Post by Wes Gear on Jun 2, 2011 13:58:07 GMT 10
Decriminalising marijuana 'worth a try'
A GROUP of prominent former world leaders said the so-called war on drugs has "failed" and that decriminalising marijuana may help curb drug-related violence and social ills.
"The global war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world," the members of the Global Commission on Drug Policy say in a report.
"Fifty years after the initiation of the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, and 40 years after President (Richard) Nixon launched the US government's war on drugs, fundamental reforms in national and global drug control policies are urgently needed."
"Decriminalisation initiatives do not result in significant increases in drug use," the report said, citing policies in Australia, the Netherlands and Portugal.
It also said restrictions on marijuana should be loosened, and urged governments to "end the criminalisation, marginalisation and stigmatisation of people who use drugs but who do no harm to others".
The commission includes former Brazilian president Fernando Cardoso, former Colombian president Cesar Gaviria, Mexico's former president Ernesto Zedillo and the ex-UN chief Kofi Annan.
It presents its report officially tomorrow in New York.
The group of prominent statesmen, many from countries on the frontline of the seemingly never-ending war on drugs, said purely punitive measures had in fact led to a situation where "the global scale of illegal drug markets - largely controlled by organised crime - has grown dramatically."
"Encourage experimentation by governments with models of legal regulation of drugs (especially cannabis) to undermine the power of organised crime and safeguard the health and security of their citizens," the report urged.
Another priority, the report said, is to work on treatment.
"Let's start by treating drug addiction as a health issue, reducing drug demand through proven educational initiatives and legally regulating rather than criminalising cannabis," Mr Cardoso said.
Read more: www.news.com.au/world/decriminalising-marijuana-worth-a-try/story-e6frfkz0-1226067885880#ixzz1O5UjdsYp
A GROUP of prominent former world leaders said the so-called war on drugs has "failed" and that decriminalising marijuana may help curb drug-related violence and social ills.
"The global war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world," the members of the Global Commission on Drug Policy say in a report.
"Fifty years after the initiation of the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, and 40 years after President (Richard) Nixon launched the US government's war on drugs, fundamental reforms in national and global drug control policies are urgently needed."
"Decriminalisation initiatives do not result in significant increases in drug use," the report said, citing policies in Australia, the Netherlands and Portugal.
It also said restrictions on marijuana should be loosened, and urged governments to "end the criminalisation, marginalisation and stigmatisation of people who use drugs but who do no harm to others".
The commission includes former Brazilian president Fernando Cardoso, former Colombian president Cesar Gaviria, Mexico's former president Ernesto Zedillo and the ex-UN chief Kofi Annan.
It presents its report officially tomorrow in New York.
The group of prominent statesmen, many from countries on the frontline of the seemingly never-ending war on drugs, said purely punitive measures had in fact led to a situation where "the global scale of illegal drug markets - largely controlled by organised crime - has grown dramatically."
"Encourage experimentation by governments with models of legal regulation of drugs (especially cannabis) to undermine the power of organised crime and safeguard the health and security of their citizens," the report urged.
Another priority, the report said, is to work on treatment.
"Let's start by treating drug addiction as a health issue, reducing drug demand through proven educational initiatives and legally regulating rather than criminalising cannabis," Mr Cardoso said.
Read more: www.news.com.au/world/decriminalising-marijuana-worth-a-try/story-e6frfkz0-1226067885880#ixzz1O5UjdsYp