on drugs is lost
Prohibition has only benefited organized crime. It's time for a fresh approach
FERNANDO HENRIQUE CARDOSO
SAN PAULO - The war on drugs is a lost war, and 2011 is the time to move away from a punitive approach in order to pursue a new set of policies based on public health, human rights and common sense. These are the core findings of the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy that I convened, together with former presidents Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico and Cesar Gaviria of Colombia.
We became involved with this issue for a compelling reason: the violence and corruption associated with drug trafficking represents a major threat to democracy in our region. The evidence is overwhelming that the prohibitionist approach, based on repression of production and criminalization of consumption, has clearly failed.
After 30 years of massive effort, all prohibitionism has achieved is to shift areas of cultivation and drug cartels from one country to another. Latin America remains the world's largest exporter of cocaine and marijuana. Thousands of young people continue to lose their lives in gang wars. Drug lords rule by fear over entire communities.
Instead of sticking to failed policies, we must redirect our efforts to the harm caused by drugs to people and societies, and to reducing consumption.
Some kind of drug consumption has existed throughout history in the most diverse cultures. Today, drug use occurs throughout society. All kinds of people use drugs for all kinds of reasons to relieve pain or experience pleasure, to escape reality or enhance their perception of it.
But the approach recommended in the commission's statement does not imply complacency. Drugs are harmful to health. They undermine users' decision-making capacity. Needle-sharing spreads HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Addiction can lead to financial ruin and domestic abuse, especially of children.
Cutting consumption as much as possible must, therefore, be the main goal. But this requires treating drug users not as criminals to be incarcerated, but as patients to be cared for. Several countries are pursuing policies that emphasize prevention and treatment rather than repression - and refocusing their repressive measures on fighting the real enemy: organized crime.
The crack in the global consensus around the prohibitionist approach is widening. A growing number of countries in Europe and Latin America are moving away from a purely repressive model.
Portugal and Switzerland are compelling examples of the positive impact of policies centred on prevention, treatment and harm reduction. Both countries have decriminalized drug possession for personal use. Instead of leading to an explosion of drug consumption, as many feared, the number of people seeking treatment increased and overall drug use fell.
When the policy approach shifts from criminal repression to public health, drug users are more open to seeking treatment. Decriminalization of consumption also reduces the power of dealers to influence and control consumers behaviour.
In our report, we recommend evaluating from a public-health standpoint - and on the basis of the most advanced medical science - the merits of decriminalizing possession of cannabis for personal use.
Marijuana is by far the most widely used drug. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that the harm it causes is at worst similar to the harm caused by alcohol or tobacco. Moreover, most of the damage associated with marijuana use - from the indiscriminate incarceration of consumers to the violence and corruption associated with the drug trade - is the result of current prohibitionist policies.
Decriminalization of cannabis would thus be an important step forward in approaching drug use as a health problem and not as a matter for the criminal justice system.
To be credible and effective, decriminalization must must be combined with robust prevention campaigns. The steep and sustained drop in tobacco consumption in recent decades shows that public information and prevention campaigns can work when based on messages that are consistent with the experience of those whom they target. Tobacco was deglamourized, taxed and regulated; it has not been banned.
No country has a comprehensive solution to the drug problem. But a solution need not require a stark choice between prohibition and legalization. The worst prohibition is the prohibition to think. Now, at last, the taboo that prevented debate has been broken.
Yes, drugs erode people's freedom. But it is time to recognize that repressive policies toward drug users, rooted as they are in prejudice, fear and ideology, may be no less a threat to liberty.
Fernando Henrique Cardoso, a former president of Brazil (1995-2002), is co-chair of the Latin American Commission on Frugs and Democracy (TORONTO STAR, Sunday, January 23, 2011).
01:30 Hrs. Budzi mnie siusiu.
04:10 Hrs. Budzik zrywa mnie na rowne nogi. Na dworze minus 8-stopniowo. Odczuwalne -8C. Temp. w kuchni 22.6C.
04:26 Hrs. Pije wode z cytryna + czestuje sie czekoladka Xocai POWER.
04:30 Hrs. Lektura tronowa. "Polityka".
Tego poteznego mezczyzne o wygladzie trapera, a duszy i talencie artysty Indianie nazywaja Mister Crazy Horse (Pan Szalony Kon), a biali Amerykanie - Crazy Polack (Szalony Polak). Jego dziadek, hrabia Ignacy Ziolkowski, wyruszyl w XIX w. z Krakowa do Stanow Zjednoczonych. A rodzice, Anna i Jozef Ziolkowscy, zgineli tragicznie w czasie wycieczki promem do Nowego Jorku (Emilia Kunikowska, "Szalony Kon Szalonego Polaka. "Aby swiat wiedzial, ze czerwony czlowiek tez mial swoich bohaterow" - tak sie zaczela historia budowy najwiekszego pomnika swiata. Prace nad nim rozpoczal Korczak Ziolkowski - Amerykanin polskiego pochodzenia - spelniajac zyczenie Indian z Dakoty Poludniowej", POLITYKA NR 52 (2788), 25 GRUDNIA 2010).
05:20 Hrs. Wskakuje na wage APSCO. 84 kg.
