U.S. Latin American Drug War Fails, Ex-Presidents Write in WSJ

[grace]

The U.S.-led war on drug crime in Latin America has failed and should be replaced by more humane and efficient ways of dealing with the problem, three former presidents from the region wrote in today's Wall Street Journal.

 

In an opinion-page article, former Brazilian leader Fernando Henrique Cardoso, ex-Colombian president Cesar Gaviria and Mexico's Ernesto Zedillo said the policy based on eradication, interdiction and criminalization of consumers hadn't been effective and the violence and organized crime linked to drug trafficking remained.

 

Latin American is still the world's leading producer of cocaine and cannabis, with opium and heroin now being added to the mix; demand in consumer contries had to be reduced by cutting down the harm caused by drugs, lower consumption through education, and aggressively target organized crime.

 

Changing the attitude towards addicts by regarding them as patients of the public-health services, decriminalizing cannabis while focusing on its harm to health, and mounting prolonged educational campaigns should now be the way forward, they wrote.

 

Author: Chris Peterson

Date: 23 Febraury 2009

Source: Bloomberg Press

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...r=latin_america