Opinion | War on drugs will never end — and U.S. needs its allies

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For the past four decades, America’s war on drugs has been an absolute failure. Millions of lives across the Americas have been drastically impacted by this never-ending cycle. I’m a first-generation Colombian American. Drug trafficking is deeply ingrained in my birth nation’s history. Colombia is America’s longest and closest ally in Latin America and has worked closely with the U.S. for decades to eliminate the production of cocaine. However, cocaine production in Colombia has reached an all-time high.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, groups in Colombia produce 70-80% of the world’s cocaine. The DEA estimates that Colombia produces $400 million worth of cocaine each week. Gone are the 1980s and 1990s, which saw the rise of infamous cocaine kingpins like Pablo Escobar and the “Gentlemen of Cali.” The current kings of cocaine are nameless and profiting more than their infamous predecessors.

In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has accused Colombian President Gustavo Petro of being an “an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs.” The Trump administration sanctioned Petro and cut around $450 million of annual aid to Colombia, which it uses in the fight against drug trafficking.

With cocaine production at an all-time high in Colombia, the Trump administration began a campaign of striking vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean allegedly carrying illegal drugs. Dozens have been killed in these military strikes, outraging Petro. In protest, he announced that Colombia would not be sharing intelligence with Washington. The United Kingdom also stopped sharing intelligence with Washington due to the concern of the legality of the boat strikes.

If the Trump administration is serious about combating drug trafficking, alienating two of America’s closest allies is not only unwise but dangerously counterproductive. The reality is that America needs access to Colombia’s intelligence and trafficking routes to help reduce illegal drug trafficking. This is more important than ever with Venezuela as a threat to regional stability and American national security.

If America wants to reduce the influence of drug cartels, it must continue to work closely with Colombia as a strategic partner. Reducing Venezuela’s regional influence, working toward rural development and re-establishing intelligence sharing are more effective ways of reducing drug trafficking and violence long term.

For Americans, it is time to realize what I learned a long time ago. The war on drugs will never end. The most famous kingpins — Escobar, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán and the Rodríguez Orejuela brothers — are either dead or incarcerated, but the drugs keep flowing into America.

Living in the largest capitalist country in the world, Americans should understand that the war on drugs is basic economics. If there is high demand for a product, someone will produce it. The last four decades have shown that the U.S. continues to demand cocaine and other drugs.

If we as Americans start to embrace the fact that the war on drugs will never end, we can start thinking of realistic solutions to help the drug crisis in America. There is no perfect solution, but it’s clear that America’s war on drugs has only deepened suffering at home and abroad.

In the current U.S. political climate where America’s reputation has been damaged on the world stage, we cannot afford to alienate Colombia. Presidential administrations come and go in Washington and Bogotá, but the U.S.-Colombia alliance has always thrived. If we break our alliance with Bogota, China, Russia, Cuba and Iran have no problem filling that void. If you don’t believe me, just look at our former ally, Colombia’s neighbor Venezuela.