Colombian president calls for legalisation of marijuana

[elmanito]

Juan Manuel Santos, the Colombian president, has called for the global legalisation of marijuana to help combat the trafficking of harder drugs and related violence.

Mr Santos added his voice to a growing list of influential figures in Latin America demanding a rethink of the policies that have been used for decades to fight the drugs trade.
He said legalising softer drugs such as marijuana worldwide could help improve international efforts to deal with harder drugs such as cocaine and heroin.
"The world needs to discuss new approaches ... we are basically still thinking within the same framework as we have done for the last 40 years," he said.
Asked if making marijuana legal could offer a way forward, Mr Santos said it could and that he would support it "provided everyone does it at the same time". But he emphasised that other countries needed to take the lead, saying the issue was "a matter of national security" for Colombia, whereas "in other countries this is mainly a health and crime issue".
"Drug trafficking is what finances the violence and the irregular groups in our country. I would be crucified if I took the first step," he said in an interview with Metro, the global free daily newspaper chain.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/colombia/8850874/Colombian-president-calls-for-legalisation-of-marijuana.html

 

[itisme]

Ok. I am American and I agree with Columbia's President 100%! He is using logic, our gov't is using unnecessary force to hold us all down in society!

 

[Avinash.miles]

LOVE IT

 

[m314]

The war on drugs is a failure. Prohibition laws do more harm than the drugs themselves, even hard drugs. Continuing to pursue cocaine and heroin users will continue to ruin lives and fund the cartels. Legalizing marijuana is a good first step, but continuing to enslave drug users and ruin their lives through prison time helps no one. No one but the police, prison guards, pharmaceutical industry, and anyone else with a financial interest in continuing the failed war on drug users.

 

[bombadil.360]

legalizing cannabis for many countries is also a matter of national security, even the U.S, how do you think terrorists get funds?

legalize it, kill black market, take their profit and fuck them, finito la comedia.

 

[OverEagerBeaver]

But he emphasised that other countries needed to take the lead, saying the issue was "a matter of national security" for Colombia, whereas "in other countries this is mainly a health and crime issue"

The Colombia President is just voicing what every Latin American Leader is thinking, however, the sad reality is that in 2011 alone the USA has provided Colombia with over $200 million in the form of just USAID (not including war on drugs funding) and you can bet your ass that that money is conditional on maintaining the status quo, ie the war on drugs.

So unless the USA takes the lead and changes policies aint no country that receives USAID gonna do shit for legalization even if it is "a matter of national security"

 

[Skinny Leaf]

No government is going to legalize drugs. Illegal drugs are a great tool for any government. Whether it is to give reason to imprison their citizenry or to fund covert ops.

 

[Warped1]

Well..while it's more cost effective,a government won't legalize marijuana,drugs..they make money off of the illegality, that's what we have to overcome. When they can make more money from legalization we'll all be golden. And look at it this way,legal or not we've all had a head start at learning how to grow. We'll be a commodity, for a while at least.

 

[Hammerhead]

Portugal has decrim most drugs and it is working for them... Portugal's drug problem, jail time was replaced with the offer of therapy. The argument was that the fear of prison drives addicts underground and that incarceration is more expensive than treatment — so why not give drug addicts health services instead? Under Portugal's new regime, people found guilty of possessing small amounts of drugs are sent to a panel consisting of a psychologist, social worker and legal adviser for appropriate treatment (which may be refused without criminal punishment), instead of jail.

 

[m314]

No government is going to legalize drugs. Illegal drugs are a great tool for any government. Whether it is to give reason to imprison their citizenry or to fund covert ops.

Hammerhead beat me to it, but Portugal decriminalized all drugs 10 years ago. The rates of hard drug use and addiction have actually gone down since then, and the people who choose to use drugs like heroin or cocaine are in a much better position now. They don't have to hide their use, share or reuse needles, or do other things that make the drugs more harmful than they already are. As bad as those drugs are, the prohibition laws are worse for the users and for society in general.

It's good to see more people supporting cannabis legalization, though. Such a harmless and beneficial plant should be legal everywhere. I believe that it's wrong to put people in jail even for dangerous plants like coca or poppy.

 

[bombadil.360]

The Colombia President is just voicing what every Latin American Leader is thinking...

you're kidding, right?

why is there this thing where people dream about latin american politics being innovative and shit?

wake up

Colombia is like a different world within latin america though... but the rest is so retarded is not even funny.

 

[OverEagerBeaver]

Actually I'm fully awake and I've lived, worked and traveled throughout Latin America for over 5 years so I kinda know what I'm talking about... but golly I only have 40 posts so I must be naive noob huh

Oh and saying "Colombia is like a different world within latin america though... but the rest is so retarded is not even funny." is pretty fucking retarded

 

[Ruosk]

Leaks in the dam of prohibition are appearing all over the world, USA, Latin America, Europe. Every year, there are more and more of those in power speaking for what every sensible person understood from the day one: prohibition doesn't work and actually causes more problems than it solves. Things will change, but I just hope it's rather sooner than later.

 

[bombadil.360]

Actually I'm fully awake and I've lived, worked and traveled throughout Latin America for over 5 years so I kinda know what I'm talking about... but golly I only have 40 posts so I must be naive noob huh

Oh and saying "Colombia is like a different world within latin america though... but the rest is so retarded is not even funny." is pretty fucking retarded

I dunno if the post count matters; but I was born and raised in Latin America, travelled too; and have a few more decades of experience there than 5 years... how's fluent is your spanish? portuguese?

anyway, we'll agree to disagree.

be good

peace!

 

[trichrider]

...hmnn?

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,676861,00.html

new shoes?

 

[supermanlives]

of course it should be legal. how can you stop a drug that can be cultivated in a closet and be profitable. cant do that with cocaine or heroin

 

[guineapig]

"the irregular groups" what does this term mean?

oftentimes i feel irregular....

kind regards from guineapig

 

[m314]

of course it should be legal. how can you stop a drug that can be cultivated in a closet and be profitable. cant do that with cocaine or heroin

Heroin can be cultivated in a closet too. Growing opium poppies indoors is as easy as growing weed. Once the opium is harvested, all it takes is acetic anhydride (basically concentrated vinegar) to convert the morphine to diacetylmorphine (heroin).

Coca is harder to grow indoors, but there's still no way to stop cocaine from being grown and sold on the black market. All attempts to control hard drugs like heroin and cocaine end up doing more damage and ruining more lives than the drugs themselves. Legalizing cannabis would be great, but spending more money on enforcing other prohibition laws will only lead to more pain and misery.