Community | January 13, 2010 | 9 comments

Latin America Changes War on Drugs Strategy: Legalize!

source: http://matadorpulse.com/latin-america-changes-war-on-drugs-strategy-legalize/

Image
pjacobs51
The news might have escaped the notice of the media outside Latin America, but last week’s announcement that three of the region’s past presidents got together to call for marijuana decriminalization was worthy of front page analysis in Mexico.

Ernesto Zedillo, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, and Cesar Gaviria, former presidents of Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia, respectively, founded and currently serve as co-presidents of the Latin American Commission of Drugs and Democracy.

The Commission, whose 17 members represent the intellectual creme de la creme of Latin America (including writers Tomas Eloy Martinez of Argentina, Mario Vargas Llosa of Peru, and Paulo Coelho of Brazil), have been studying the drug problem in the Americas, and recently came to the conclusion that the strategy of the War on Drugs itself is the biggest culprit when it comes to the persistence of drug-related ills in the region.


In their report, “Drugs and Democracy: Toward a Paradigm Shift,” the Commission wrote:

“The in-depth revision of current drug policies is even more urgent in Latin America in light of their enormous human and social costs and threats to democratic institutions.”


The former presidents and their fellow commission members don’t deny the problems perpetuated by their own countries, nor do they assign blame to any other country. Instead, the LACDD members challenge the “prejudices, fears, and ideological visions” that serve to “inhibit public debate,” a condition, they say, which only makes our mutual social problems more dangerous.

In addition to forwarding some rather radical visions of drug treatment (namely, viewing drug use and its treatment as a public health problem, not a criminal problem), the LACDD calls for studying the feasibility of decriminalizing marijuana, and instituting medical marijuana programs for patients with legitimate health problems that might be alleviated by marijuana use.

Though the report doesn’t say so, the decriminalization of marijuana–if it does indeed occur–may have other positive implications for Latin America, too. Given that marijuana remains difficult to obtain legally throughout most of the United States, Latin American countries that decriminalize marijuana may see a surge in tourism.

Que bien!



http://matadorpulse.com/latin-america-changes-war-on-drugs-strategy-legalize/
  1. groups:
    Community,   Current Tonight,   Make Marijuana Matter,   Cannabis Culture,   3 more
  2. tags:
  3.     
    |

9 comments // Latin America Changes War on Drugs Strategy: Legalize!

  • davzap
    • 0
      davzap  

    • Around the world there is more acceptance of marijuana and hemp now. Thank God we are witnessing the gradual correction of an epic boondoggle of the world perpetrated by greed of three groups; loggers supplying paper industry, DuPont nylon take over of the hemp industry, and LEO law enforcement officers, po-po, boys in blue wanted replacement of alcohol prohibition enforcement work, a license to steal for cops and safe work. They pooled their purposes and sold Reefer Madness in Hearst's newspapers to the public and congress.

      Medical Marijuana in your state yet? If not visit MPP.org (Marijuana Policy Project) & NORML.org (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) sign letters and petitions to legislators. Check their maps and state info for your state's position on pot legislation.

    • 2 years ago
  • Jahvega
  • Arson24
    • 0
      Arson24  

    • Wait for the old guys in the U.S gov to die than pass the law cause the states will never let that happand with there old school thought. When the U.S changes its mind canada will change to the fact that canada has tried before but the states behind closed doors say that if we do that will do damage to the ties between them

    • 2 years ago
  • exinron
    • 0
      exinron  

    • Hopefully if the legal status changes it will provide a precedent for other industrialized nations. Marijuana (seen as the gateway "drug") is only such due to the fact that once tried and found harmless people see actual drugs as harmless, and thereby the system fails. And this is a step in the right direction to keep the real criminals off the streets.

    • 2 years ago
  • lsantiago35
  • ryan8566
  • simplecj
    • 0
      simplecj  

    • Excellent post. I think if they legalize it, the US will have no choice but to listen to reason and follow suit.

      Looking forward to growin my own without fear of prison... I mean for God's sake, its just a plant, and a beneficial one at that!

      Free the weed!!

    • 2 years ago
  • Conniepae
    • 0
      Conniepae  

    • Good for Latin America. It's time for real change in America. The 'war on drugs' has been a failure, leading us to be #1 in prison population. That's a #1, which should be one of shame. The failure of American politicians who chose to use 'madness' for political purposes. Shame, shame, shame!

    • 2 years ago
  • medHead
more from Community:
from the community

top videos