cannabisnews.com: The WHO Documents Failure of U.S. Drug Policies The WHO Documents Failure of U.S. Drug Policies Posted by CN Staff on July 02, 2008 at 20:08:46 PT By Bruce Mirken, AlterNet Source: AlterNet USA -- The United States has some of the world's most punitive drug policies and has led the cheering section for tough "war on drugs" policies worldwide, but a new international study suggests that those policies have been a crashing failure. A World Health Organization survey of 17 countries, conducted by some of the world's leading substance abuse researchers, found that we have the highest rates of marijuana and cocaine use.The numbers are startling. In the United States, 42.4 percent admitted having used marijuana. The only other nation that came close was New Zealand, another bastion of get-tough policies, at 41.9 percent. No one else was even close. The results for cocaine use were similar, with the United States leading the world by a large margin.This study is important because it's the first time a respected international group has surveyed drug use around the world, using the same questions and procedure everywhere. While many countries have their own drug use surveys, the questions and methodology vary, and comparisons between countries are difficult. This new study eliminates that problem.Some of the most striking numbers are from the Netherlands, where adults are permitted to possess a small of marijuana and purchase it from regulated businesses. Some U.S. officials have claimed that these Dutch policies have created some sort of decadent cesspool of drug abuse, but the new study demolishes such assertions: In the Netherlands, only 19.8 percent have used marijuana, less than half the U.S. figure.Even more striking is what the researchers found when they asked young adults when they had started using marijuana. Again, the United States led the world, with 20.2 percent trying marijuana by age 15. No other country was even close, and in the Netherlands, just 7 percent used marijuana by 15 -- roughly one-third of the U.S. figure.The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy tried to dismiss the study, Bloomberg News reported:Trying to find a link between drug use and drug enforcement doesn't make sense, said Tom Riley, spokesman for the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy in Washington. "The U.S. has high crime rates but we spend a lot on law enforcement and prison,'' Riley said yesterday in a telephone interview. "Should we spend less? We're just a different kind of country. We have higher drug use rates, a higher crime rate, many things that go with a highly free and mobile society."Funny, ONDCP takes precisely the opposite line whenever a state considers liberalizing its marijuana laws. In a March press release, deputy Drug Czar Scott Burns railed against a New Hampshire proposal to decriminalize marijuana, saying such a move "sends the wrong message to New Hampshire's youth, students, parents, public health officials and the law enforcement community," and would lead to "more drugs, drug users and drug dealers on their streets and communities."Back in 2002, denouncing a proposed marijuana law reform in Nevada, ONDCP distributed a list of talking points to prosecutors specifically slamming the "extremely dubious" Dutch system of regulated sales, saying, "Increased availability of marijuana leads to increased use of marijuana and other drugs."In fact, ONCDP's latest excuse for the failure of U.S. drug policies -- that enforcement and penalties don't really have much effect on rates of use -- is probably just about right. But it also dynamites any justification for our current marijuana laws. The WHO researchers put it this way:"The U.S., which has been driving much of the world's drug research and drug policy agenda, stands out with higher levels of use of alcohol, cocaine, and cannabis, despite punitive illegal drug policies. ... The Netherlands, with a less criminally punitive approach to cannabis use than the US, has experienced lower levels of use, particularly among younger adults. Clearly, by itself, a punitive policy towards possession and use accounts for limited variation in nation level rates of illegal drug use."For this we arrest 830,000 Americans a year on marijuana charges?Bruce Mirken is director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project. Complete Title: The World Health Organization Documents Failure of U.S. Drug PoliciesSource: AlterNet (US)Author: Bruce Mirken, AlterNetPublished: July 2, 2008Copyright: 2008 Independent Media InstituteContact: letters alternet.org Website: http://www.alternet.org/URL: http://www.alternet.org/story/90295/Related Article & Web Site:Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/U.S. Leads World in Substance Abusehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24049.