Contrary to some news reports published Wednesday, the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime has not endorsed drug decriminalization in its latest annual report on the drug trade.
Though the UNODC's World Drug Report released this week has kind things to say about Portugal's innovative approach to the narcotics problem -- the country has decriminalized possession of most narcotics -- the agency's executive director, Antonio Maria Costa, argued that drug prohibition has limited the negative effects of recreational drugs, rather than exacerbating them, as many proponents of decriminalization argue.
"If currently illegal substances were made legal their popularity would surely increase, perhaps reaching the levels of illicit addictive substances, increasing the related morbidity and mortality," the report says.
The report states in its executive summary that "global markets for cocaine, opiates and cannabis are steady or in decline, while production and use of synthetic drugs is feared to be increasing in the developing world."
"There has been a limited but growing chorus among politicians, the press and even in public opinion saying drug control is not working," Costa said. "While changes are needed, they should be in favor of different means to protect society against drugs rather than by pursuing the goal of abandoning protection."
The UN's position now appears to be that the drug trade should remain illegal, but drug users should be treated as persons suffering from a health problems, rather than as criminals.
The UN's support of Portugal's decriminalization stems from the fact that the country maintains a prohibition on the drug trade, but does not apply criminal penalties to users. Thus the police still have the ability to suppress the drug trade and discourage drug tourism. At the same time, prisons aren't filled with drug addicts, and taxpayers' money isn't wasted on trials for drug users.
Law enforcement should focus on drug traffickers instead of users, Costa said, stressing that "people who take drugs need medical help, not criminal retribution."
-- Daniel Tencer, with AFP
Bullshit. If drugs were decriminalized these pricks would be out of a job. There in lies both their motivation and their allegiance.
doctim11 is 100% correct. Big pharma has its hooks in the UN just like it does the US government. Corrupt, lying bastards- all of them!
With marijuana, I have no problem, but legalizing cocaine or heroin will only further enrich the scumbags that are already making the money, and they are among the scummiest scumbags the planet has to offer. Not to mention legalizing yet another form of douche-baggery, coke and heroin addicts are fucking annoying, worse than Republicans. I don't agree with legalizing meth either, or any poweder that dissolves meat when you sprinkle it on it. I'm not really all that big on alcohol either, but hey better Cindy McCain than JFK's dad, right?
They use global trade as if that was the important factor. The focus should not be whether decriminalization will lead to more or less use, but all of the associated ills.
Leaving out wasted government funds and law enforcement focus, what about the fact that the current criminal status is the sole enabler for countless worldwide criminal enterprises, most notably terrorist groups?
Opening the market would obviously reduce overall use, and the insane amount of money that is in the drug trade. People aren't goin to start smokin crack, or snorting coke because it's legal, in fact it would take a lot of the appeal and glamor out of the dope game. Studies have shown that rehab and early education are far more effective than locking up addicts with murderers and rapists, seems kinda obvious. Although the argument between the decriminalization and the enforcement groups will never be bridged, like every issue make it black and white and you get the status quo, perfect.
Those whose goal is ultimate control of everyone and everything will NEVER give up an opportunity to practice that control, no matter how obviously stupid and selfish it is. The UN is bought and sold just like every other official body in the world, a mere pawn of those who would kill you off with REAL drugs and their own love of violence and authoritarianism.
Prescription drugs kill 200,000 Americans a year, but that seems to be just fine with those who would imprison anyone in the world for smoking cannabis, which is not responsible for a single death in the history of mankind. And the majority of these attitudes come from those whose countries have been destroyed by the US's constant demand for control. Central and South America are basket cases from our constant interference. And no amount of sanity will ever creep into these people's brains, the damage from decades of lying and buying of their souls has gone too deep. No amount of facts or examples from the real world will ever outdo their suppositions and theories.
Cigarettes and alcohol are legal, but we all know many people who don't do either. Coffee is legal, but that doesn't mean that everyone in the world does that, either, in spite of caffeine being physically addictive. And if they stopped arresting people and wasting our money on prosecution, that doesn't mean that everyone will do that, or crack, or meth, or crank, either. They keep coming up with the most authoritarian approaches to everything in spite of examples from all over Europe that prove the opposite.
Sanity will never enter into this argument, there have been way too many decades of lies for it. We will hvae to force it on them and demand that they stop screwing us for nothing worse than what they do with their drinking and their cigarette smoking. And when we DON'T die from smoking cannabis, and the world doesn't fall apart, we can laugh at them and their fear and tell them all to fuck off and die. Nothing would make me happier, at least until election finance reform is done.
Hello WJM, as always, SPOT ON
doctim11, the simple truth put simply, good choice of words.
Someone told me a good idea; lots of people out there have loads of cannabis seeds sitting around doing nothing. Get all the seeds you can and find a little Cessna and a pilot for rent and sprinkle those seeds everywhere you can. Those that can't afford to rent a plane just take your leftover seeds and spread them around places like police stations and court houses, etc....after all, it is a weed and will grow as such. Turn the tide on them and force their hand.
The UN is the United Nations, is does not support drug decriminalisation because the the majority of it's members countries does not support decriminalisation, the UN does not exist nor function outside of the scope of it's member nations.
The majority of members nations do not yet support decriminalisation because of political pressure put on them by the United States for decades, no only is the drug war in the US a product of the United States of America but the global drug is also a product of the United States and it's excessive influence, decades ago on the United Nations.
