Colombian leader sees opportunity in cannabis, but not coca

TEL AVIV, Israel — Colombian President Iván Duque has precocious hopes for the aesculapian marijuana manufacture successful a state that has been waging a costly warfare against a antithetic cause — cocaine — for decades.

But successful an interrogation with The Associated Press during a sojourn to Israel, helium said the promotion of cannabis for aesculapian and different purposes is “a antithetic story” than cocaine, which among different things is unspeakable for the environment.

“In bid to works 1 hectare of coca successful Colombia, 2 hectares of tropical jungle are destroyed,” helium said. “The different happening is that to nutrient cocaine you person a precise precocious c footprint. You usage a batch of gasoline, a batch of cement,” and processing chemicals get dumped successful the forest.

There’s besides the murderous cause kingpins — 1 of whom was nabbed conscionable past month connected a U.S. warrant— cartel unit and the scattered remnants of the FARC rebel radical who person fought connected contempt a landmark bid statement reached 5 years ago.

But caller from the U.N. clime summit, wherever Colombia pledged to beryllium carbon-neutral by 2050, and the opening of a Colombian innovation halfway successful Jerusalem, Duque was keen to sermon however Colombia and Israel — self-styled “start-up nations” — could collaborate to marque the satellite a amended place.

“Innovation is astir apt the solution to astir of our problems. Even those created by innovation, they volition inactive request to beryllium solved by innovation,” said Avi Hasson, the CEO of Start-Up Nation Central, which connects governments and planetary businesses to Israeli entrepreneurs, and which hosted Duque for a sheet treatment connected Tuesday.

One accidental is cannabis.

In July, Colombia lifted an export prohibition connected dried cannabis flower. Duque said his state is looking to harness derivatives for everything from aesculapian treatments and nutrient accumulation to cosmetics. “We’re seeing a batch of planetary concern coming to Colombia,” said Duque, who volition beryllium replaced pursuing a statesmanlike predetermination adjacent year.

Israel mightiness beryllium capable to lend a hand. Medical marijuana was legalized years ago, and much than 100,000 Israelis — retired of a colonisation of implicit 9 cardinal — are licensed users. Israel approved marijuana exports successful 2019, becoming only the 3rd country to bash so.

Israel boasts much than 110 cannabis tech companies, mostly successful the wellness sector, that person attracted astir $350 cardinal successful concern since 2015, according to Start-Up Nation Central. Israel is besides among the largest importers of aesculapian cannabis flower.

Duque says there’s a quality betwixt harnessing beneficial components from drugs and lifting prohibition completely.

“We’re not utilizing cannabis for recreational purposes. We’re utilizing it for aesculapian purposes,” helium said.

For Duque, who fashions himself a law-and-order conservative, lasting up for cannabis successful a state that has been the linchpin of the U.S.-led cause warfare for decades is much than a small retired of character. He took bureau decrying however drugs “destroy” families and arsenic president signed a decree banning possession of drugs successful nationalist spaces, challenging a ruling by the nation’s apical tribunal that allows Colombians to transportation tiny amounts of marijuana, cocaine and different drugs.

He’s besides committed to resuming aerial eradication of coca crops that are down a grounds surge successful cocaine production, though ineligible challenges and protests by farmers successful distant areas person prevented him from realizing that goal.

In the years since the bid deal, recently disarmed rebels person abandoned the distant areas wherever they sheltered for decades nether the jungle canopy. Cattle ranchers, loggers, miners, subsistence farmers and transgression groups person moved into the void, according to a report earlier this period from the International Crisis Group.

Colombia mislaid 747,000 hectares (2,885 quadrate miles) of wood during the 4 years that followed the 2016 bid woody — an country astir 10 times the size of New York City, according to the National Institute for Environmental Studies. That compares to astir 562,000 hectares (2,170 quadrate miles) of wood nonaccomplishment successful the 4 years starring up to 2016, erstwhile galore parts of the state wherever the FARC was progressive were disconnected limits.

Colombia is besides among the astir unsafe countries successful the satellite for situation defenders. Some 65 were killed successful 2020 alone, accounting for astir a 3rd of the planetary full of 227, according to Global Witness, a quality rights group.

Duque defended his grounds connected the environment, noting that helium created the country’s archetypal nationalist anti-deforestation council, supported a measure expanding sanctions for biology transgression and has committed to zero deforestation by 2030.

At the U.N. clime alteration acme successful Glasgow, helium promised to crook 30% of the country’s onshore into protected areas by the extremity of his administration. National parks and government-run reserves presently marque up astir 15% of the country’s territory.

He blamed the attacks connected biology defenders connected the cartels, including the 1 led by Dairo Antonio Úsuga, a cause lord known arsenic Otoniel whom Duque has likened to Pablo Escobar.

“One of the astir unsafe criminals successful the world, and particularly successful Colombia, who had ordered the sidesplitting of biology leaders, was Otoniel, the kingpin we captured 2 weeks ago,” helium said.

Associated Press writers Joshua Goodman successful Miami and Manuel Rueda successful Bogota, Colombia contributed.