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #9 posted by FoM on July 24, 2008 at 06:37:45 PT Related Article From AlterNet U.S. Ranks #1 in Consumption of Pot, Cocaine, Smokes July 23, 2008http://alternet.org/drugreporter/92434/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by user123 on July 05, 2008 at 10:29:18 PT: D'oh-ith The United States has some of the world's most punitive drug policies and has led the cheering section for tough "war on drugs" policies worldwide..........Think of all the countries out there that dislike the U.S. & yet they stick by and enforce our draconian drug laws on their own citizens. You'd think some of them would go ahead and legalize just to piss our politicans off. Mexico has more dead over trying to control drugs than they've ever had dead over taking the drugs. The road to hell is paved with good intentions! [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Hope on July 03, 2008 at 14:51:43 PT Wonderful Quote, Observer. So relevant and so true, sadly, and very ridiculously, again. Another quote comes to mind after reading that one."It's like Deja Vu all over again". Yogi Berra [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by observer on July 03, 2008 at 13:54:23 PT Prohibition: We like it, We're For it The United States has some of the world's most punitive drug policies and has led the cheering section for tough "war on drugs" policies worldwide, but... those policies have been a crashing failure. "Prohibition is an awful flop. We like it.It can't stop what it's meant to stop. We like it.It's left a trail of graft and slime, It don't prohibit worth a dime,It's filled our land with vice and crime.Nevertheless, we're for it." -- Franklin P. Adams, 1931 [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by FoM on July 03, 2008 at 06:06:35 PT Study: Israelis Like To Smoke Marijuana Study: Israelis Like To Smoke Marijuana, Less Keen on Coke By Ofri Ilani, Haaretz Correspondent July 3, 2008 The percentage of Israelis who smoke marijuana is higher than the rate in developing countries such as Nigeria, South Africa, Mexico and Colombia, but lower than in the developed countries of Europe, according to research conducted by the World Health Organization. URL: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/998696.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on July 03, 2008 at 05:32:54 PT Substances Similar To The Body's Own 'Cannabis Substances Similar To The Body's Own 'Cannabis (Marijuana) Are Necessary For Healthy Skin And May Lead To New Skin Disease Treatments July 3, 2008URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113812.php [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by BGreen on July 03, 2008 at 04:41:06 PT No, it makes perfect sense Mr. Riley Trying to find a link between drug use and drug enforcement doesn't make sense, said Tom Riley, spokesman for the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy in Washington. "The U.S. has high crime rates but we spend a lot on law enforcement and prison,'' Riley said yesterday in a telephone interview. "Should we spend less? We're just a different kind of country. We have higher drug use rates, a higher crime rate, many things that go with a highly free and mobile society."No, it makes perfect sense Mr. Riley, only your paycheck requires you to not get it.It's human nature to fight back in direct proportion to the amount of pressure being put on you. This ridiculous notion of increasing punishments to such barbaric levels that far exceed the actual dangers or supposed dangers has backfired big time.The meaner you are as law enforcement the meaner the so-called criminals are going to be in response. That's why the United States has such a high crime rate even though we do spend so much on law enforcement and prisons.Mr. Riley, I know that you and the people that think like you will never get it, once again because your paycheck depends on it, but since your days in the job you have are probably numbered at this point, one can only hope and pray that whoever your predecessor is will be at least as smart as the average third-grader and therefore it will make perfect sense to them.By the way, I thought that the drugs czar's office keeps telling us that drug use in the United States is going down, using that as a reason to continue doing the same thing time and time again, even though reports like this come out saying that what they've done is a complete and utter failure.Go figure.The Reverend Bud Green [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Hope on July 03, 2008 at 03:11:49 PT Oxymoronish Riley said,"We have higher drug use rates, a higher crime rate, many things that go with a highly free and mobile society."Riley misses the whole point of the results of the study. The laws are harsher... the exact opposite of "Highly free"... in the countries that have the highest rates of use.I guess he wouldn't be a prohibitionist if he weren't confused. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by NikoKun on July 02, 2008 at 23:14:14 PT More proof... That our bs "war on drugs" policies, cause more harm than good. It certainly proves our policies aren't helping one bit.Legalization could probably even bring down use rates, in the long run... [ Post Comment ] Post Comment