This morning, the front page of the New York Times featured an article titled "South America Sees Drug Path to Legalization," which discusses the growing debate on alternatives to the drug war.
Throughout Latin America, both former and current heads of state are demanding that the full range of policy options be expanded to include alternatives that help to reduce the prohibition-related crime violence and corruption in their own countries - and insisting that decriminalization and legal regulation of currently illicit drug markets be considered.
This is the first time that sitting presidents are discussing the problems of prohibition and the merits of less repressive approaches. Even President Obama was obliged to acknowledge the legitimacy of the debate at the Summit of the Americas in April 2012 when he said, "it is entirely legitimate to have a conversation about whether the laws in place are doing more harm than good." In Latin America, where the war on drugs has caused unprecedented levels of violence, death and corruption, this debate is an important step toward improving the region's economy, security and quality of life.
In February, Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina garnered worldwide attention by calling for a debate on alternatives to the war on drugs, including decriminalization and regulation. His proposal quickly received support from other leaders in Latin America. Over the next few months, the failure of the war on drugs and alternatives to current strategies were discussed at significant high-level events, including the Summit of the Americas in Colombia, and at the World Economic Forum for Latin America in Mexico in April. Most recently, in mid-July, Belize set up a committee to analyze a marijuana decriminalization proposal, following Uruguay's June announcement of a plan to legalize marijuana, which would make it the first country in the world where the state sells the drug directly to its citizens.
Uruguay's President Mujica is providing fresh leadership among those leaders in Latin America who are determined to transform drug control policies in the region. Like presidents Juan Manuel Santos (Colombia) and Otto Perez Molina (Guatemala), he recognizes the need for both bold proposals and sustained commitment to advancing new dialogues and policies.
Not just they but also other Latin American presidents like Laura Chinchilla (Costa Rica), Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (Argentina) and Rafael Correa (Ecuador) know that the prohibitionist strategies mandated by the U.S. government for the past forty years have wreaked havoc in the region and offer no promise of success in accomplishing their stated objectives. But they also recognize that those strategies, and the powerful inertia that sustains them, can only be transformed by combining bold leadership at the national level with coordinated international action.
That's why President Mujica's leadership is so important at this juncture. By directing his government to consider a variety of regulatory policies designed to reduce crime and illicit markets and separate cannabis from other illicit drug markets, he is doing precisely what needs to be done not just in other Latin American countries but also in the United States, Europe and indeed the rest of the world.
The long term alternative to the failed global drug prohibition regime ultimately lies in embracing three specific policy options: legal regulation of cannabis, more or less like alcohol; full decriminalization of possession of small amounts of drugs, more or less as the Portuguese have done; and legal access to pharmaceutical versions of other illicit drugs for those addicts and other committed consumers who are determined to obtain the drugs they need or want regardless of their legal status.
Former presidents Cardoso (Brazil), Gaviria (Colombia) and Zedillo (Mexico) provided courageous leadership in breaking the taboo on consideration of alternatives to failed prohibitionist policies. President Santos boldly embraced their analyses and recommendations late last year. President Perez Molina then stepped forward with provocative proposals and efforts to engage other regional leaders on the issue. And now President Mujica is stepping forward with precise proposals that would make Uruguay a global leader in reforming cannabis laws.
There's no question that the genie has escaped the drug prohibition bottle.
Ethan Nadelmann is the executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance (www.drugpolicy.org)
Follow Ethan Nadelmann on Twitter: www.twitter.com/EthanNadelmann
(See Fraudulent enactment here: http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/History/whiteb1.htm )
FBI statisitics show 80 percent of all "illegal" drug sales is made up of marijuana. Every major government commission has concluded marijuana is not addictive and is FAR less harmful than alcohol. And public support for ending marijuana prohibition has now passed 50 percent, nationwide. (Public support for ending prohibition of hard drugs is only around 10 to 15 percent.)
Clearly, the way forward is to work for ending marijuana prohibition first. With that easiest goal accomplished, we will reduce the "problem" by 80 percent and deflate the public's remaining propaganda-induced hysteria. Then we will be able to look at the thornier problems of the hard drugs in a rational manner.
http://www.weedist.com/2012/08/exclusive-video-funeral-for-shuttered-sf-dispensaries/
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2012/07/medical_marijuana_dea.php
"Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be! Speaking words of wisdom, let it be!"
"We'll get high! We'll touch the sky! I'll tell you why! It's all too beautiful! It's all too beautiful!"
Not the pushers, the big guys in the drug trade - but the people who really want to be recovering and puttng their addiction behind them. For those incarcerated for drug use, the programs could start in jails and/or prisons and continue with follow-up after they are released.
Yes, there are clinics for the rich - but most cannot aoffrd the thousands of dollars per week that these clinics charge.
While our congress debates which social services to cut funding on,,the ONDCP budget increased by 33%,,,and that was before the South American conference where our President promised millions more in funding that had been cut in the budget proposed and submitted before congress and now Uruguay is continuing to drive the price up,,,,how much of our society will have to be unemployed and homeless before we quit underwriting the existence of these criminal cartels,,both ours and theirs???
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fully-Informed-Jury-Association/99730919927 -----------------------------------
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=138670202935111&set=a.138670196268445.28030.138663179602480&type=1
* It increases government revenue without raising taxes
* It funds rehabilitation for the unfortunate addicts we already have
* It keeps morality out of our laws
Real Republicans should be all over legalization:
* It makes for a smaller government (no DEA)
* It stops giving handouts to drug users. Jail may not be a great place to live, but being in jail means the state pays for your food, shelter, clothing, etc.
Of course, those in office (on both sides) would rather keep the prison industry huge and keep their big-pharma buddies happy.
As for control, wake up - big pharma already has control. They are the only ones to produce legal cannabis derivatives and synthetics. Today they sell those at mind-boggling rates (Marinol is more expensive than the plant), and people are paying. Corporations will get involved, and hoping to stop that is true naivety.
And so... let me get this straight. What are you proposing, exactly? Are you suggesting we keep it illegal and let people go to prison just so a handful of farmers don't have a tough time dealing with capitalism?