05:24 Hrs. Pije ziolo SKRZYP + daktyl + AWP (Akrobatyczne Wygibasy Poranne) w kuchni + BBC na CBC. Duzo wiadomosci o rozruchach w Egipcie. Bol w plecach i szyi + zgrzyt kosci przy cwiczeniach.
05:36 Hrs. Wrzucam 10 rodzynek do platkow na zimnym (organicznym) mleku + "zycie" + CBC + burczenie w zoladku.
Terrorystyczny atak na lotnisku Domodiedowo w Moskwie w tragiczny, lecz znaczacy sposob wspolbrzmi z ostateczna finalizacja kontraktu na zakup najnowoczesniejszych francuskich okretow klasy Mistral. Rosyjska potega militarna, spedzajaca sen z oczu planistom z NATO (ktos moze zauwazyc, ze raczej nie sen a poobiedna drzemke, ale niech tam) w niczym nie wstrzymuje samobojczych atakow smiertelnie wrogich Rosji elementow. Tyle tylko, ze rosyjska panstwowosc od takich atakow specjalnie nie slabnie. Sama w sobie nawet sie zmacnia. Ot, cywilne ofiary stana sie uzasadnieniem jeszcze bardziej bezwzglednej rozprawy z przeciwnikami politycznymi Kremla. Prezydent Miedwiediew i premier Putin jednym glosem wezawli do zwarcia szeregow wobec niewidocznego wroga i zapowiedzieli bezlitosna rozprawe z winnymi. A kto winien? Czy podejmowane dzialania specsluzb w jakikolwiek sposob poprawily bezpieczenstwo obywateli? Czy nowe wyniki wedle tych samych schematow pacyfikacji przyczynia sie do rozwiazania problemow? To akurat jest bez specjalnego znaczenia. Premier Putin juz wie, ze to nie o Czeczenie czy caly Kaukaz chodzi. I zapewnie ma racje. Byl teatr, bylo metro i kolejowy super-ekspres. I nastepnym razem bedzie cos innego. Bo musza byc ofiary. Ofiar, krwi - tego potrzebuja specjalisci od panstwowego i partyjnego PR (no i mesjanistyczni poeci, w rodzaju Wojciecha Wencela z "Naszego Dziennika", ale o tym kiedy indziej) (WMW, "La Place Rouge", ZYCIE, 27 I - 2 II 2011).
05:59 Hrs. Biore tabletki + popijam zielona herbata.
06:11 Hrs. CBC podaje temp. w Toronto. -5C. Odczuwalne -9C. W dzienniku: 11 tys. przypadkow zachorowan na grype w Toronto. Torontonczycy tez sa niechetni szczepieniom w tym roku. Internet zamkniety w Egipcie.
06:24 Hrs. Biore tabletke RAPHACHOLIN C + popijam zielona herbata.
06:28 Hrs. Wychodzac z domu podnosze ze schodow "National Post" z "Cascade of protests grips Arab world. Deposed regime 'not welcome' here: Harper" na okladce.
06:45 Hrs. "Mowia plonie stodola. Plonie az strach, az kurzy sie z niej" spiewa Czeslaw Niemen w Polskim Radiu Toronto na fali 1320 AM. W dzienniku: Prokuratorzy rosyjscy potrzebuja jeszcze 2 miesiecy sledztwa ws. katastrofy smolenskiej; Mandela (92) w szpitalu. Nasze ESSO na Bloor West Village bierze za litr paliwa $1.09.6. Inne ESSO + Canadian Tire + Petro-Canada $1.11.9.
06:50 Hrs. "Bo cichutko znoszac bole
Do Jezusa sie przytule" - nuce pod nosem ten watek w rytmie bluse'a gdy wychodze z samochodu na parkingu.
15:20 Hrs. W Eden Garden kupuje 4 opakowania ziola SKRZYP + 3 RAPHACHOLIN C ($30.98).
15:28 Hrs. W ksiegarni Husarz kupuje prase ($7.28).
"Wprost" z "Wojna polsko-ruska pof flaga bialo-czerwona" na okladce.
"Goniec". Na okladce:
* Ruszyly studniowki (Relacja z Mississaugi).
* Czym odurzaja sie indianskie dzieci?
* Hamilton-Krakow - Non Stop.
* Lukaszenka: Polacy chca granicy pod Minskiem.
Jedna fotografia: Zabawa rozpoczela sie tradycyjnie od poloneza.
"GazetaGazeta" Na okladce:
* Prezydenci Polski i Niemiec zlozyli wience pod sciana stracen (Miedzynarodowy Dzien Pamieci o Holokauscie).
* Lukaszenka straszy Polska.
* Efekt domina w krajach arabskich.
* Naukowcy twierdza, ze zycie nie jest z tej Ziemi.
2 fotografie: (1) Prezydent Niemiec Christian Wulff oraz prezydent RP Bronislaw Komorowski zlozyliwience pod sciana stracen na dziedzincu bloku 11 w bylym Auschwitz I, 27 bm. w czasie obchodow 66. rocznicy wyzwolenia obozu KL Auschwitz-Birkenau; (2) Walki demonstrantow z policja w Suezie.
Czestuje sie darmowym: "Merkuriusz Polski" z "Lech Kaczynski w filmie akcji" na okladce.
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