The drugs problem in Colombia is intertwined with structural factors at the social, economic, institutional and cultural levels that have contributed to its consolidation over the past three decades. In addition, the drug problem has taken on even more complex connotations because of its relationship to the armed conflict, particularly over the past 20 years. Nevertheless, the anti-drug policy, especially during President Alvaro Uribe Vélez’s administrations (2002-2006 and 2006-2010), has been incorporated as an integral part of a solution to the internal conflict. This has had serious consequences for the socio-economic conditions of peasant and indigenous communities affected by the production of raw materials used to produce cocaine.

At the same time, drug trafficking and other illegal economic activities are being consolidated through a process that is reconfiguring the State, co-opting State institutionalisation within a dynamic that is legitimizing elites involved with these criminal activities. This situation can be witnessed in different regions around the country. Despite these factors, current U.S. assistance policies with Colombia overlook the structural dimension of the drug problem.

Finally, drugs continue to be a relevant aspect of the threats identified by Washington in the framework of global security and strategies for the Latin American region. As such, the security angle remains the central focus with respect to drugs, but in the background are other key issues, such as access to strategic natural resources. Colombian territory in this context continues to be a platform for regional security control.

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Source: Transnational Institute Drug Policy Briefing No. 31, December 2009 www.tni.org