Colombia’s President Urges Trump to Legalize Marijuana, Replace Prohibition with a Regulated System for Adult Use and International Cannabis Trade
In a bold appeal that underscores growing tensions between the United States and Colombia over drug policy, Colombian President Gustavo Petro has urged U.S. President Donald Trump to abandon marijuana prohibition and adopt a regulated legalization framework—one that allows for both adult-use consumption and international cannabis exports.
Petro’s comments, shared in a post on X (formerly Twitter) last week, came amid a deepening feud with Trump over U.S. military operations targeting alleged drug trafficking vessels in international waters. The exchange marks the latest clash between the two leaders as they spar over the future of global drug policy and the human cost of prohibition.
“Colombia Provides the Deaths, the U.S. Provides the Consumption,” Petro Says
In his post, President Petro criticized what he described as the imbalanced dynamics of the drug war, highlighting how Latin America bears the brunt of violence while the United States drives global demand.
“Colombia actually provides the money and the deaths in the struggle, while the U.S. provides the consumption,” Petro wrote, according to a translation. “Consumption in the U.S. and the growing consumption in Europe are responsible for 300,000 murders in Colombia and one million deaths in Latin America.”
His remarks reflect a longstanding critique by Latin American leaders who argue that the U.S.-led “War on Drugs” has devastated their countries without addressing the root causes of demand or offering viable alternatives for farmers and local economies dependent on coca and cannabis cultivation.
Petro Calls for Trade Reform and International Cannabis Exports Instead of Prohibition
Going beyond criticism, Petro outlined a policy alternative that would replace punitive drug enforcement with regulated trade and economic cooperation.
He said he proposed to Trump “the opposite” of the current policy approach — suggesting that Washington lift tariffs on Colombian agricultural goods and legalize the export of cannabis “like any good.”
According to Petro, this policy shift could be justified by the United Nations’ decision to reschedule cannabis under international drug control treaties, which both the U.S. and Colombia have ratified.
“The export of cannabis, regulated and taxed, could become a legitimate agricultural industry,” Petro suggested, adding that this approach would simultaneously undercut the black market and generate economic opportunities for rural communities long exploited by illicit traffickers.
Petro Urges U.S. to “Study Prohibition Scientifically” and Focus on Prevention, Not Punishment
The Colombian president also challenged Washington to take a scientific, evidence-based approach to cannabis policy.
Trump, he said, should “strengthen the policy of prevention of consumption in the U.S.” while “scientifically studying whether prohibition is necessary—or whether responsible, state-regulated consumption could be more effective.”
Petro emphasized that global treaties should evolve beyond punitive frameworks, calling instead for an international system targeting narcotics capital and money laundering, rather than small-scale growers or consumers.
Trump Strikes Back: Calls Petro a “Drug Leader” as U.S. Sanctions Colombian Officials
The diplomatic exchange quickly escalated into a public feud.
Last week, President Trump referred to Petro as an “illegal drug leader”, while the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on Petro, members of his family, and several close advisers, citing alleged links to narcotics trafficking.
The Colombian government denounced the move as politically motivated retaliation, accusing the Trump administration of “weaponizing the drug war” to undermine Latin American sovereignty.
Cannabis Legalization Advances in Colombia as Petro Pushes Reform at Home
While the international dispute unfolds, Colombia’s domestic cannabis reform movement continues to gather momentum.
In August 2025, a House committee gave initial approval to a bill that would nationally legalize marijuana, marking the first step in what could become a historic shift in Colombia’s drug policy.
President Petro has consistently championed legalization as a cornerstone of his broader effort to reduce violence and undercut the illicit drug economy.
He criticized lawmakers who voted to shelve previous versions of the bill, saying their inaction “only perpetuates illegal trafficking and the violence tied to prohibition.”
Petro’s Global Advocacy: From the UN to Latin America’s Drug Policy Conferences
Petro’s comments to Trump are part of a broader regional and international campaign to rethink drug enforcement strategies.
At the Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Drugs in 2023, Petro and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador jointly declared that Colombia and Mexico are “the biggest victims of this policy,” likening decades of U.S.-backed drug enforcement to “a genocide.”
In 2022, Petro delivered a speech before the United Nations General Assembly, calling on member nations to end prohibition and “recognize the failure of the war on drugs.”
He argued that the continued criminalization of cannabis not only fuels violence but also contradicts the global shift toward regulated markets, particularly as countries like Canada, Germany, and much of the United States have already legalized marijuana in some form.
“Enormous Hypocrisy”: Petro Points to U.S. Legalization While Latin America Suffers
After a visit to New York City in 2023, Petro remarked on the “enormous hypocrisy” of the U.S. approach to cannabis.
He said he could “smell marijuana in the streets” of New York, where legal dispensaries operate openly: a stark contrast to Colombia, where decades of U.S. policy guidance have enforced strict prohibition.
“How can the same nation that started the global drug war now profit from it?” he asked, pointing to the growing U.S. cannabis industry as evidence of double standards in international drug policy.
Trump Maintains Hardline Stance as Military Strikes and Sanctions Continue
For his part, President Trump has shown little interest in comprehensive cannabis reform.
Although he recently acknowledged that a federal marijuana rescheduling decision could come “within weeks,” his administration’s broader drug policy remains focused on combating cartels and trafficking networks, often through militarized enforcement and extrajudicial actions.
Recent U.S. military strikes on boats suspected of smuggling narcotics have drawn international criticism, with human rights organizations warning that such actions violate international law and risk escalating regional tensions.
The Takeaway: A Crossroads for U.S.-Colombia Drug Policy Relations
President Gustavo Petro’s appeal to President Trump marks a pivotal moment in global drug diplomacy.
His message that legalization, regulation, and trade may succeed where prohibition has failed reflects an increasingly common view among policymakers worldwide.
Yet, as the U.S. maintains its hardline stance, Colombia’s push for reform may test the limits of cooperation between the two nations that have long stood at the center of the drug war.
Whether Trump embraces or rejects Petro’s proposal could shape not only bilateral relations, but also the future of global cannabis policy in a rapidly changing world.
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