Stefan Peters interviewed by German newspaper Freitag
CAPAZ Academic Director, Prof. Dr. Stefan Peters, was consulted for a report published in the German magazine der Freitag on the increase in cocaine consumption in European countries. This problem has been referred to by some law enforcement agencies as a “cocaine pandemic” whose problem is not only the issue of overflowing consumption but also the turf wars between gangs and all the security problems that this implies.
Read the full article here (in German)
The article analyses both the context of how drugs are produced in Colombia —and their local effects— and the impact that this production chain has on European countries. It also mentions the process of capturing Otoniel and the challenges that still lie ahead in the implementation of the Peace Accords. “The peace process with the FARC, negotiated with so much international effort, is falling apart. Glyphosate, which destroys fields and aggravates poverty, does not prevent cultivation. The US’ —the largest cocaine market— “war on drugs”, is capitulating to organised crime”, the article clarifies.
Dr. Peters’ contribution to the discussion comes when he discusses the legalisation of drugs: “The only thing the coca mafia fears is the “legalisation of their illegality, as it is this illegality that assures them billions in profits. Research shows that all past prohibition policies have had a “disastrous” effect. The problem, he said, is “structural”, with a producer country at the centre for whose socially disadvantaged people, smuggling is often the only way forward. Finding a solution here is the crux of international relations” the researcher commented.
The newspaper also takes as an example the case of Portugal, where cannabis and cocaine for personal use were decriminalised. The results, the article explains, have been positive.