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| Colombia Faces Strong Push To Legalise Drugs |
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Posted by FoM on September 03, 2001 at 18:10:47 PT By James Wilson Source: Financial Times 
A growing number of influential Colombians, sickened by the damage that drugs trafficking is doing to their country, are stepping up criticism of US-backed counter-narcotics policies and pushing for legalisation of drugs as a solution. Colombia at times has been treated like a pariah because it is the source of most of the world's cocaine and a growing amount of heroin. But advocates of an end to prohibition contend that Colombia - ravaged by some of the world's worst violence and insecurity - is itself the biggest casualty of the "war on drugs". Global prohibition, they say, has driven the trade's huge profits and given drug traffickers the wealth and power to corrupt or murder anyone who stood in their way. Over the past two decades, hundreds of leading politicians, judges, police, and soldiers have died trying to confront Colombia's violent and wealthy drugs cartels. Profits from drugs have also become a vital source of financing for the country's guerrilla and paramilitary groups - even though the rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) say they also favour drugs legalisation. Colombia's civil war has been compared to some African conflicts that are fuelled by the struggle to control trade in diamonds or other valuable natural resources. "From the 1990s onwards, the guerrillas and paramilitaries have grown incredibly because of the money coming from narco-trafficking," says senator Viviane Morales, author of a bill that calls for drug legalisation. "The main ally of narco-trafficking is prohibition." Such arguments have gathered force in recent weeks. Various other parliamentarians want to ease curbs on drugs, while some provincial governors have also spoken up in favour of decriminalising the drugs trade. They say it could help to solve Colombia's conflict by cutting away at its financial support. The huge state resources now being devoted to curbing drugs trafficking could also be used to improve social conditions, they argue - reducing support for the armed insurgency. A former UK ambassador to Colombia has also said the country's interests would be better served by legalisation than by an unwinnable drugs war. Such calls fly in the face of the tough measures being promoted by the US in Colombia with the co-operation of President Andres Pastrana's government. Under a $1.3bn ( ?900m ) package of largely military aid from the US, thousands of hectares of illegal coca and poppy crops, which produce the raw ingredients for cocaine and heroin, are being destroyed with aerial spraying of herbicide. The US insists this aggressive campaign poses no threat to human or environmental well-being. But the swooping of the crop-spraying aircraft over poor rural communities, wiping out livelihoods, is proving controversial and has stimulated the current legalisation debate, emboldening those who favour an end to prohibition. But the efforts of Ms Morales and others are unlikely to succeed. They do not enjoy backing from the government. Nor have any leading presidential candidates for next year's elections supported legalisation, although Luis Eduardo Garzon, a leftwing trade unionist candidate who trails in polls, is a supporter. "I'm against legalisation and frankly it seems useless to me to argue that decision from Colombia," said Horacio Serpa, the well-supported candidate from Ms Morales' own Liberal party, in his regular magazine column. Even many supporters of legalisation admit a unilateral decriminalisation by Colombia would have little or no effect. However, Guillermo Gaviria, governor of powerful Antioquia province, says Colombia should use its "moral authority" to lead international debate on legalisation. "Colombia cannot go on being the victim of the wrong, shortsighted attitude of countries that judge us superficially," he says. "Our society didn't choose to be part of the conflict." Gustavo Socha, director of the anti-narcotics police, has written that legalisation of drugs "would betray the sacrifice" of the hundreds who have died trying to battle the cartels. But Ms Morales says: "We cannot go on counting the deaths of the past to justify the deaths of the future. We need to stop this war, quickly." For regional reports: http://www.ft.com/americas News article courtesy of Mapinc. Newshawk: MikeEEEEE Related Articles & Web Site: Colombia Drug War News Many Colombians Back Decriminalization Colombian Officials Cooling on Drug War Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #5 posted by Doug on September 04, 2001 at 09:27:14 PT |
| Wouldn't it be ironic if the end result of Plan Columbia was legalization of drugs in Columbia? Even if this is not the result, we can already see the Plan Columbia has caused people there to start thinking realistically about legalization. So it turns out after 16/32/88 years of the War on Drugs, futher action is causing people to have more and more doubts. I think we've reached a critical point; the Drug War is going to go on for more years, and there will be increasingly shrill cries from the warriors, but the War is over. This reminds me of the Battle of Stalingrad during World War II. The war went on for a couple of more years after that battle ended, but looking back at World War II with some historical perspective we can see that after the Battle of Stalingrad the momentum had changed. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by Lehder on September 03, 2001 at 19:42:20 PT |
| Apenas legalice. Lance los gringos codiciosos del arbusto hacia fuera - su avaricia le trae solamente apuro. el aocp sugirio que el primero y yo lo creamos: Incluso el aceite no es bastante. No igualar para el arbusto que hizo $3 millones el ano pasado, no bastante para Cheney con $36 millones el ano pasado. Su avaricia es ilimitada porque no tienen ninguna alma. Ahora ella desea los carteles tambien! Ese es porque ella esta en su pais. Al musculo adentro en los carteles. Es como si Elliot Ness debiera abrir cervecerias en Chicago, asumiendo el control para el Al Capone. Lancelas hacia fuera! Colombians, usted tiene un pais hermoso de las montanas, selvas tropicales, rioos y el oceano y yo tenemos longed para visitar su pista hermosa. Dejais le sea una pista pacifica. Y usted tiene una cancion hermosa tambien: Oh Júbilo inmortal ! En surcos de dolores El bien germina ya !
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| Comment #3 posted by E. Johnson on September 03, 2001 at 19:32:53 PT |
| There were many terrible personal sacrifices among law enforcement during alcohol prohibition in America. Alcohol profits corrupted law enforcement and provided enormous investment capital for powerful crime syndicates that are still troubling us today. When Americans decided to end alcohol prohibition, it was not meant as a repudiation of those who had sacrificed their lives doing what their country believed at the time to be the right thing. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by Lehder on September 03, 2001 at 19:19:06 PT |
| Just legalize. Throw the greedy Bush gringos out - their greed brings you only trouble. aocp suggested it first and I believe it: Even the oil is not enough. Not even for Bush who made $3 million last year, not enough for Cheney with $36 million last year. Their greed is boundless because they have no souls. Now they want the cartels too! That's why they are in your country. To muscle in on the cartels. It's as if Elliot Ness were to open up breweries in Chicago, taking over for Al Capone. Throw them out! Colombians, you have a beautiful country of mountains, rain forests, rivers and ocean and I have longed to visit your beautiful land. Let it be a peaceful land. And you have a beautiful song too: Oh gloria inmarcesible ! Oh unfading glory! [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by The GCW on September 03, 2001 at 18:47:54 PT |
| They killed our Indians, and they will kill yours. The slaughter they dished out to the American Indians is not beyond their potential. America may view all the people of Columbia or South America as Indians. In America the Indians were late in realizing that they were consistantly lied to. America is a country that has a history of not telling the truth to me, how are you to believe they are going to tell you the truth? With out legalization, America is going to continue to make out the other person to be the bad guy. America is very good at making others out to be the bad guy. After they kill you and your plants, they are going to continue killing others. Like the taste of blood in a wild animals mouth, they kill and have for too long. If one of you wants to sit quietly and smoke your peace pipe alone in peace, they wish to kill you for doing so.... Unless the tides, they are a changing. [ Post Comment ] |
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