Do you know why Columbia can't just legalize drugs in a meaningful way?
Because US won't let them.
Source: Obama Administration (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/world/americas/obama-says-...).
I imagine if Obama was opposed then anti-marijuana Jeff Session is super extra opposed.
Do you know why Columbia can't just "stamp out the cartels"?
Because US spent billions helping Columbia do just that and they failed. For decades they tried every tactic you can imagine: destroying crops, military raids etc.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.
By that definition trying to stamp out cartels by force is insanity.
We know you can't do it.
Columbia has as much chance of destroying cartels as US has getting Americans to stop doing drugs.
BTW: the really bad violence in Columbia started when US pressured Columbia to create a law allowing extradition of narcos to U.S. Escobar started a wave of violence against the government trying to pressure it into eliminating the law.
Let's not be naive here: Columbia agreed to US demands because US was even bigger threat to them than narcos.
My point is not to argue that Columbia has no part in the mess.
But I would assign much bigger part of the blame to US.
US was an architect and a sponsor of Columbia's failed war on cartels. A DEA agent participated in the raid that killed Pablo Escobar. US Special Forces were training Columbian anti-drug army. US supplied military equipment and billions of dollars to be used to fight drug lords.
Failure to eliminate drug trade in Colombia is as much U.S. failure as it is Columbia failure.
US, not Columbia, spent last 45 years championing failed drug policies internationally.
We won't have meaningful change until most countries legalize drugs and most countries won't do it unless U.S. also does it.
All roads lead to Rome. Or in this case Washington, DC.