International Journal of Government Auditing – January 2006
Colombia
Auditor General Calls for Cost-Benefit Analysis of Antidrug Policy
In October 2005, the SAI of Colombia and a private Colombian foundation cosponsored an international seminar on drug trafficking. In his address to the seminar, the Comptroller General of Colombia, Antonio Hernández, said it was legitimate for Colombians to demand that the war on drugs be viewed from a different perspective.
He said that it is worth questioning whether the current policy of repressing production is more effective than prevention and whether it is not time to treat the consumption of drugs as a public health problem. The Comptroller General stated that it would be
worthwhile to evaluate the costs and benefits of national antidrug programs, which have almost exclusively focused on the problem as a criminal affair. In his address, the Comptroller General also referred to the effects of drug trafficking on Colombia's economic, social, environmental, and political spheres.
For further information, contact Office of the Comptroller General: Fax: ++57 (1) 353-7616 E-mail: oorjuela@contraloriagen. gov.co. Web site: www.contraloriagen.gov.co