Colombia Completely Halted Eradication of Coca Crops Last Month

[Judi Lynn]

Oscar Medina, Bloomberg News

(Bloomberg) -- Colombia last month entirely halted the eradication of coca, the raw material for cocaine, as the government of President Gustavo Petro calls for a new approach in the war on drugs.

The nation had already stopped aerial spraying with herbicides in 2015 over fears that they cause cancer, but had continued to send in teams to dig coca shrubs up by hand.

Petro, who took office last August, has called the decades of US-backed eradication efforts a failure, which have fueled violence while failing to cut consumption. He is hoping to achieve “total peace” by negotiating with the armed groups that control cocaine-producing regions, and favors giving farmers financial incentives to grow legal crops.

National Police chief General Henry Sanabria told reporters this week that eradication was paused in January while the authorities prepare contracts for the teams of eradicators.

More:
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/colombia-completely-halted-eradication-of-coca-crops-last-month-1.1887545

[TreasonousBastard]

1. Let's see how that works