Venezuela, Bolivia Blast Hypocritical US Narcotics Report After Years of Failed War on Drugs

Both Venezuela and Bolivia have come out to reject a new narcotics report from the U.S. State Department and Washington's attempt to impose its drug policy of "double standards" on the South American countries, arguing that in contrast to the failed U.S. war on drugs, other nations are genuinely committed to the fight against illicit drug trafficking.

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Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry slammed the report — titled "International Narcotics Control Strategy 2017" and drawn up by the U.S. State Department — as illegitimate Saturday, arguing that it violates fundamental principles of international law, such as non-intervention in internal affairs.

"It is serious, questionable and absolutely undemocratic that the United States of America, in its alleged role of supranational police, is not aware of and impedes the systems of crime prevention and control of sovereign states," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. 

Venezuelan officials also questioned the United States’ hypocrisy for issuing such a report — which accused Venezuela, Bolivia and Burma of having “failed demonstrably” in their obligations to combat drug trafficking — by pointing to the U.S.'s "false policy" of controling money laundering linked to the drug trade and failure to implement a public health approach in dealing with drug-related issues in the "world's leading drug market."

"The failed 'war on drugs' deployed by the United States of America beyond its borders has only served to expand warmongering and interventionist policies that massively violate the human rights of entire populations in increase both the production and trafficking of drugs and the legitimation of assets derived from this crime," the Foreign Ministry statement continued. 

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Bolivian President Evo Morales, visiting Cuba for medical treatment, took to Twitter Friday to condemn the report, saying that Venezuela and Bolivia will continue to stand up to U.S. imperialism and noting his country's strides in combating illicit coca production under his government.

"Colonial Bolivia under imperial domination: 37,000 hectares of coca. The Plurinational State: 20,000 hectares. Where is the demonstrable failure?" the president tweeted, referring to the official name of the country since its multi-ethnic character was enshrined in the constitution in 2009. 

"The only demonstrable failure is that of the U.S.: Bolivia and Venezuela are sovereign states and not submissive to empire," Morales continued. 

Morales government supports a policy of “social control” of coca production, which promotes cultural uses while controlling illicit production by capping coca production at about three-fifths of an acre – or 2,500 square meters – per family.

Although the Bolivian government has decriminalized coca use within its own borders, coca is still considered illegal at the international level, meaning the South American country — where coca has a long traditional history of being used to combat the effects of altitude — continues to be stigmatized and criminalized internationally. 

The U.S. narcotics report comes after Washington sanctioned last month Venezuelan Vice President Tareck El Aissami over alleged drug trafficking links. El Aissami has denied the accusations, slamming the sanctions as "an attack against an entire nation.”

In response to the sanctions against the vice president, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez has stressed that Venezuela has increased its annual rate of drug confiscation since cutting ties with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency in 2005.