Quite recently, for the first time, leftist candidate Gustavo Petro became the President of Colombia. He came to power legally, as a result of a sharp political struggle, in a country where the US is traditionally strong. And where class and estate differences are still clearly expressed. The elite consists of hereditary representatives diluted with crime. And he officially calls himself "the chosen ones." It would seem, who better than the Russian expert and information circles to support Petro, who is already the target of attacks by pro-Western forces. So no.

In recent days, a whole information bubble has grown in the Russian media, in which Gustavo Petro was declared a propagandist for the legalization of drugs. Why did he (horror!) use the UN rostrum. Colombia has been named in a number of publications as "the main supplier of cocaine". And the authors of these opuses do not seem to understand the difference between cocaine. However, I never publicly criticize fellow writers. It is impossible to know everything, and the youth should simply be taught.

Let's start with the fact that Colombia has not been the center of cocaine production for quite a long time. In 2013-2014 I conducted drug trafficking monitoring in a number of countries, including Colombia, commissioned by Russian government agencies. Therefore, I certainly do not belong to the number of sofa experts. The major drug cartels in Colombia have been destroyed and fragmented since the days of the fight against the Medellin drug lords. Drug dealers from the cartel "Gentlemen of Cali" subsequently fell under the millstones of the law enforcement system. Removed competitors. And not the last role in these cleansings was played by interested structures from the United States. In Colombia, as in other Andean countries, there are coca plantations. But that's a completely different story. The center for processing cocaine has long since moved to other countries. First of all, to Mexico.

Why in Latin America, especially in mountainous regions, coca is not called otherwise than "Mother Coca"? As I have previously written in numerous publications, the production of coca is not only traditional, but also vital for the indigenous people of the Andean countries. This is a component of the culture of South American peoples living in mountainous conditions. Coca is used by the local population as a stimulant during difficult transitions, saves them from malnutrition, helps to overcome altitude sickness. The indigenous people of the Andean countries have long known coca recipes to treat cancer.

However, with the advent of Europeans, especially in the early years of the twentieth century, a derivative of coca - cocaine appeared in a different guise. As noted Andean researcher Miguel Palacio writes, “Cocaine has become known as a narcotic substance, the use of which invariably entails the emergence of an irresistible addiction and severe impairment of bodily functions. Cocaine has taken its special place among the troubles and tragedies brought to mankind by the twentieth century.

30 years ago, the Congress of the Indian Regional Council of the Colombian Department of Cauca decided: “Coca should be preserved as one of the Indian crops, given its usefulness for medicine, as a means of relieving the burden of labor, restoring strength, etc. It is necessary, however, to stop trading this commodity with whites - coca must be respected, and they contribute to the fact that this culture is used in a completely inappropriate way.

But the naive demand of the Indians, addressed to the powerful cocaine drug mafia, did not meet with understanding. Destroying coca crops, which the collective West insists on, is like burning wheat fields and calling it the fight against vodka addiction. Evo Morales has repeatedly spoken out on this topic. Andean leaders.

Taken out of the context of Gustavo Petro's speech at the UN, the phrase created a negative trail. And, of course, this information company has interested parties.

So, in order not to be accused of "translation errors", let's ask the Colombian expert to comment on the situation and explain, so what, after all, did the President of Colombia say at the UN?

“Gustavo Petro called on world powers to think about how to help poor countries, and not fill their bellies. In particular, he said: “When actions were most needed, when speeches were already useless, when it was necessary to invest in funds to save humanity, when it was necessary. As soon as possible, "move away" from coal and oil, they invented one war, another and a third. They invaded Iraq, Libya and Syria. They invaded in the name of oil and gas. “The whole speech of the President of Colombia at the UN General Assembly was marked with these words,” Colombian expert Jason Alvarado said in an interview.

As for the topic of drugs, the President of Colombia at the UN, as Alvarado noted, literally stated the following:“The war on drugs has failed. The fight against the climate crisis has failed. Power relationships suffer from addiction to money (to perpetuate oneself), to oil, to cocaine. And the strongest drugs to be able to anesthetize yourself even more. There is nothing more hypocritical than claims to save the jungle."

Gustavo Petro literally stated the following: “I demand from here, from my wounded Latin America, an end to the irrational war on drugs. Reducing drug use does not require wars, it requires that we all build a better society: a more caring, more loving society.” And what's wrong? The social basis of drug addiction has long been known.

“Throughout his speech, Gustavo Petro called on European politicians to start thinking logically and, for real, to start fighting drugs, and not just pretending,” summed up Jason Alvarado. In addition, the Colombian expert noted that cooperation between Russia and Colombia, which was headed by a leftist president, should be intensified. Including, in economic, cultural, sports spheres.

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