Why Does Colombia Produce So Much Cocaine?

The Rest of the Iceberg

The coca plant grows in the eastern foothills of the Andes mountains. For centuries, locals have enjoyed its leaves as a mild stimulant, and they were part of the original recipe for Coca-Cola. In concentrated form, however, coca is a highly addictive drug. Snorted, inhaled, or injected it can produce a deep, though brief, sense of happiness and confidence. Thousands die from overdoses every year.

Colombia produces more cocaine than any other country. Sadly, that’s the only thing most people know about the country. Locals would rather that Colombia was known for its green energy (which produces more than 70% of the country’s energy needs), its world-class mines, or its bird life—it has more species than any other nation. But mention Colombia and people think drugs. How did Colombia get the depressing distinction of being the world’s leading producer of cocaine?

The first part of the answer is easy. In the 1990s, the government of Peru began to shoot down planes that were running drugs out of their country. Coca production in Peru fell, but demand for cocaine on the streets of Washington, London, and Madrid did not. So farmers in Colombia cultivated more coca bushes. They produced only 14% of the global crop in 1991, but 80% by 2004.

How are Colombian farmers able to grow so much of a plant that’s illegal? To answer that, you need to go back in Colombia’s history to understand what has made lawlessness and violence all too common features of the country’s story.

In the 1800s, Colombia was one of the most democratic places in the world. It was more peaceful than most countries in the Americas, including the United States. However, by the 1880s Colombia’s elites had come to the conclusion that democracy was stunting the country’s economic growth. Workers were demanding too many rights. Strikes disrupted production and cut into profits. So Colombia’s leaders introduced a new constitution, which required that people own property in order to be eligible to vote. The poor lost their voice.

In the decades that followed, they tried to regain it through protests. The government responded with violence, killing tens of thousands during the twentieth century. You could say that Colombia had a civil war that has lasted more than a century. On one side was the government, the army, corporations, and right-wing militia groups. On the other, peasants, factory workers, socialist movements, and guerrillas. Parts of Colombia were almost lawless, with assassinations, kidnappings, and land seizures.

It was an ideal situation for drugs. Illegal armed groups on the right-wing and the left found narcotics to be an excellent source of income. The government wasn’t strong enough to control the whole country, making it relatively safe for these groups to grow coca and marijuana in the areas they held. It also helped that some politicians protected drug producers in exchange for a share of the profits.

International economics also played a part in the growth of the narcotics industry. When Colombia found itself in debt to the United States in the 1980s, selling drugs to North American dealers was one way of getting the dollars to repay. In the 1990s, liberal market reforms led to higher unemployment—which made jobs in the drug trade more attractive.

In recent years, there has been progress towards peace. FARC, the main rebel group, has promised to disarm. The government is paying farmers to destroy coca bushes and plant new crops. In some areas, they are spraying the plants with herbicides. President Juan Manuel Santos, who negotiated the peace treaty with FARC, won the Nobel prize. But the road to peace is proving slow and frustrating.

Colombia hasn’t always been a major producer of cocaine. That gives reason to hope that it may cease to be one. However, there aren’t many places where coca grows, and as long as international demand for cocaine holds up, it’s hard to imagine that Colombia won’t continue to be a supplier.