Former Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged on Thursday the start of an international debate on drug legalization, after stating that the policy of the Mexican president, Felipe Calderón is not working.

“When one looks at the results of Mexican president Calderón’s efforts, most will say it did not work. Too many people have been killed. The Drug Policy has to change, and we need to start with a debate and a discussion,” said Annan at the Brookings Institution.

Annan participated last year in the work of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, chaired by former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, and advocated decriminalization. President Calderon, whose war against organized crime has killed more than 60 thousand Mexicans, recently asked the United Nations General Assembly for an open discussion on the topic.

Annan, who presented his autobiography in Washington, explained: “We have enforced the [drug] laws for decades, filling the prisons with young people whose lives were destroyed by drugs. We have to address this issue through education, health, and not with the brutal reaction”.

www.globalcommissionondrugs.org

For Immediate Release:                          Contact: Tony Newman (646)335-5384

May 27, 2011

Former Presidents of Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Switzerland, Prime Minister of Greece, Kofi Annan, George Shultz and Paul Volcker Call for Paradigm Shift in Global Drug Policy

Commission of World Leaders Urges New Approaches to Failed Drug War, Move from Criminal Justice toward Public Health Approach

Live Press Conference and Teleconference on Thursday, June 2 in New York City

The Global Commission on Drug Policy will host a live press conference and teleconference on Thursday, June 2 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City to launch a new report that describes the drug war as a failure and calls for a paradigm shift in global drug policy.
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INTERVIEW/Jorge da Silva

Following the police and military operation in Complexo de Alemão, a large favela complex ruled by narcotraffickers for the past 20 years, several voices have emerged in favor of drug legalization as a solution to the violence generated by narcotrafficking and efforts to combat it. Former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Governor Sérgio Cabral, and writer João Ubaldo Ribeiro are among the well-respected figures who have spoken out on the issue. read more

California’s Proposition 19 (”Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010″), a statewide referendum on the decriminalization of possession and sale of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use, was voted down yesterday, by a 56.5 percent to 43.5 percent margin.  The proposal, which would have undermined federal laws against narcotics use and sale, has added to widespread debate on the potential economic and social effects of current drug policy in the U.S. and in Latin America. read more

California’s marijuana legalization initiative, Proposition 19, didn’t win a majority of votes yesterday but it already represents an extraordinary victory for the broader movement to legalize marijuana.

What’s most important is the way its mere presence on the ballot, combined with a well run campaign, has transformed public dialogue about marijuana and marijuana policy. The media coverage, not just in California but around the country and even internationally, has been exceptional, both in quantity and quality. More people knew about Prop 19 than any other measure on the ballot this year — not just in California but nationwide.

The debate is shifting from whether marijuana should be legalized to how. Public opinion polls in California consistently reveal that a majority of the state’s citizens favor legalizing marijuana. One “No on 19″ campaign spokesman admitted that even his own supporters were divided between those who oppose legalizing marijuana and those who favor legalization but were wary of either Prop 19’s specific provisions or the federal government’s threats to block it from being implemented.

To read the full text, click here.

Foto: Divulgação.

Should the consumption of drugs be legalized? That was one of 50 questions recently asked to 14,000 people, teens and adults, in six South American countries. The research compared perceptions between generations, and was performed by The Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and Statistics - IBOPE, commissioned by The Brazilian Institute of Social and Economic Analyses - IBASE. In two countries, Bolivia and Paraguay, the results indicate strong rejection, without generational diferences. In Uruguay and Chile, there are significant distances between perceptions of adults and young people, with a greater degree of agreement among young people. Brazil, alongside Argentina, is in a intermediate position, indicating only a trend of greater agreement among young people.

Is it for the youth to question the gap between repressive legislation and current daily presence of the so-called ‘illicit drugs’ in the life of this young generation? An optimistic view would raise the questioning role that youth can play in historical contexts that require change and innovation. A pessimist might look to evoke the conservatism of today’s youth, consumerist and individualistic, more interested in ‘getting along’. In fact, youth is a mirror of society. In times of uncertanty and social fragmentation, the view of parts of the youth also incorportate repressive speeches, contradictory expectations, as well as reflect clashed of values in society.

Read the full text (in Portuguese).

In many countries, full jails, stretched budgets and a general weariness with the war on drugs have made prohibition harder to enforce.

The Green Relief “natural health clinic” in a bohemian part of San Francisco doesn’t sound like an ordinary doctor’s surgery. For those who wonder about the sort of relief provided, its logo—a cannabis leaf—is a clue. Inside, in under an hour and for $99, patients can get a doctor’s letter allowing them to smoke marijuana in California with no fear of prosecution. In a state that pioneered bans on smoking tobacco, smoking cannabis is now easier than almost anywhere in the world.

Click here to read the full article on economist.com