21st Century Music, Art and Design

Conscious Music, Progressive Politics, Inspiring Art

Robbie Robertson and Bob Dylan

Robbie Robertson and Bob Dylan

Yuya Joe College's Facebook Wall

Flag of Earth

Flag of Earth
by James Cadle, modified by inclusion of NASA image of our planet

Occupy Toronto Market Exchange

mediaINDIGENA

Thursday, June 02, 2011

LEGALIZE IT: Global Commission on Drug Policy


Calls for drug policies based on methods empirically proven


NEW YORK, N.Y. - The global war on drugs has failed with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world, argues a new report to be released Thursday.

Compiled by the Global Commission on Drug Policy, which includes former heads of state, a former U.N. secretary-general and a business mogul, the report calls on governments to end the criminalization of marijuana and other controlled substances.

"Political leaders and public figures should have the courage to articulate publicly what many of them acknowledge privately: that the evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that repressive strategies will not solve the drug problem, and that the war on drugs has not, and cannot, be won," the report said.

The 19-member commission includes former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and former U.S. official George P. Schultz, who held cabinet posts under U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon. Others include former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker, former presidents of Mexico, Brazil and Colombia, writers Carlos Fuentes and Mario Vargas Llosa, U.K. business mogul Richard Branson and the current prime minister of Greece.

Instead of punishing users who the report says "do no harm to others," the commission argues that governments should end criminalization of drug use, experiment with legal models that would undermine organized crime syndicates and offer health and treatment services for drug-users in need.

The commission called for drug policies based on methods empirically proven to reduce crime, lead to better health and promote economic and social development. The commission is especially critical of the United States, which its members say must lead changing its anti-drug policies from being guided by anti-crime approaches to ones rooted in health care and human rights.

"We hope this country (the U.S.) at least starts to think there are alternatives," former Colombian president Cesar Gaviria told The Associated Press by phone. "We don't see the U.S. evolving in a way that is compatible with our (countries') long-term interests."


USA White House disses report, misses point that US itself is misguided

The office of White House drug czar Gil Kerlikowske said the report was misguided.

"Drug addiction is a disease that can be successfully prevented and treated. Making drugs more available — as this report suggests — will make it harder to keep our communities healthy and safe," Office of National Drug Control Policy spokesman Rafael Lemaitre said.

That office cites statistics showing declines in U.S. drug use compared to 30 years ago, along with a more recent 46 per cent drop in current cocaine use among young adults over the last five years.

The report cited U.N. estimates that opiate use increased 34.5 per cent worldwide and cocaine 27 per cent from 1998 to 2008, while the use of cannabis, or marijuana, was up 8.5 per cent.


Source: Ca.News.Yahoo.com

No comments:

Conscious Music Art Architecture

GreenDemocraticParty.ca

Visions of a Bright Green Future

MNN - Mohawk Nation News

Syria in Transition

Andinet North America Association of Support Organizations

Human Rights Watch blog feed

21st Century Architecture

The Funny Farm

2012 Astronomy, Gliese 581g,Zarmina's World, Exoplanets

nazret.com

Green Mutual Fund Investing Info

Climate Connections

Green Energy Stocks Search Engine

Custom Search