Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos on Thursday said that the “war on drugs” needs to be reevaluated.
“Our country reaffirms its commitment to fight, as [we have] been fighting, with more costs but also [with] more effort and more results than any other country in the world against drug trafficking and its ramifications,” said Santos.
“That commitment and these results give us the moral stature to insist on the need to evaluate the effectiveness of the so-called ‘War on Drugs’ which started more than four decades ago and has not achieved its objectives,” said the president, while greeting a diplomatic corps in Bogota.
Santos also referred to a study that is being conducted by the Organization of American States (OEA) stating that once the study is complete, the government will assess and possibly implement the proposed new ways to tackle the problem.
Colombia’s head of state also urged the nations of Europe to become more involved in the “war” noting that the governments of the world must “keep an open mind to find solutions that prevent the youth of the planet [from] remaining a victim of an illegal business, which does nothing but exacerbate and finance violence and terrorism around the world.”
Santos frank statements regarding the war on drugs echo his and former US president Jimmy Carter’s January 14 statements that “the drug problem” should be considered a “public health issue.”
BACKGROUND: ‘War on drugs’ needs rethinking: Santos, Carter
