from the economist:

the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy, a group headed by three former presidents—Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil, César Gaviria of Colombia and Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico—published a report arguing that the violent crime and corruption generated by drug prohibition is undermining democracy and that the drug war has “failed”. They called for a public debate on alternatives, including treating drug use as an issue of public health rather than criminal law, and decriminalising marijuana.

i’m not about to build up false hopes of a radical rethinking of the world’s approach to drugs but i do sense a pragmatic shift in many governments’ approaches to the issue.

At least one minister in Brazil’s government agreed with the report. Even as it battles the drug gangs, Mexico has decided that people caught with small amounts of drugs should be treated rather than prosecuted. Argentina and Ecuador are considering more radical decriminalisation. Mr Cardoso, who has retired from political office, has since gone further than the commission and called for the decriminalisation of cocaine. He says that many active politicians privately agree with him. And in the United States, the Obama administration has signalled a shift away from drug “war” and mass incarceration and towards policies that treat drugs as a health issue.

the potential savings / tax revenues as i have mentioned before may be a factor in governments’ decisions. indeed the UN’s drugs and crime boss seems to claim that this is the major motivating factor (to fund bank rescues he says).

how long must we wait until a grown up discussion about drug policy takes place in the middle east?

an unrelated chart from the economist again mapping global cocaine prices (not sure why the UAE isn’t priced – saudi like prices across the border as well):

Related articles by Zemanta

• Ex-presidents of Latin America urge legal marijuana (cnn.com)
• Marijuana: Tax It, Regulate It, But Legalize It (usnews.com)

Browse Timeline

• « mj and normalcy.
• » evolutionary god and tolerant religion | a happy ending.