The drug war has failed, and its repressive policies are having negative consequences in Latin America, a 17-member commission said today. The Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy, co-chaired by former presidents Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil, Cesar Giviria of Columbia, and Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico called for an “open and honest debate” on the problem.
The panel was created after a 10-year United Nations review of global drug policies, which will be finalized next month in Vienna. The group called for treating drug use as a public health issue, attempting to reduce consumption through “information and prevention actions,” focus on enforcement against organized crime, and consider decriminalizing marijuana possession for personal consumption.