Colombia Could Push for Drug Legalization

The central argument of this text is one that Kalmanovitz and others have made many times before. But it has been a long time since the once-vocal legalization movement in Colombia was really speaking out on the issue. Seeing this article in today’s El Espectador by such a high-profile writer, soon after the victories of potential allies in October’s local elections here was quite hopeful.

But a couple things should be said Kalmanovitz laments the appearance of “genetically engineered” coca. More than three years ago, journalists began repeating rumors of these new strains of “super-coca.” No real evidence ever surfaced and the rumors were debunked by Narco News and others at the time.

And given the emphasis he places on the guerrillas’ role in trafficking, we should mention that really very little of the drug trade’s profits reach the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The government’s own Financial Information and Analysis reported in 2005 that the FARC’s annual take from drug trafficking was only around $11 million – not chump change by any means. But if that figure is true, compared to the one percent of GDP ($4 billion) Kalmanovitz cites as the total drug trafficking profits that stay in Colombia, the guerrillas’ income is a just tiny fraction.