was included in Petro’s program.

Murillo makes these statements in parallel to the announcement of the President of the United States, Joe Biden, to renew the aid of the White House to Colombia to combat drug trafficking through mechanisms of control of its airspace.