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.”
The commission, headed by Mr. Cardoso and former presidents Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico and César Gaviria of Colombia, says Latin American governments as well as the U.S. must break what they say is a policy “taboo” and re-examine U.S.-inspired antidrugs efforts. The panel recommends that governments consider measures including decriminalizing the use of marijuana.
Hm, decriminalization, where have I heard that before…
But of course we can’t do this. Because to decriminalize a drug less harmful than alcohol or nicotine means that SUDDENLY EVERYONE WOULD BECOME A METH ADDICT because weed is a gateway drug and everyone who takes even one toke is destined to wind up in a gutter somewhere, if not the morgue.
Honestly, though, we’ve sunk so much money down the “war on drugs” rathole that we aren’t about to stop now. There can never be a legitimate, rational discussion on drugs in this country, because our entire public policy has revolved around hysteria. It’s beyond me how our society, in a less developed state, could have ever repealed Prohibition. The hysteria surrounding the issue was much the same - as was the crime and the violence.