So the real struggle is to get the majority of members nations of the United Nations to end their own war on drugs, to end the waste, to free themselves of Hollywood driven illusions of drugs and their users and strip the profits from illegal drugs by decriminalising them. Serious about winning against dangerous criminal drug dealers and their corrupting influence, take away their only source of revenue and power, the 'illegality' of drugs, not the drugs themselves.
Costa criticised Britain for downgrading cannabis from Class B to Class C.
Citing more potent strains and increased "cannabis-related health damage", Mr. Costa proclaimed that "the harmful characteristics of cannabis are no longer that different from those of other plant-based drugs such as cocaine and heroin."
Of course, peer reviewed scientific journals such as The Lancet would indicate that Mr. Costa is an idiot and when demonstrably incapable of keeping perspective and quick to mischaracterize cannabis such as he has, is definitely not holding a position that is suitable to his abilities within the UN.
The use and posession for personal use of recreational drugs represent a victimless "crime", to imprison people for a victimless "crime" in the 21st century is sick and inhumane. Mr. Costa should be ashamed of himself.
The policies Mr. Costa wishes we all lived under are the problem, it is the policies and law that causes the most harm to individuals and families, especially in the case of cannabis.
Mr. Costa, for the sake of millions of innocent people, please resign and let someone with some perspective and reasoning take the position you undeservedly hold right now.
As long as you are head of UNODC, UNODC and the UN will continue to fail the citizens of Earth.
freedom is just too radical of a concept for those who make their living by controlling others. Next time some "the drug war can work" moron gives you their idiotic spiel, challenge them with this: If you take a drug addict from chicago who has NEVER been to houston, take him/her to houston give them 20$. I'll bet you a million dollars that that drug addict who has never been to that transplanted city will be high as a kite in less than 3 hours. The drugs are EVERYWHERE, anybody who wants to do ANY drug can find them ANYWHERE at ANYTIME. Drugs are the ultimate proof that free markets are indestructible, despite the best efforts of even the most powerful governments. If there is a demand and a profit, there will be a market. The more you try to control a market, the more profitable that market becomes. Now the drug lords have taken over mexico, soon the will control the U.S. Prohibition nearly turned this country over to the mafia before it was repealed under FDR, it threatens to do so again.
Looks like world body policy speakers are "faith based" individuals as well.. Where's the "science" to back up the "feeling" behind someone's view?
There are certain segments of society that probably would see an increase in drug use (I'm guessing a lot more people might do pot if it were legal), but not many people are willing to destroy their "good lives" to try, say, crack or meth... and that period of increase would be pretty minor, and the overall time short lived I'd guess. And if you use Portugal's model, pretty soon overall use goes DOWN.
Not to mention, as noted above, one of the biggest problems is bad people are making a lot of money from this, that means we spend a lot of money (and lives) fighting against them. Not smart.
And who the hell needs to be "saved from teh drugs!1!!1!" .. that's just stupid. What we need to be saved from is pricks that feel they have a better understanding of how "we should live our lives" than the people living their lives. .. it's MY life.. I have a right to chose how to live it, and what I want to do with it so long as I'm not hurting anyone else in the process.
And these control freaks, these faith based douche tags, won't even bother to try and engage in the experiment.. what are they afraid of? they would be obsolete? .. if it goes poorly, they keep their jobs. But, if things go well, then what would they do for a living? .. it would be like asking your Ford dealer if you should buy a GM.. "uh.. no!".. duh?
multiple choice
Multiple choice
which Felony is fundamentally different
A: Robbery
B: Arson
C:Animal Cruelty
D:Kidnapping
E:Marijuana possession
It is a Multi-Billion dollar per year business that would "go away" once people were allowed to grow whatever plants they want in their own frigging back yards or indoor hydroponic setup.
The criminal's profits MUST be protected.
What society makes agriculture a crime?
Sounds insane until you factor in the extreme profits.... only then do you see the motivation for prohibition and interdiction.
And just for the record, let's look at the real world, shall we? I was busted for growing my own medicinal cannabis and given 2 years probation. The guy who shot the doctor in Kansas was found driving around with bomb making materials in his car, and got the SAME sentence I got, but his was thrown our a year later because of some question of the validity of the search.
Also, the off duty cop in Chicago who beat he woman bartender when she wouldn't give the obviously drunk man another drink got 2 months probation. 2 freaking months for beating a woman that he outweighed by nearly double.
Anyone care to explain to me how that works? BTW, I also had to pay the county over $1600 in fines, $500 for "anger management" (for growing a plant!), $50 per month for probation, and had to do 5 months of piss testing and 8 months of alcohol testing even though I haven't had a drink in 24 years. This is all about the money, it has nothing to do with anyone's health or safety. It's the money, plain and simple.
"Anyone care to explain to me how that works? "
Our society is completely fucktarded, superstitious, ignorant, bought and paid for, and needs to be pulled down?
that's all I got. If you're looking for a "rational" explanation, I don't have one.. and I don't think one exists.. and you'll never find anyone willing to tell you the _real_ reason we hate pot so much (religious moronicism, bigotry, general ignorance and stupidity). It's one of those insane things that we do in this "for profit" country.
Why not? Who are they afraid of?