... with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world."
That's the opening line of a report by the Global Commission on Drug Policy. I'm not sure where the Commission gets its formal authority, but it is comprised of a variety of talented and experienced people, such as Carlos Fuentes. Mario Vargas Llosa; the former presidents of Columbia, Mexico, Brazil; the Prime Minister of Greece; Americans George Schultz, John Whitehead, Paul Volcker; Javier Solana; Kofi Anna; Louise Arbour; representatives from Pakistan, Switzerland, Germany, France, Norway; Richard Branson. I think the report deserves world attention as we are wasting so much talent and money on the idiotic War on Drugs.
Of course, the U.S. and Mexico drug czars feel the report is "misguided". The U.S. says, "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." Talk about B.S.
While we have been waging War, drug consumption has increased substantially from 1998 to 2008. The UN estimates that opiate use is up 35%, cocaine 27% and marijuana 8.5%. Plus, we've also seen an unbelievable increase in our prison population, largely from the War. It doesn't look as though this War, like our other Wars, is exactly a rip-roaring success.
When will we ever learn?
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