I posted a reply to this yesterday but never got the chance to complete the post so deleted it. Let's try again!
Sounds like a typical lawyer to me! Probably a good one too at that too i.e. of the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" variety!
Below are some interesting links that'll shed light on the topic (one slightly dated and although I'd like to say that things have changed there's more recent articles that indicate otherwise). Obviously they're not exhaustive though i.e. there's been studies done and books written over decades on the subject of Cocaine and politics.
And in spite of the proposed initiative, of last year, whereby the Colombian Government would legalize Coca farming and buy up all that's produced: I think they're fooling themselves into thinking that's going to solve all of the problems associated with Cocaine production. Only way that's going to happen is if they by some miracle find a way to coexist. And I don't see that happening i.e. all that will happen is there'll end up being a bidding war between the government and the Cocaine producers (and that's at best case i.e. worse case the farmers will be threatened if they sell to the government). And of course this will change nothing in Bolivia and Peru (although there doesn't seem to be too many issues really i.e. not so far as I can tell anyway).
Based on some rather intensive research of late though: I can tell you that there are only two "innocents" involved in this business i.e. the farmers (which would include those around them of course and civilians caught in the crossfire) and the end users and, ironically, both groups are the ones getting fucked. As far as the farmers are concerned: if you do your research you'll find that there is a huge disconnect between the cost of Coca Leaf (in various forms) and end product (at retail prices and from online vendors anyway). I've found numerous vendors selling both. Best I've found is Coca Leaf selling at about 60% of the cost of the end product per kg. Worst I've found is Coca Leaf selling for 10% more than the end product per kg. There's something wrong with this. Slowly but surely I'm getting to the bottom of this though. As for the end users: well that's an obvious one i.e. shelling out fortunes for stuff that is cut to absolute shit. Anyway. Anybody that falls between those two groups I'd hardly call "innocent". It's not exactly a safe and secure career choice (anywhere in the chain). So you take what comes your way if/when it does.
Personal opinion though: there's double standards applied insofar as ethics are concerned when it comes to Cocaine vs. other drugs that follow a similar production and supply chain. Not that I've done in-depth research on this as it's not my field of interest or expertise i.e. opinion based purely on anecdotal evidence.
Links below as indicated above (the last three just cherry picked from one site for the purposes of this thread but the site includes links to many other articles on the topic).
A grim by-product of the landmark peace accord with the FARC guerrillas has been a surge in assassinations in the coca-growing regions they used to control
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
In November 2016, the government and FARC rebels signed an agreement ending five decades of guerrilla war, yet peace remains elusive as new armed groups have stepped in to compete for territory and illicit businesses. To defend the gains of the peace process and stop a new cycle of conflict from...
www.crisisgroup.org
Colombia’s grassroots leaders face a rising tide of attacks as they campaign for conflict-stricken communities’ rights. These assaults weaken the peace accord, undermine its base of popular support and expose the state’s grave difficulties in protecting communities from forces with vested...
www.crisisgroup.org
Every year Crisis Group publishes two additional Watch List updates that complement its annual Watch List for the EU, most recently published in January and May 2020. These publications identify major crises and conflict situations where the European Union and its member states can generate...
www.crisisgroup.org
And if you're real interested in the topic here's a new book (2020) which also covers the topic adequately:
This interview was originally published May 26, 2020In South Florida we tend to think of the golden age of cocaine (if it can be called that) as the 1980s…
www.wlrn.org