Gustavo Petro, the mayor of Colombia’s capital Bogota, on Monday called for narcotics seized by the police in raids to be given to addicts in his proposed drug treatment centers.
The mayor proposed on Monday that the drugs could come from police seizures if they passed laboratory tests to make sure they met specific standards.
However, the director of the national police said that the Prosecutor General decides what happens to the drugs that are seized.
“The police can’t give away the drugs. The police seize the drugs and give them to the judicial authorities, in this case the Prosecutor General,” said the police director according to W Radio.
The controversial plan to construct centers where drug addicts can consume illegal drugs and receive treatment is part of a wider strategy to curb drug-related crime, according to the mayor.
The concept which has been used for years in countries across the world has caused unrest in the highest echelons with even Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos calling the idea “irresponsible,” and the country’s Inspector General saying that it would “promote drug use.”
Santos’ adviser Gina Parody said on Monday that Colombia’s Congress, not the government, should authorize the proposal. This was after Petro on Friday confirmed that the government had authorized his proposal to supply illicit drugs to addicts if they have a medical prescription and meet a strict set of criteria.
The mayor’s proposal came in August soon after Santos ratified a law that said drug addiction is a public health issue rather than a crime. Last year, Colombia decriminalized the carrying of small doses of drugs.
