Rethinking the “war on drugs”: the Catalan Panel calls for policies focused on human rights and peacebuilding

Violence derived from the illegal drug trade and the policy of control are obstacles to achieving stable and lasting peace in Colombia. The Panel is committed to promoting actions that promote a drug policy model centered on people and the right to health

Barcelona, ​​June 25, 2025 — Coinciding with the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the Catalan Panel for Peace and Human Rights in Colombia calls for a rethink of the failed paradigm of the “war on drugs” and the adoption of policies focused on social justice, public health and human rights.

This happens after having promoted the International Conference on Drug Policy, Human Rights and Global Responsibility, recently held in Barcelona with the participation of social leaders, experts and human rights defenders from Catalonia, Colombia, Mexico, Bolivia, Argentina, Peru, Portugal and the United States. 

One of the starting points of the conference was Point 4 of the Peace Agreement signed in 2016 between the Colombian government and the FARC-EP, which links the voluntary substitution of crops with the right to land and with a Comprehensive Rural Reform. Several speakers denounced the lack of implementation of this point and of the Comprehensive National Program for the Substitution of Crops for Illicit Use (PNIS). 

The lack of access to land and the absence of sustainable productive projects perpetuate the dependence on illegal economies and the vulnerability of communities. In this sense, the prohibitionist model has had devastating consequences,
especially for peasant, Afro-descendant and indigenous communities in the Global South.

Estefanía Ciro, economist, professor and researcher in “Narcotráfico: Drug Economics, Drug Policy and Armed Conflict” belonging to the CEV, stated during the public event of the conference: “The war on drugs has been a war against poor people”, 

The Catalan Table for Peace and Human Rights in Colombia issued a final statement at the event highlighting the need to recognize the systemic and violent impacts of the current paradigm; put an end to punitive policies that criminalize cultivators and stigmatize consumers; comply with Point 4 of the Peace Agreement in relation to the commitments made with peasants who want to voluntarily replace cocaine crops; redress the victims and consolidate peace; promote a global and co-responsible view of drug policies; and make visible the value of the coca leaf as an ancestral plant with medicinal and traditional uses. 

Although during the electoral campaign the candidate and current president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, expressed his desire to promote a new drug policy with a human rights focus, recent information about the possible return of the use of glyphosate to eradicate coca crops has generated strong concern. The use of this herbicide, widely questioned for its health, environmental and social consequences, contradicts the commitments to peace and reparation. 

The Catalan Table for Colombia is committed to promoting political and media advocacy actions that question the current prohibitionist paradigm; promoting spaces for participation where the most affected groups have a voice; and bringing the conclusions and recommendations of the International Conference to national and international bodies.

Access to the Taula manifesto
Access to the public event “We have a pending conversation”
Access to the press conference at the Parliament of Catalonia