U.S. Drug War Called A Failure By Latin American Panel

Wall Street Journal:

MEXICO CITY - As drug violence spirals out of control in Mexico, a commission led by three former Latin American heads of state blasted the U.S.-led drug war as a failure that is pushing Latin American societies to the breaking point.

"The available evidence indicates that the war on drugs is a failed war," said former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, in a conference call with reporters from Rio de Janeiro. "We have to move from this approach to another one."

Read the whole story: Wall Street Journal

Comments

[AmandaBC]

Biggest DUH of the year. The "w.ar on drugs" is just a big sc.am. Just like the "w.ar on terror."

[AmandaBC]

Biggest DUH of the year. The "war on drugs" is just a big scam. Just like the "war on terror."

[Fein]

Just like the 'War on Poverty', and the 'War on Terror'.

[sparafucilli]

The war has failed. It's time to turn it over to the free market system and let it go the way of tobacco and alcohol. Time for REAL DIET COKE and ACAPULCO LIGHTS.

[Huffyfan]

IF Anyone reads more about Gary Webb and Danny Casolaro , he will start realising that the war against Drugs is a hoax .

[MNmommy]

We could eliminate the need for the Prison Industrial Complex if we did away with the warrendrugs!

[papapj]

Do you realise what you're saying?

There are a heck of a lot of people who have money invested in the stock of these companies, and they need for them to keep growing.

So, after they've picked up every Black/Brown guy in sight and turned them over for the joint they're supposed to be hiding in their sock, think of the investor licking her/his lips at the sight of another body to be housed in their growing investement and think hard on the day when they'll start to come after YOU....

[WasteNJ]

The "war on drugs" is working exactly the way it was intended! It has nothing to do with drugs, that is simply a pretext like "terror". It has opened up mainly South American, but also other countries to US military, political and commercial interests. In the name of the War on Drugs, we have exploited, assassinated, and indebted countries to the US and other global financial institutions, in order to take their resources for cheap and destroy the land in the process.

PLEASE read John Perkins' "Secret History of an American Empire" and learn more.

[MNmommy]

We know! We know!

[WasteNJ]

Yay.

[Snuffleupagus]

Great book.
And from it we also learn that sadly the Dems have been every bit as ruthless and wrong in their support for this crime against people.
At this stage of the game there is simply no excuse for President Obama not to be dealing with this properly.

[Luvial]

Afghanistan produces 90% of world's heroin. The country is occupied by the US military. Does anyone think the military does not know where the thousands of acres of poppies are? Hint: go to youtube and watch the videos yourself. The US government could buy the poppies directly from the farmers for a pittance. Oh and it also would prevent the Taliban from making millions from heroin sales. Columbia is another country occupied by the US military. See a pattern?

[MNmommy]

Legalize MJ and tax it responsibly - offset the deficit quickly.

Treat addiction has a healthcare issue and not a criminal one. A very large percentage of addicts have an underlying mental health issue that they are self-medicating.

Finally, with the new mental health parity - work to destigmatize mental health issues.

[papapj]

Addicted to MJ...Huh???

[zizyphus]

According to the AmericanCa­nnabis.org site, there will be a Million Marijuana March to Washington DC on July 9, 2009. If every smoker in America participated, we would see the drug law reform that we need.

Also, the accompanying photo of this article shows something green, but it looks like what you pull out of your lawn mower blades when they are jammed up.

[WasteNJ]

"That stuff ain't even weeeed, maaaan"

[TXfemmom]

We learned nothing from prohibition, absolutely nothing. Marijuana should at least be legalized, allotments for the growth as in tobacco issued, and then sell the stuff through government stores and make it available, with the caveats of no stoking and driving, etc., and take the wind right out from under the sails of the drug cartels. We spend billions and billions just trying to prevent this in law enforcement and court costs and jails. We need those savings, we need to take the crime out of it, and we could use the cold, hard cash from the sale of it. Direct that money into health care.

Then, decriminalize the use of the other stuff, on the condition that those caught using cooperate with authorities to identify their sources, give them legitimate assistance in rehab, job training, and assistance in staying clean. It would save us money, lives, and resources.

[brandnewstuff]

I have come to the conclusion That DEA and CIA are the Drug dealers of the world- which has created chaos for some Executive to have lucid sex affiars and we the people pay for everything- Change Policies and Laws -- ALL about IT

[Ouroboros]

It was never intended to be a war on drugs. It was a rebranding of fascist imperialism.

[breakfast]

When I was down south of the border back in the 70's, I remarked to my associate how fortunate it was that the police and officials in his country could be so easily bought off, unlike in my own (USA) country. He laughed at my naivete, explaining that the only difference between his country and mine was the size of the bribes.

If it were not for the huge amount of money to be made in the illegal drug trade, all that money would not be available to buy off the police and politicians, and the dealers would not be fighting and killing over turf. A lot of people are making a lot of money in this drug war, and not just the dealers. There is a huge incentive to keep the corrupt game going, just as there are huge incentives to keep the other wars going.

It makes too much sense to decriminalize. And if we did, what would the psychopaths manning our DEA and your local narc unit then do for a living?

I think matters like this, and others, will ultimately be decided at the barricades. The clock is ticking.

[WorkingClass]

I think matters like this, and others, will ultimately be decided at the barricades. The clock is ticking.

Agreed.

[Harrier]

If you want to stop drugs just tighten up the boarder and educate the public. But the real story is, the US just uses the DEA money in South America to influence politics there for national security reasons. If drug lords take over governments than it puts the US at greater risk as they lose their influence

[RoloTomassi]

"If you want to stop drugs just tighten up the boarder and educate the public."

Absolutely, completely WRONG. It's been tried in every manner possible and the notion is just silly. The demand is the primary issue, and the demand isn't going anywhere, despite all efforts at so-called "education," primarily because most drug education is nothing more than rank government propaganda.

[ChristopherAtom]

Yes yes. Seal up the boarder. Barricade the schools. Shutter your homes. Hide! Bury your head in the sand. Fight! Fight! Fight! Send in the DEA, FBI, CIA, ATF, or better yet how about a full scale invasion. We could use depleted uranium tipped artillery shells to flatten the ground and taint the earth so nothing grows. Thats good thinking. And tell me what do you think will happen when you win the "war on drugs"? Do you think humanity will just straighten up and fly right? Do you think the soldiers in this war will just fade quietly in to the night? Let me know how that turns out.

[papapj]

LOL.

Some are hell bent on pouring gasoline on a fire wuth the intent of putting it out. The 'get tough' approach obviously hasn't worked and the solution isn't to 'get togher' but to get smarter.

Legalize it, place restrictions on it's purchase like alcohol and cigarettes and tax the bejeesus out of it, using generated funds to ease our ailing healthcare system.

I know, we've all said it (those of us with any sense, anyway) let's hope our elected leaders also read HuffPost to get a sense of what Joe Public is really thinking, not the paid advocates who yell the loudest and keep telling us that the sky will fall down if we make any moves at decriminalisation. Most of the time they either benefit from the trade, indirectly (cops, the prison industrial complex) or they're just out to lunch (God squad).....

[zizyphus]

Tightening the border? How will that keep all the private jets and submarines out? The big shipments are brought in to this country with the help of our own corrupted officials.