Colombian President Gustavo Petro opened a controversial new front line by proposing to U.S. President Donald Trump more than just a trade adjustment: he asked that “the export of cannabis be legalized like any other good, given its exclusion from the UN list of dangerous substances,” through a post on X.
Las guerras que Colombia vive desde hace 5 décadas, primero urbana hasta 1993, después rural, se deben al consumo de cocaína en EEUU; aunque han habido aportes de gobiernos estadounidenses a la paz de Colombia, han sigo exigüos y nulos en los últimos años.
Se ha construido una… https://t.co/R2SGZEnDfU
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) October 20, 2025
The idea is not limited to marijuana as an agricultural product, but rather, Petro ties it to a broader plan to transform Colombia’s rural economy: eliminating tariffs, opening long-term contracts for farmers in crop substitution areas, and attracting agro-industrial investments that will help farmers relocate “to fertile lands near cities and not adopt the jungle as a form of survival.”
For advocates of cannabis reform, the situation paints an intriguing picture: the proposal to bring a marginalized crop out of the underground, carve out a legitimate place for it in international trade and empower growers. But is it viable? What risks does it entail?
‘Colombia Provides the Money and the Deaths, the US Provides the Consumption’
The proposal comes in a context of diplomatic rift with the US. Trump accused Petro of being an “illegal drug leader” and announced, in a threatening tone, the suspension of aid and tariffs for Colombia — a country he repeatedly misnamed ‘Columbia.’
In response, Petro not only proposes the legalization of cannabis, but also shifts blame for Colombia’s conflict onto foreign consumption: “Colombia puts up the money and the deaths, and the US provides the consumption.”
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Author: Camila Berriex / High Times
