Global War On Drugs 'Has Failed' Say Former Leaders

[jamesww]

Global war on drugs 'has failed' say former leaders

The global war on drugs has "failed" according to a new report by 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 19-member commission includes Mexico's former President Ernesto Zedillo, Brazil's ex-President Fernando Henrique Cardoso and former Colombian President Cesar Gaviria, as well as the former US Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker and the current Prime Minister of Greece George Papandreou.

The panel also features prominent Latin American writers Carlos Fuentes and Mario Vargas Llosa, the EU's former foreign policy chief Javier Solana, and George Schultz, a former US secretary of state.

....

Rest of item here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/world-us-canada-13624303

[CountDeMoney]

No it hasn't.  We just need more troops.

Sorry, Mongers, but you still have to do your stoner thing behind closed doors.

[The Brain]

We have to compare it to other Global Wars. How much did Islam increase in that period in spite of the GWOI?

[Slargos]

We have to compare it to other Global Wars. How much did Islam increase in that period in spite of the GWOI?

About 2.3% per annum.

[Norgy]

Of course it has. One thing's the obvious silliness of declaring war on drugs in the first place, the second is that the "war" itself keeps profits so high everywhere in the production chain, there's always someone willing to take risks. Since this war isn't fought abroad for any country taking part, there are multiple legal restrictions on how to proceed against suspected drug dealers as well. If you are going to fight a war, give the soldiers the tools to fight.

And for Hod's sake, change the name. Right now, it's a war where the people on drugs are winning.

[Josquius]

Awesome this is getting some airing in public.
Lets hope the coalition in an effort to raise money decides to legalise and tax cannabis.
Unlikely but I can hope.

[Barrister]

Awesome this is getting some airing in public.
Lets hope the coalition in an effort to raise money decides to legalise and tax cannabis.
Unlikely but I can hope.

Most of the negative effects they are talking about aren't from cannabis.

Do you really want to legalize and tax cocaine, meth and herion?

[Ed Anger]

Kill all drug users. Take their stuff and use their skins in the making of drums.

[Eddie Teach]

Why make new drums when all the drummers are dead?

[Neil]

Yet another 'legalize and tax' person goes on the Great List of Idiots.

[Razgovory]

China had some success declaring war on Sparrows.  I seem to recall that Italy has a war on mice, but I think the mice won.

[Berkut]

The answer is not in legalizing hard drugs.

The answer is almost certainly not in spending hundreds of billions on a futile high pressure "war" against those who produce, distribute, and use drugs. This is self evidence from the fact that doing exactly that for the last 2 decades or more has had no discernible effect on the core problem.

[crazy canuck]

Awesome this is getting some airing in public.
Lets hope the coalition in an effort to raise money decides to legalise and tax cannabis.
Unlikely but I can hope.

Most of the negative effects they are talking about aren't from cannabis.

True, but isnt that an argument for legalizing Cannibis?

[Malthus]

Awesome this is getting some airing in public.
Lets hope the coalition in an effort to raise money decides to legalise and tax cannabis.
Unlikely but I can hope.

Most of the negative effects they are talking about aren't from cannabis.

Do you really want to legalize and tax cocaine, meth and herion?

For the seriously addictive-type drugs which have potentially harmful or fatal effects on users, like heroin and cigarettes, I'd like to see a "medical" rather than a "criminal" model in place - have addicts go to their physicians and get a prescription for their fix, which they could then obtain like any other pharmaceutical product - in physician-supervised, regulated doses.

Seems better for everyone than treating addicts as criminals.

[crazy canuck]

Awesome this is getting some airing in public.
Lets hope the coalition in an effort to raise money decides to legalise and tax cannabis.
Unlikely but I can hope.

Most of the negative effects they are talking about aren't from cannabis.

Do you really want to legalize and tax cocaine, meth and herion?

For the seriously addictive-type drugs which have potentially harmful or fatal effects on users, like heroin and cigarettes, I'd like to see a "medical" rather than a "criminal" model in place - have addicts go to their physicians and get a prescription for their fix, which they could then obtain like any other pharmaceutical product - in physician-supervised, regulated doses.

Seems better for everyone than treating addicts as criminals.

I agree.  That would solve most of the problems - including the crime and health costs associated with those same addicts attempting to access the drugs illegally.  The cost savings would offset the cost of providing the drugs by prescription (which would have to be covered by medical health plans for this to work).

Of course if we ever legalized and taxed cannibis most fiscal concerns would also go up in smoke....