What Will it Take to Stop the Violence?
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said in a Mexico City radio interview in August that he supported Mexican President Felipe Calderon’s call for a debate on drug legalization. He also said that he will work to build a united front with Peru and Mexico on legalization if voters in California approve Proposition 19 to legalize marijuana in November.
Colombia and Peru are the world’s top cocaine producers. Mexico is the leading producer of marijuana and opium in this part of the world, and is the home to some of the world’s wealthiest and deadliest drug trafficking organizations.
President Santos has made such remarks before. In 1998, as head of the Good Government Foundation, he co-signed an open letter to then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan calling for a “frank and honest evaluation of global drug control efforts” because “we believe the global war on drugs is now causing more harm than drug abuse itself.” Two years ago, he told a London conference on cocaine that legalization should be part of the debate.
In 2006, Mexican President Felipe Calderon announced a new military offensive against his country’s drug cartels. Since then the cartels have become more powerful than ever, financed primarily by marijuana sales. Violence has spread not just in the border areas but throughout Mexico and more than 28,000 people have been killed in the prohibition-fueled violence. Realizing that his hard-line approach has not worked, earlier this month Calderon said the time has come for Mexico to have an open debate about regulating drugs as a way to combat the cartels. Ignoring this problem, Mr. Calderon said, “is an unacceptable option.”
Calderon’s predecessor, Vicente Fox, went even further, writing on his blog that “we should consider legalizing the production, sale and distribution of drugs” as a way to “weaken and break the economic system that allows cartels to earn huge profits… Radical prohibition strategies have never worked.” Fox is hardly alone. His predecessor, as well as former presidents of Brazil and Colombia, has also spoken out for the need to end prohibition. Meanwhile in the US we’ve given criminals a virtual monopoly on something that U.S. drug-policy researcher Jon Gettman estimates is a $36 billion a year industry, greater than corn and wheat combined. We have implemented laws that are not enforceable, which has thereby created a thriving black market.
Sadly, despite 14 states flouting US federal law and legalizing marijuana for medical purposes and, despite a referendum to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes that will be put before California voters this November U.S. officials refuse to even acknowledge that such a debate is taking place. Obama’s Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske has said repeatedly that the Obama administration is not open to a debate on ending marijuana prohibition. Even worse, we’ve donated $1.4 billion to fund Mexico’s horribly failed drug war.
Recently six former “drug czars” got together and released a statement in opposition to Prop 19 in California. All past directors of the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the administrations of Presidents Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush, these bureaucrats have presided over a policy that has been a documented failure since its inception and they continue to lie about the facts and encourage more of the same disastrous policies. After decades of America’s drug war and close to a trillion dollars spent on their policy one would think it would be nearly perfect instead of the resounding failure it has obviously become.
America’s insistence on drug prohibition has caused violence and crime, not only at home but in all of Latin and South America. Now the violence has reached such heights that the stability of these country’s governments is in jeopardy. The wealth and power of the drug cartels could easily lead to the establishment of narco-states. That would give America a raft of new countries to send troops to and to war against. We are already all over the Middle East and looking at expanding into Africa; can we sustain enemies to our south as well?
Mexico officially calls for national debate on drug legalization
Mexican President Calderon announced that the time has come to entertain a serious national discussion on the pros and cons of legalizing drugs. To cover his ass he then announced that he doesn’t support legalization. Why call for something you don’t like? Well President Calderon is very familiar when his predecessor Vincente Fox had the same idea. Fox was pressured by the Bush administration and forced to drop the idea. With the border issues facing the two nations and the distinct possibility of the US taking actions that would cause serious harm to Mexico’s economy this is dangerous time to go up against US policy.
Calderon has faced criticism as violence plagues the country. In years past he has been able to claim that it was drug dealers killing other drug dealers and therefore not really a problem. Now official figures released this week put the number of drug war related murders at 28,000 and many of these are honest civilians, students, even children on their way to a birthday party. Gun battles rage in the streets and the public is fed up but entry into the US illegal drug market is so hugely profitable that the cartels do what ever they must to see it continue. No amount of troops or police can possibly stop it.
