Colombia is the world’s biggest cocaine producer and exporter, mainly to the United States and Europe, and has spent decades fighting against drug trafficking.

During a six-hour ministerial meeting – broadcast live for the first time ever – the leftist president said “cocaine is illegal because it is made in Latin America, not because it is worse than whisky”.

“Scientists have analysed this. Cocaine is no worse than whisky,” he added, suggesting that the global cocaine industry could be “easily dismantled” if the drug were legalised worldwide.

“If you want peace, you have to dismantle the business (of drug trafficking),” he said.

“It could easily be dismantled if they legalise cocaine in the world. It would be sold like wine.”

Petro also pointed out that fentanyl “is killing Americans and it is not made in Colombia”, referring to the opioid responsible for around 75,000 deaths in the US a year, according to official data.

“Fentanyl was created as a pharmacy drug by North American multinationals” and those who consumed it “became addicted,” he added.

Since coming to power in 2022, Petro has attempted to make peace with all of the armed groups that are fuelled by drug trafficking in the hope of ending six decades of conflict.

Cocaine production in Colombia reached a record-high in 2023, jumping 53% to 2,600 tonnes, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.