Cocaine and heroin are cheaper today on US streets, despite a multi-billion- dollar, 25-year drug war, according to the Washington Office on Latin America, citing data from the US drug czar.
"The demand for cocaine, crack and heroin is at least stable, if not rising," said John Walsh, an expert on the matter at WOLA, a Washington think-tank on Latin America.
"After 25 years and 25 billion dollars fighting drugs in Latin America, we are no closer to winning the drug war -- which is ultimately about reducing drug abuse," said Joy Olson, executive director of WOLA, in a presentation of the 400-page report.
"We've spent billions on anti-drug efforts in Latin America and have nothing to show for it but collateral damage," Olson added. "We can do better. We've been tough on drugs; now it's time to get smarter."
I don't have an answer to the drug war I'm satisfied with. But I do know something has to be done.
UPDATE: Guess the drug war even trumphs religious freedom in the eyes of conservatives.
Thursday, December 02, 2004
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The "war on drugs" is a farce. We've gained almost nothing for billions and billions spent battling drugs at home and abroad, and we've always been looking in the wrong direction, at the source of the supply and not the source of consumption...ourselves, that is. The issue of drugs is a complicated problem. I think some limited legalization of some drugs is one approach, as well as more money spent for rehabilitation and prevention and less on prisons and punishment, but there's no doubt that we have to step up our law enforcement efforts at home and concentrate them on the drugs which we cannot allow to be used legally under any circumstances.
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