The War on Drugs Has Failed, New Report Says

[Eldritch]

Global war on drugs 'has failed' say former leaders



The global war on drugs has "failed" according to a new report by a group of politicians and former world leaders.

The Global Commission on Drug Policy report calls for the legalisation of some drugs and an end to the criminalisation of drug users.

The panel includes former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the former leaders of Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, and the entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson.

The US and Mexican governments have rejected the findings as misguided.

The Global Commission's 24-page report argues that anti-drug policy has failed by fuelling organised crime, costing taxpayers millions of dollars and causing thousands of deaths.

It cites UN estimates that opiate use increased 35% worldwide from 1998 to 2008, cocaine by 27%, and cannabis by 8.5%.

...

The authors criticise governments who claim the current war on drugs is effective.

"Political leaders and public figures should have the courage to articulate publicly what many of them acknowledge privately: that the evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that repressive strategies will not solve the drug problem, and that the war on drugs has not, and cannot, be won," the report said.

Instead of punishing users who the report says "do no harm to others," the commission argues that governments should end criminalisation of drug use, experiment with legal models that would undermine organised crime syndicates and offer health and treatment services for drug-users.

It calls for drug policies based on methods empirically proven to reduce crime and promote economic and social development.

The commission is especially critical of the US, saying it must abandon anti-crime approaches to drug policy and adopt strategies rooted in healthcare and human rights.

"We hope this country (the US) at least starts to think there are alternatives," said former Colombian President Cesar Gaviria.

"We don't see the US evolving in a way that is compatible with our (countries') long-term interests."



Many crimes

The office of White House drug tsar Gil Kerlikowske rejected the panel's recommendations.

"Drug addiction is a disease that can be successfully prevented and treated," said a spokesman for the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

"Making drugs more available - as this report suggests - will make it harder to keep our communities healthy and safe."

The government of Mexico, where more than 34,000 people have died in drug-related violence since a crackdown on the cartels began in December 2006, was also critical.

Legalisation would be an "insufficient and inefficient" step given the international nature of the illegal drugs trade, said National Security spokesman Alejandro Poire.

"Legalisation won't stop organised crime, nor its rivalries and violence," he said.

"To think organised crime in Mexico means drug-trafficking overlooks the other crimes committed such as kidnapping, extortion and robbery."

BBC.

The report and related press release can be read here.

[poiuytrewq0987]

(AP) NEW YORK - The global war on drugs has failed with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world, argues a new report to be released Thursday.

Compiled by the Global Commission on Drug Policy, which includes former heads of state, a former U.N. secretary-general and a business mogul, the report calls on governments to end the criminalization of marijuana and other controlled substances.

"Political leaders and public figures should have the courage to articulate publicly what many of them acknowledge privately: that the evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that repressive strategies will not solve the drug problem, and that the war on drugs has not, and cannot, be won," the report said.

The 19-member commission includes former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and former U.S. official George P. Schultz, who held cabinet posts under U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon. Others include former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker, former presidents of Mexico, Brazil and Colombia, writers Carlos Fuentes and Mario Vargas Llosa, U.K. business mogul Richard Branson and the current prime minister of Greece.

Instead of punishing users who the report says "do no harm to others," the commission argues that governments should end criminalization of drug use, experiment with legal models that would undermine organized crime syndicates and offer health and treatment services for drug-users in need.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/...#ixzz1OCk8hgHG

[Aces High]

There are enough problems in society with alcohol and smoking,why promote another vice.?
Why not promote higher education for all and healthy lifestyles for all..?

Ah,sorry.....i forgot about those greedy fucking pigs in the various governements who want to get their claws on the tax money that such laws would bring in......and here i was thinking that governements had the best interests of the people they represent at heart...how stupid of me.

[Joe McCarthy]

It is the common practice of purists and fanatics of all stripes to point to the effects of less than ideal policies and demand they be made even worse as a 'solution'.

[poiuytrewq0987]

There are enough problems in society with alcohol and smoking,why promote another vice.?
Why not promote higher education for all and healthy lifestyles for all..?

Ah,sorry.....i forgot about those greedy fucking pigs in the various governements who want to get their claws on the tax money that such laws would bring in......and here i was thinking that governements had the best interests of the people they represent at heart...how stupid of me.

Interesting perspective. Most Americans want to legalize pot because it's very bureaucratic to process "criminals" for very minor possession offenses. Additionally, they also want to eliminate the criminal underworld that comes with drugs. Mexican cartels' #1 source of capital is from selling pot.