Thread: Major Panel: Drug War Failed; Legalize Marijuana

NEW YORK – 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.

The office of White House drug czar Gil Kerlikowske said the report was misguided.
Major panel: Drug war failed; legalize marijuana - Yahoo! News
Thoughts? Should marijuana be legalized?

All drugs should be legalized. This so called war on drugs is a sham, hell the banks believe it or not fund the drug cartels. This is why the establishment kept drugs illegal, it drives the costs up, and the banking cartel make hundreds of billions. This is beyond any conspiracy theory to date. By allowing the banks to fund the cartels, you essentially allow the importation of drugs, then arrest small time dealers and users. In doing all of this shit you create crime. The victims of these crimes are victims of the banks!

It is nuts.

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Originally Posted by Gypsy

No. Just because they can't get a handle on something doesn't mean it should be legalized.

What do you think about their arguement with moving from an Anti-Crime approach to ones rooted in health-care and human rights?

Lets start with decriminalization first, then decide if it should be legal across the board.

Originally Posted by johnflesh

Lets start with decriminalization first, then decide if it should be legal across the board.

No, thats not going far enough. We tried prohibition twice now, and both times it failed, other than for the criminals of course.

Originally Posted by michaelr

No, thats not going far enough. We tried prohibition twice now, and both times it failed, other than for the criminals of course.

One thing I have noticed is that if you don't walk in baby steps, as a nation, then it tends to get all messed up very fast and/or people don't want to run any sort of risk and will vote against it.

So how about we put the cart behind the horse and start with decriminalization, then move on to the next step which is legalization. After that then we can start talking about other drugs.

Going far enough is fine, but in steps. Making it a night and day decision could backfire or be very unpopular. There has to be some education involved and that will take time.

Originally Posted by johnflesh

One thing I have noticed is that if you don't walk in baby steps, as a nation, then it tends to get all messed up very fast and/or people don't want to run any sort of risk and will vote against it.

So how about we put the cart behind the horse and start with decriminalization, then move on to the next step which is legalization. After that then we can start talking about other drugs.

Going far enough is fine, but in steps. Making it a night and day decision could backfire or be very unpopular. There has to be some education involved and that will take time.

This has gone on long enough, and your proposal could take decades. If there is money to be made, and believe when I say there is and not just by the cartels, then studies of the effects of decriminalization could take years just get scheduled.

They admit, finally, that this has failed, now lets do the right thing, end it. I also would like to see prison sentences for dealers halted. The private prison industry has made enough because of the war on drugs.

JUST END IT NOW.

Originally Posted by Gypsy

I believe that users should be given the opportunity at rehab. Dealers and traffickers should get jail time. My little city has been taken over by Detroit drug dealers. I want them locked away.

What about if the US Govt went into drug dealing and cut out the dealers and traffickers, essentially putting them out of business?