Colombia’s interior minister said on Tuesday that the decision to decriminalize drugs throughout the world must be the product of consensus among the international community.
“Any advance in this field has to be something that involves all countries, the entire international community; it must be a global strategy,” Interior Minister German Vargas Lleras declared.
He added that Colombia would not be the leader nor promoter, but will participate in discussions to evaluate the successes and failures in the fight against drugs.
Vargas Lleras reiterated that the Colombian government would not change its anti-drug strategy, but will strengthen the international community to make a determination on how to combat the production and consumption of drugs.
The minister went on to speak of how drug consumption worldwide has had negative effects on Colombia in terms of violence, corruption, and money laundering.
President Santos said earlier this week that cocaine was destroying his country, and that governments around the world should rethink the way they penalize drug use due to the fact that Colombia is suffering the most. He has also suggested that the international community shift their focus from soft drugs, such as marijuana, to focus more on hard drugs and issues of drug trafficking.