cannabisnews.com: Politicians Rule Out Legalization of Drugs










  Politicians Rule Out Legalization of Drugs

Posted by FoM on March 10, 2001 at 08:09:39 PT
By Mike Blanchfield 
Source: Ottawa Citizen 

North and South American politicians rejected as inappropriate a proposal by a Colombian congressman to debate legalization of drugs at an international conference hosted by Canada this week. At a preliminary meeting in Ottawa last September to plan the conference, the Colombian politician attempted to get the controversial legalization proposal on the agenda of the first meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas. 
But Julio Angel Restrepo, the Colombian opposition congressman, did not make the trip to Ottawa for the conference and was not among the 100 lawmakers from 27 countries to attend this week's inaugural meeting of the organization. "He (Mr. Restrepo) is not here," Colombian Senator Antonio Guerra said yesterday in a brief interview. "That topic will not be discussed here. I don't think this is a forum to do so." When Mr. Restrepo called for a legalization debate last fall, he received media coverage in Canada and in his country. The Colombian government opposes legalization and recently accepted more than $1.3 billion in U.S. military aid to fight the war on drugs. Canadian Alliance MP John Williams, a forum member, agreed that drug legalization would have been an inappropriate agenda item. "It (drug use) destroys societies. Therefore, legalization is not an issue, so that debate will not happen here." The forum has been set up to mirror the Organization of American States, but also includes opposition politicians. Delegates hope their conference influences some of the discussion by their political leaders at next month's Summit of the Americas in Quebec City. The Ottawa meeting, sponsored by Parliament, was held to discuss a variety of topics, including free trade, eradicating poverty, and eliminating crime and corruption. Colombia is seen as the problem child of the Americas because it supplies most of the world's cocaine. Mr. Restrepo, who acknowledged he was raising a "taboo" subject, had hoped that the forum would allow a debate on drug legalization. "Legalization could mean depriving drug traffickers of the powerful economic ingredient that makes this illicit activity so lucrative," he said last fall. In their meeting yesterday, the delegates also agreed that more had to be done by the international community to attack the bank accounts of drug barons. But legalization was never mentioned as a way of doing that. Instead, the debate was filled with fiery war-on-drugs rhetoric. "The fight against drug trafficking and money laundering is a universal struggle," declared Antonio Posso Delgado of Ecuador. At the same time, he was also critical of the massive U.S. military aid package to Colombia, much of which will be used to directly fight drug producers by using helicopters to spray toxic chemicals on coca fields. Mr. Delgado said the military intervention would destabilize neighbouring countries such as his own. "It could turn South America into a sort of Vietnam. This is not good for anyone," he said. Mr. Guerra defended Colombia's right to "ask for international aid to battle against drug trafficking." But he candidly admitted that the American aid package is too heavily weighted toward military hardware instead of humanitarian aid. Many observers predict thousands of people will be displaced, causing a widespread humanitarian crisis within Colombia once the spraying of fields begins. Mr. Guerra said Colombia simply cannot confront the people responsible for its drug problem -- heavily-armed guerrillas and insurgents -- without a massive influx of military aid. Note: Legislators from North and South America refuse to debate topic at Ottawa summit.Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)Author: Mike BlanchfieldPublished: March 10, 2001Copyright: 2001 The Ottawa CitizenAddress: 1101 Baxter Rd.,Ottawa, Ontario, K2C 3M4Fax: 613-596-8522Contact: letters thecitizen.southam.ca Website: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/CannabisNews Articles - Canadahttp://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=Canada

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Comment #5 posted by kaptinemo on March 11, 2001 at 12:06:30 PT:
Shooting everywhere, hitting nothing
I forget exactly who this is credited to, but the definition of insanity still holds weight:Insanity is when you keep doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.I don't believe that it is being unduly critical of those in attendance of this conference to call them insane; they've made it quite plain that they will continue on a course of action that has already proven to be fruitless. Even when they have had, as has the United States, 87 years of proof that the methodology stinks, they will continue to whip the dead horse.But the level of intellectual acumen displayed by those who represent their respective governments is truly awe-inspiring. I'm all for hiring the handicapped, but has the Canadian government taken to hiring the mentally deficient as their spokespeople? The following would lead me to think so:'Canadian Alliance MP John Williams, a forum member, agreed that drug legalization would have been an inappropriate agenda item. "It (drug use) destroys societies. Therefore, legalization is not an issue, so that debate will not happen here." Evidently this MP has forgotten that alcohol and nicotine are drugs, and society has not yet reached the level of Mad Max anarchy that he supposes use automatically leads to. Nor is it in danger of doing so; except for the occasional idiot that drinks alcohol and drives, society has done rather well with the end of that particular prohibition. As it will with the end of illicit drug prohibition.But not so long as dunderheads like these are in control.
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Comment #3 posted by MikeEEEEE on March 10, 2001 at 08:50:53 PT

Follow The Money
{When Mr. Restrepo called for a legalization debate last fall, he received media coverage in Canada and in his country. The Colombian government opposes legalization and recently accepted more than $1.3 billion in U.S. military aid to fight the war on drugs.}Giving up the drug war would not only mean giving up, what about all that fresh Amerikan cash. I wish I knew a Spanish word for, "WOW, look at all that cash." Follow the money.{"It (drug use) destroys societies. Therefore, legalization is not an issue, so that debate will not happen here."} This statement makes no sense, and whoever said an anti had to make sense. I see a society with over 2 million in jail and school kids attacking the system. If they were only interested in killing the other kids they could do it off school grounds. These kids are killing other kids in the institution, at the system level. Bottom line, this system doesn't work and the repairs should start with sending anti's for treatment.{In their meeting yesterday, the delegates also agreed that more had to be done by the international community to attack the bank accounts of drug barons.}Follow the money.{Many observers predict thousands of people will be displaced, causing a widespread humanitarian crisis within Colombia once the spraying of fields begins.}Who ever said these guys cared about people. Again, follow the money. 
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