I think the problem is a little different in Colombia. The cartels are big enough that the government can't fight them. This results in 0 regulation and a lot of exploitation of the people that live in the regions the cartels settle in. As long as there are people on Earth that want cocaine, Colombia will have this problem (because they produce most of that cocaine).
So unless Colombia's military can get a lot stronger over night and a lot less corrupt, this problem will continue to exist. They've been trying to fight with force for the last 50 years while the cartels have only grown stronger (by a lot actually). So maybe it is time to change strategies and rethink the problem. Because clearly this one hasn't been helping (and many think it has made it worse).
Edit: I'm not saying the cartels are more powerful. I said the government is ineffective at fighting them. Guerrilla warfare is difficult.
Not only this, but the cartels are literally shooting at government armed forces and effectively able to keep them at bay (hell, this even happens in Mexico). I did say
>>> The cartels are big enough that the government can't fight them
Maybe I should have said "the cartels are big enough that the government is ineffective at fighting against them"
Which is more of an observation than anything else. Guerilla tactics are hard to fight against, as every America should be well aware of considering Vietnam and all our campaigns into the Middle East. "More powerful" wouldn't be the right descriptor here and is why I didn't use it. But they are gaining more power and subsequently the Colombian government is having a more difficult time combating them.
It doesn't take a genius to realize that we've been using one tactic for 50 years and it hasn't worked. Though it does take a genius to figure out the solution to the problem. I'm not sure that legalization is the solution but I'm not sure it isn't either.
Not only this, but the cartels are literally shooting at government armed forces and effectively able to keep them at bay (hell, this even happens in Mexico). I did say
>>> The cartels are big enough that the government can't fight them
First of all Colombia is not Mexico. Cartels have a much stronger presence there since they are the ones making most of the money from the drug trade, which comes from smuggling.
My understanding of the drug trade that remains in Colombia is that there is a lot of volume of production but the profits are much smaller for those that run the trade relative to Mexico and relative to the 1980s. They are often not cartels as much anymore: they are the FARC and other militarized groups.
Take your argument and instead apply it to gangs in the united states. They shoot at cops sometimes, and they are still around despite attempts to get rid of them. Does that make them more powerful than the government?
It's not so much that gangs are so large and powerful that the government that they can't fight them. It's more what you are pivoting to now which is that it is possible to wage asymmetrical conflict long after losing the upper hand.
So unless Colombia's military can get a lot stronger over night and a lot less corrupt, this problem will continue to exist. They've been trying to fight with force for the last 50 years while the cartels have only grown stronger (by a lot actually). So maybe it is time to change strategies and rethink the problem. Because clearly this one hasn't been helping (and many think it has made it worse).
Edit: I'm not saying the cartels are more powerful. I said the government is ineffective at fighting them. Guerrilla warfare is difficult.