Calderon’s opposition party, the PRI opposes legalization for largely the same reasons that opponents in the US do. Fear-mongering about addicting the nation’s youth were they to legalize drugs is promulgated in PRI’s broadcasts on radio and television. Their solution? More of the same. Use the police and military to crack down on the drug cartels when they commit public violence but turn a blind eye to the actual drug trade. They figure the violence will slow down if the cartels are allowed to continue the lucrative business.
Several prominent politicians from Latin and South America have called for legalization in the past year because of similar problems in their countries. Some have moved down the path toward legalization already by adopting measures to decriminalize small quantities of drugs intended for personal use. These other counties may help to provide cover for Mexico but the key player here is really the US. If the US legalized drugs then the drug problems these nations face would fade quickly .
So what will Obama do? He stated during his campaign that he knows the war on drugs has been a failure. He admitted to having smoked marijuana and tried cocaine himself as a student. Can we count on a president to honor his campaign promises?
Marijuana- America’s new favorite drug?
Marijuana is back. Safer than alcohol it is a mild psychoactive drug used all over the world for thousands of years. Nobody has ever died from smoking it. It has been used as medicine in cultures around the world. Even that symbol of propriety England’s Queen Victoria used it to ease her menstrual cramps.
These days hundreds of studies from around the world tell of its effectiveness in helping those suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, AIDS, Glaucoma, Crone’s Disease, and a long list of ailments. 14 states have approved its use for medical purposes and the bill in the New York State legislature would make it 15.
In July the Veteran’s Administration approved its use if recommended by a VA doctor. Of special interest to them is its use in treating the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) so common among Vets. Remember… the VA is a branch of the same federal government that officially claims marijuana has no medical use.
The U.S. Patent Office opened a department specifically to trademark names of different types of marijuana. Names like Acapulco Gold, Skunk, Agent Orange, and Third Dimension, could be registered to an individual or corporation for use only by them just like “Coke” or “Marlboro”. The office was open for several months before someone realized that marijuana was, under federal law, very illegal and the federal government couldn’t be selling trademark rights to illegal products. It was closed a couple of months ago.
Now marijuana is moving beyond just medicine. California has a bill that will be voted on by the public in November calling for marijuana to be taxed and regulated… just like alcohol… legalized. The polls show it will be a very close vote… about 50% for the idea and 50% against. If it doesn’t pass this year it will probably pass next year. However, 65% believe it is at least somewhat likely marijuana will be legalized in the United States in the next 10 years. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds that just 17% of Adults rate use of marijuana as riskier than drinking alcohol. Fifty percent (50%), about three times as many say alcohol is more dangerous.
Altering one’s consciousness is a natural human trait. Children love to spin around and get dizzy. For adults in today’s society alcohol is, for better or worse, our consciousness - altering drug of choice. The different tribes of American Indians used tobacco, peyote, coca, or psychedelic mushrooms. To the best of my knowledge the only culture not to use some form of plant to alter their consciousness are the Eskimos of the far north simply because nothing grows there.
Marijuana is certainly safer than alcohol - nobody has ever died from smoking it and you can’t say that about alcohol. It seems that America is moving away from alcohol as its favorite recreational drug . As the country makes that move it will leave behind not only the problems associated with alcohol use but the terrible costs, both in money and ruined lives, of marijuana prohibition. It’s high time.
Pauline Morton-Sabin: heiress, Republican, mother & drug-legalizer
Pauline Morton-Sabin was a star amongst elegant society in the years following World War One. She was often written about in the society columns and her photograph appeared frequently. She was president of the Women’s National Republican Club and the first female ever appointed to the Republican National Committee.
