cannabisnews.com: Colombian Officials Cooling on Drug War 










  Colombian Officials Cooling on Drug War 

Posted by FoM on August 28, 2001 at 23:50:00 PT
By John Otis, HC South America Bureau 
Source: Houston Chronicle 

As U.S. officials arrive in Bogotį today to evaluate the war against drugs and Marxist rebels, many prominent Colombians are voicing opposition to key elements of the anti-narcotics campaign. In recent weeks, Colombian governors, lawmakers, a high-ranking administration official and the front-runner in next May's presidential race have come out against the policy of fumigating illegal drug crops, a cornerstone of the U.S.-backed fight against narcotics. 
Some have begun questioning the very premise of the drug war and contend that two decades of hard-line policies have failed. Last week, Colombian Sen. Viviane Morales even introduced a bill to legalize the production and sale of heroin and cocaine. Though the measure has been given little chance, it sparked a nationwide debate, and several public figures endorsed the idea. Today through Friday, a high-ranking U.S. delegation is scheduled to visit Colombia to discuss Washington's support for the drug war with President Andres Pastrana. The officials from the State Department, the Pentagon, the Justice Department and other agencies also plan to visit Colombian army bases in the southern part of the country and assess progress in the nation's 37-year war against leftist rebels. Despite growing criticism of his counterdrug strategy at home, analysts say that Pastrana, who has one year remaining in his four-year term, is unlikely to alter his policy. That's because millions of dollars in U.S. aid is at stake. Plan Colombia, Pastrana's anti-drug initiative, is already backed by $1.3 billion in U.S. assistance. Last month, Anne Patterson, the U.S. ambassador to Colombia, warned that ending the fumigation program could jeopardize congressional support for aid to the South American nation. The Bush administration has requested about $731 million for anti-drug efforts in the Andean region for 2002, about half of which would go to Colombia. This year, U.S.-backed spraying of opium poppy and coca fields has intensified. The strategy is also designed to undercut guerrillas who fund their war, in part, by taxing and protecting drug farmers and traffickers. Critics claim that fumigation damages the environment, causes health problems and simply doesn't work. They point out that acreage of coca and opium poppies has expanded rather than diminished since fumigation began in earnest in the late 1990s. Drug farmers, these critics say, have simply pressed deeper into the jungle and mountains to plant more. Some disgruntled peasants, they add, have joined the rebels. According to U.S. estimates, a record 336,400 acres of coca were cultivated in Colombia in 2000, an 11 percent increase over 1999. Since December, crop-dusting planes, many of them provided by the State Department and flown by American contract pilots, have sprayed 138,000 acres of coca. U.S. officials insist that the crop-dusters target industrial-size plantations of drug crops. But many subsistence farmers who grow small plots of coca and opium poppies complain that they are also being hit and that their food crops are being killed. The herbicides, they say, cause skin rashes and diarrhea. Such protests prompted a Bogotį judge last month to order the suspension of spraying in Indian communities in southern Colombia. A week later, a higher court overturned the ruling. Drug farmers are not the only ones protesting the fumigation policy. Eduardo Cifuentes, the Colombian government's human rights ombudsman, condemned aerial spraying in a Senate hearing last week. Lawmakers in both houses of Congress have introduced bills to halt fumigation, and a handful of Colombian governors have toured the United States and Europe to call attention to the issue. "Today, there is more cocaine being produced, more trafficking, more traffickers and larger areas under cultivation," said Horacio Serpa, the presidential candidate from the opposition Liberal Party who is leading in the polls. "We cannot ignore the fact that cracking down on small drug farmers only makes the problem bigger," he wrote in a column in the current edition of the news magazine Cambio. "However, we should maintain (aerial spraying) for the big industrial-size plantations after doing environmental impact studies." Many Colombians have begun to openly discuss the idea of drug legalization. Supporters of the Senate bill to legalize the production and sale of narcotics say the measure would eliminate the outlandish profits earned by traffickers and stop drug-related violence. Possession of small quantities of drugs is already legal under a 1994 court ruling. Those who have endorsed drug legalization include a leftist presidential candidate, Luis Eduardo Garzon, and the head of Pastrana's Conservative Party, Carlos Holguin. Last week, the country's governors issued a declaration calling on Pastrana to lead a national debate on the issue. Drug legalization was widely discussed by the nation's media. "A few years from now, we will look back on the drug war as one of the stupidest wars that humanity has ever waged," said Sen. Morales, the sponsor of the legalization bill. Source: Houston Chronicle (TX)Author: John Otis, Houston Chronicle South America BureauPublished: August 28, 2001Copyright: 2001 Houston ChronicleContact: viewpoints chron.comWebsite: http://www.chron.com/ Related Articles & Web Site:Colombia Drug War Newshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/colombia.htmColombian Support for Force Grows http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10748.shtmlPowell To Travel To Colombiahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10745.shtmlPeace Effort in Colombia Near a Standstillhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10734.shtml 

