Another Saturday in the Drug War

Published November 29, 2008 @ 09:51AM PT

Some news this week from our wonderful War on Drugs:

A Brookings Institution report guided by former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo outlined broad strategies for reform in Latin America, and didn't mince words on the drug war.

"Current U.S. counter- narcotics policies are failing by most objective standards," the report says. "The only long-run solution to the problem of illegal narcotics is to reduce the demand for drugs in the major consuming countries, including the United States."

And an October report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office in October outlined clearly the failure of Plan Columbia to reduce cocaine production in the war-torn country. While security in Columbia has improved in recent years, cocaine production has increased. Here are four reasons to scrap our focus on reducing supply - it's a waste of money, crop eradication harms the environment, we anger our friends in countries like Ecuador, Columbia and Bolivia, and - as the GAO now points out - it's not effective.

A new study this week showed that methadone is effective in treating cocaine addictions.

I've written about (Attorney General nominee) Eric Holder's support for mandatory minimum sentences. U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad's name is still being tossed around as a possible drug czar, and while Ramstad has taken progressive positions on treatment and alternatives to incarceration, for some reason he's against needle exchanges proven to prevent the spread of HIV and other diseases.

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I am a bit disapointed in Obama choosing Holder for Attorney General. Holder pushed for mandatory minimums and such when he was in the Clinton administration. Ramstad, who is rumored to be the most likely Drug Czar ,as a congressman has voted against medical pot, and against needle exchange programs. This doesn't appear to be change I can believe in, and I voted for Obama.

Posted by tom smith on 11/29/2008 @ 05:10PM PT
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You should have voted for Dr. Paul
-Dan

Posted by Daniel K on 11/29/2008 @ 06:35PM PT
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It's absurd - and we need to communicate with the administration that Ramstad is not acceptable - nor is continuing the dysfunctional status quo in the War on Drugs.

Posted by Anthony Citrano on 11/29/2008 @ 11:47PM PT
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Dan, I voted for Ron Paul in the primary, but switched my allegiance to Obama after Paul was no longer a candidate. Obama made some statements that seemed to indicate that he was leaning in the direction of a less Orwellian approach to the drug war. George Soros has been the biggest force against the drug war, and he has been a big Obama supporter. We will see how much the Obama administration is change we can believe in, and how much its a replay of the song,"Hope we don't get fooled again".
-Tom

Posted by tom smith on 11/30/2008 @ 01:56AM PT
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Drug traffiking is a multi-billion dollar a year business. One solution is to stop the CIA from importing drugs into this country and guarding poppy production in Afganistan. The legalization of drugs would stop the crime by drastically reducing prices and profits lessening the incentive to deal drugs and redirect law enforcement efforts to reducing real crime like murder, rape and theft. And, release all prisoners from jail convicted on drug charges; as the use of drugs is a health issue, not a criminal one.

Posted by Bill Winters on 11/30/2008 @ 06:59PM PT
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Drug warring is also a multi-billion dollar business. In the recent California referendum, the Correction Officers Union made big contributions to fight and defeat a referendum that would have reduced penalties for drug offenders, and thined out prisons. Beer distributors and some gaming groups also contributed to it's defeat. In addition to the above groups that economically gain by keeping the drug war on, you also have police, probation officers, companies that build and companies that run prisons as well as pharmaceutical companies. Whither we are talking the drug war or the military industrial complex, the reality is that there are very wealthy, well connected interests that gain by their expansion. I certainly agree whole heartedly with Bill's ideas, but there are many powerful interests that disagree with it's potential impact on their income.

Tom

Posted by tom smith on 11/30/2008 @ 08:25PM PT
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The war on drugs (prohibition in general) has not, does not and will not work. Targeting canabis users while drug companies market their synthetic pot is the height of hypocracy!

Posted by Tom Palumbo on 11/30/2008 @ 11:55PM PT
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Matt has worked and volunteered in various capacities in criminal justice reform for several years. When he's not blogging, he works as the Online Communications Manager at the Innocence Project. Views expressed here are Matt's, and don't represent the positions of the Innocence Project.