Puerto Rican Officials Push to Legalize Pot, No Health Problem Required
June 19, 2008
Associated Press
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- A former health secretary and an ex-university president want to legalize marijuana in Puerto Rico, saying it will reduce a burgeoning prison population and prevent young adults from being exposed to violent criminals.
Under the plan, marijuana would be taxed as liquor and tobacco are now, with proceeds going toward drug-treatment programs, said former Health Secretary Enrique Vazquez Quintana.
The proposal, also supported by other former public officials and a medical doctor, calls for stricter penalties against drug traffickers, and comes as the U.S. Caribbean territory prepares to launch drug-treatment programs to wean addicts from crack, heroin and other substances.
About 24 percent of the island's 13,500 inmates have been convicted on drug charges, and an estimated 80 percent of crimes are drug-related, according to the Department of Corrections.
"The fight against drugs, using punishment, has not worked," said Jose Manuel Saldana, former president of the University of Puerto Rico. "This is a social reality."
People should not go to jail for smoking pot, he said. Too many young adults become criminals in prison and also risk contracting hepatitis and AIDS while there, Saldana and Vazquez said.
Proponents have been discussing the measure with prison officials and legislators.
Lawmakers have said they are open to discussing the legalization of marijuana but only for medical purposes.
Puerto Rican Senator Maria de Lourdes Santiago said she opposes legalizing any kind of drug, but is pushing to eliminate penalties for possessing drug paraphernalia.
"Sometimes that serves as an excuse to put a young man in jail when he needs a different kind of treatment," she said.
"In Puerto Rico, that's an issue that nobody wants to touch."
More than 21,000 children under age 18 were detained from 1990 to 2005 for drug-related incidents, according to the most recent police statistics available.
Corrections Secretary Miguel Pereira said he favors drug-treatment programs and the legalization of marijuana — but only for medical use.
"It's a proposal that we should be open to discussing," he said.
At least 12 U.S. states allow marijuana for medical use, but federal law still makes possession of it illegal
June 19, 2008
Associated Press
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- A former health secretary and an ex-university president want to legalize marijuana in Puerto Rico, saying it will reduce a burgeoning prison population and prevent young adults from being exposed to violent criminals.
Under the plan, marijuana would be taxed as liquor and tobacco are now, with proceeds going toward drug-treatment programs, said former Health Secretary Enrique Vazquez Quintana.
The proposal, also supported by other former public officials and a medical doctor, calls for stricter penalties against drug traffickers, and comes as the U.S. Caribbean territory prepares to launch drug-treatment programs to wean addicts from crack, heroin and other substances.
About 24 percent of the island's 13,500 inmates have been convicted on drug charges, and an estimated 80 percent of crimes are drug-related, according to the Department of Corrections.
"The fight against drugs, using punishment, has not worked," said Jose Manuel Saldana, former president of the University of Puerto Rico. "This is a social reality."
People should not go to jail for smoking pot, he said. Too many young adults become criminals in prison and also risk contracting hepatitis and AIDS while there, Saldana and Vazquez said.
Proponents have been discussing the measure with prison officials and legislators.
Lawmakers have said they are open to discussing the legalization of marijuana but only for medical purposes.
Puerto Rican Senator Maria de Lourdes Santiago said she opposes legalizing any kind of drug, but is pushing to eliminate penalties for possessing drug paraphernalia.
"Sometimes that serves as an excuse to put a young man in jail when he needs a different kind of treatment," she said.
"In Puerto Rico, that's an issue that nobody wants to touch."
More than 21,000 children under age 18 were detained from 1990 to 2005 for drug-related incidents, according to the most recent police statistics available.
Corrections Secretary Miguel Pereira said he favors drug-treatment programs and the legalization of marijuana — but only for medical use.
"It's a proposal that we should be open to discussing," he said.
At least 12 U.S. states allow marijuana for medical use, but federal law still makes possession of it illegal