END SNIP -->
Snipped
Home    Comment    Email    Register    Recent Comments    Help





Comment #5 posted by tdm on August 29, 2001 at 11:20:17 PT:
Kevin...
I have often felt the same way about a myriad of topics related to erosion of our liberties. There is a book you should read, "How I Found Freedom in An Unfree World," by Harry Browne (1996 & 2000 Libertarian Presidential Candidate). Harry understands as well as anyone that liberty has become a casualty in this country. Though Harry wrote the original edition nearly 30 years ago, the material is still relevant and fresh today. I have a new edition (1998) with additional material. This book lives up to its title and is in my top five books that have changed my life. I *highly* recommend it.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by Kevin Hebert on August 29, 2001 at 09:16:49 PT:
Truth
"A few years from now, we will look back on the drug war as one of the stupidest wars that humanity has ever waged," said Sen. Morales, the sponsor of the legalization bill. That is so true.I have to tell you guys something. Every morning I wake up and it isn't too long before I realize that marijuana is still illegal. It boggles my mind, each and every time, how crazy that is.Then I come to Cannabis News and I read how sanity is starting to creep in along the edges in other countries.Then I wonder how come, in my country, which was founded on principles of liberty, things are not changing faster. I realize patience is important, but it really does blow my mind how little freedom we really have in some regards.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by tdm on August 29, 2001 at 08:48:45 PT
recipe for disaster
"...assess progress in the nation's 37-year war against leftist rebels."Perhaps I missed this detail in my previous reading. I had no idea Colombia's civil war has continued for 37 years. And just exactly what does our federal government think they can accomplish by embroiling us in a 37-year-old civil war? It seems more than a little arrogant to think any of our efforts would have even the slightest impact.Already, as pointed out in this article, our efforts are widening the chasm between the different factions and giving ordinary Colombian citizens (farmers) reason to join the conflict."Drug farmers, these critics say, have simply pressed deeper into the jungle and mountains to plant more. Some disgruntled peasants, they add, have joined the rebels."I'd say this is hardly a recipe for success in ending a bitter civil war. Didn't our politicians ever hear the phrase, "Mind your own business." Cliches are often common in our vernacular because they are based on universal truths. This phrase is one our so-called leaders should heed.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by PoisonedFor4YrsSoFar on August 29, 2001 at 06:08:16 PT
everybody realizing at the same time
It seems like everybody in Europe and the western hemisphere is coming to theconclusion the drug war is not smart. Even the DEA is ducking Salvia. Its like a bad hangover - people look at itand are thinking 'holy cow what have webeen doing'. The hard part is for thelong term American politicians to change their stance and not look completely stupid.  Hopefully one day the DEA will becomesuperfluous and all the highly skilledlaw enforcers can reallocate their skillsto protecting the American people from those that wish to harm them. Perhaps theirnew assignment could be gangsterism and corruption. They could do undercover investigationsof corrupt police, politicians and violent criminal organizations. We couldcall them the IEA ( Integrity Enforcement Agency).
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by dddd on August 29, 2001 at 02:29:32 PT
"Cooling"
..Yes,,it's about time,,,I got a feeling that the temperature dropis nothing new,,it's now just becoming politically prudent to announcethe cool breeze that is ventilating the Coca Cabana........dddd
[ Post Comment ]




  Post Comment