Pauline Sabin grew up in a wealthy, political family. Her grandfather, J. Sterling Morton, had been a Democratic Senator, Nebraska’s governor and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Her father, Paul Morton, a Republican, was a railroad executive, U.S. Secretary of the Navy and the Equitable Life Assurance Society’s president. In 1934, Pauline inherited millions from her uncle Joy Morton, the founder of Morton Salt.
She was a strong supporter of the 18th amendment saying later “I felt I should approve of it because it would help my two sons. The word-pictures of the agitators carried me away. I thought a world without liquor would be a beautiful world.”
Gradually she revaluated her prohibitionist position. She saw the politicians who would support resolutions for stricter enforcement and half an hour later be drinking cocktails. She saw how ineffective the law was and how drinking had become glamorous with moderate social drinking being replaced by excessive consumption of alcohol. What was even more worrisome to her was the growing prestige of bootleggers. Mothers, she explained, had believed that prohibition would eliminate the temptation of drinking from their children’s lives, but found instead that “children are growing up with a total lack of respect for the Constitution and for the law.“”
With social workers reporting increasing drunkenness amongst their clientele she worried, “The young see the law broken at home and upon the street. Can we expect them to be lawful?” Mrs. Sabin complained to the House Judiciary Committee: “In pre-prohibition days, mothers had little fear in regard to the saloon as far as their children were concerned. A saloon-keeper’s license was revoked if he were caught selling liquor to minors. Today in any speakeasy in the United States you can find boys and girls in their teens drinking liquor, and this situation has become so acute that the mothers of the country feel something must be done to protect their children.”
Sound familiar? Here was a woman who realized that her dream of a totally alcohol-free country was not going to happen and that the pursuit of it was causing far more harm than was ever caused by the alcohol. Not ashamed of changing her mind (a woman’s prerogative, after all?) She reversed her position and campaigned for repeal of prohibition. She was key in making repeal respectable.
Unfortunately, despite over four decades of drug prohibition few influential people today seem to have been able to figure this out or perhaps lack what it takes to publically reverse themselves on the issue. So many people these days just keep ignoring the reality of the harms caused by prohibition and urge staying the course even when half the country sees that our course has left a wake of death, violence, increased drug use and profligate government spending. Next time you hear a mother calling for tougher drug prohibition laws remember Pauline Morton-Sabin.
Drug Lords
The threat of spending a few years in prison may not be enticing to you and me but if you knew the odds of not getting caught were in your favor what would it take to get you to take the risk? If you were a customs agent assigned to check vehicles at the border and you were making $40 K a year how much money would you want to wave a certain car through? $5000.? $10,000. ? If you were unemployed with a family to feed what would it take to drive a van across the border and risk deportation or jail time? Chances are the drug cartels could meet your price… easily. Look at this stack of money found in a Mexican drug lord’s house recently…
And that’s just a small portion of it. How much would he leave around the house? This is probably only a month’s worth of profit awaiting laundering to make room for the next pile. But they arrested this guy, you say, and seized the money. Yes, but look at his house…
And his pool…
His toys…
Do you want to bet someone else hasn’t taken over this lucrative enterprise and built himself a similar estate full of money? The potential for great riches is incredibly tempting to everyone involved on every level of the business. The relatively remote threat of prison is no deterent. That’s obvious if you look at the decades of thriving drug business despite harsher and harsher penalties and more and more enforcement.
There is one sure way to end it overnight however. End drug prohibition - legalize it and regulate it. Viola! No more ridiculous profits. Production, shipping, and distribution is taken over by licensed companies subject to losing that license should they sell to minors, adulterate the product, or otherwise violate the law. Would it be perfect? No. Would some minors still get hold of dangerous drugs? Of course. But at least we’d have far more control than we do now. Add the billions of dollars of tax revenue to the equation… subtract the savings gained by not endlessly chasing drug smugglers, producers and sellers around and we’d be onto something. It’s not really all that complicated…
