March 6, 2024
Colombia’s new drug policy and agrarian reform is underway and receiving support from the U.S. Government. Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control for the U.S., recently visited Colombia to affirm U.S. support for Colombia’s multifaceted approach to combating drug trafficking and fostering sustainable development. This policy, championed by President Gustavo Petro, employs a unique oxygen and asphyxiation strategy. The “oxygen” aims to revive rural economies by providing coca growers with alternatives such as legal agricultural opportunities and the “asphyxiation” component focuses on dismantling the economic foundations of drug cartels by targeting their production infrastructure and financial operations.
Colombia’s National Land Agency and USAID are collaborating closely to facilitate this transformation strategy, which seeks to offer sustainable livelihoods to rural communities and curb the expansion of coca cultivation, which surged to 230,000 hectares in 2022.
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