Colombian President Gustavo Petro has said that “cocaine is no worse than whisky,” as he suggested the multibillion dollar illicit trade in the drug could be “easily dismantled” if it was legalized worldwide.

The Colombian head of state exhorted the joys of cocaine use during a government meeting this week, downplaying its side effects and encouraging it to be legalized. Colombian President Gustavo Petro said during a government meeting on Wednesday that cocaine is only kept illegal around the world because of its origins in South America,

Cocaine ‘is no worse than whiskey’ – these are the words of Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro. He said during a live broadcast of a government meeting that the drug is only illegal because it comes from Latin America.

In a first-of-its-kind, six-hour live broadcast ministerial meeting in the South American country, Colombian President Gustavo Petro argued that cocaine is only illegal because of global politics — further claiming that it can be consumed as casually as alcohol, according to a report.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has sparked controversy during a heated live-broadcast cabinet meeting by claiming cocaine's illegal status stems from Latin American prejudice rather than science-based health concerns.

Gustavo Petro made the bizarre claim during a televised cabinet meeting, as the U.S. implemented more measures to curb the flow of illegal immigration and drugs from South America.

Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, stated that the global cocaine business could be dismantled if that drug were legalized because, according to him, it is not "worse than whiskey" and is considered illicit "because it is produced in Latin America".