Peace and reparations in legal drug markets in Colombia

Using the ‘war on drugs’ in Colombia as its case study, this paper reflects on the recent findings and recommendations of Colombia’s Truth Commission to make a case for a transformative approach to end ongoing cycles of drugs-related violence. In Colombia, the armed conflict and repressive prohibitionist drug policies are deeply entangled, and violence is ongoing. A peaceful future, we contend, requires thinking about a world in which we can live well with drugs. This would be a clear break from the goal of a ‘drug free’ world that has prevailed under the repressive prohibitionist regime. Legal regulation of drug markets is proposed here as a form of long-overdue reparations for victim groups in Colombia, which could address and repair past inequality and harms engendered by prohibition, and improve the living conditions of people involved in, and impacted by, illegal drug markets. Colombia, with its unique historical trajectory, has much to contribute towards future projections on the global legal regulation of drug markets. By positioning legal regulation of drug markets as reparation, this paper contributes to debates on drug policy reform and reparative justice, arguing that the two are very much connected. •The Colombian truth commission (CEV) concluded that the county's conflict has been transformed by the ‘war on drugs’.•This chapter analyses the CEV’s recommendation to transition towards a legally regulated drug market to end violence in Colombia.•Drug policy reform is not an end in itself; it should help to create a fairer and more inclusive world.•This chapter makes an important contribution from the Global South to debates about drug legalisation.