Guatemala President says the America's war on drugs has failed

lcrcboy · 25-03-2012 05:42PM #1

He is proposing legalization and decriminalization to be discussed going against the USA's stance on drugs:

Guatemala's president urges debate on drug legalisation

Mr Perez Molina says it is time to consider alternatives to the war on drugs
Continue reading the main story
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Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina has said the war on drugs has failed, and it is time to end the "taboo" on discussing decriminalisation.

He was addressing a Central American summit in the Guatemalan city of Antigua.

Mr Perez Molina convoked the meeting to consider decriminalisation as a way of reducing drug-related violence.

story link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17502417

Leeg17 · 25-03-2012 05:44PM

Had to snip most of the article down there OP.

My name is URL · 25-03-2012 05:45PM

The Global Commission on Drugs Policy agrees - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43248071/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/t/global-war-drugs-has-failed-key-panel-says/#.T29LSdVLeuI

lcrcboy · 25-03-2012 05:47PM

Leeg17 wrote: »

Had to snip most of the article down there OP.

no problem :cool:

SamHarris · 25-03-2012 05:51PM

Going to be tough considering 75% of the people in his country do not agree with him either.

Even if the US were to come aboard it would take some persuading in, say, Brazil where the drug problem is far far worse.

Its tossed out there every year or so by different bodies, usually not by people directly accountable to an electorate, its never a very popular idea when passed on to the masses.

someuser905 · 25-03-2012 05:54PM

SamHarris wrote: »

Going to be tough considering 75% of the people in his country do not agree with him either.

Even if the US were to come aboard it would take some persuading in, say, Brazil where the drug problem is far far worse.

Its tossed out there every year or so by different bodies, usually not by people directly accountable to an electorate, its never a very popular idea when passed on to the masses.

sure, but considering that 69% of people disagree with people named sam i think you need to rethink that

also, i think portugal have done this

Slydice · 25-03-2012 06:01PM

Americas war on drugs stopped ages ago in order to fund the wars in the middle east

SamHarris · 25-03-2012 06:04PM

someuser905 wrote: »

sure, but considering that 69% of people disagree with people named sam i think you need to rethink that

also, i think portugal have done this

I underestimated, it was 79% http://www.economist.com/node/21550296

SamHarris · 25-03-2012 06:05PM

Slydice wrote: »

Americas war on drugs stopped ages ago in order to fund the wars in the middle east

It did?

RichieC · 25-03-2012 06:09PM

It's not even a controversial opinion.

Yakult · 25-03-2012 06:34PM

Not just America, the world has lost the fight and theirs only one solution for it and I'm sick of saying it but its true, decriminalization/legalization. Are the authorities going to keep fighting this lost battle, wasting money + time or are they going to do the right thing.

Joko · 25-03-2012 07:13PM

The private prison industry and defense industry make too much money off drug laws, the laws will stay in place

Robdude · 25-03-2012 08:34PM

The 'war' on drugs was always futile....

Having said that; I could pick up weed *legally* in the United States. Unless I'm mistaken, I still can't do that in Ireland, can I?

tony007 · 26-03-2012 12:40AM

Yakult wrote: »

Not just America, the world has lost the fight and theirs only one solution for it and I'm sick of saying it but its true, decriminalization/legalization. Are the authorities going to keep fighting this lost battle, wasting money + time or are they going to do the right thing.

''Winning'' was not the objective of theus. Once the commie ''threat'' was gone they had to think of a new ''threat'' to sustain the fear and subservience of the general population. The ''war on terror'' is the same. The use of a vague term means that no-one can ever say when its over or not. If it was really about the ''war on drugs'', thenColombia would have a right to destroy tobacco farms in us states.

policarp · 26-03-2012 03:07AM

Why does Latin America speak Spanish or Portuguese and not their own language?
Spuds and Funny Stuff. . .

Morricone · 26-03-2012 04:07AM

policarp wrote: »

Why does Latin America speak Spanish or Portuguese and not their own language?
Spuds and Funny Stuff. . .

Are you a complete clown or are you just playing pretend?

mackg · 26-03-2012 04:45AM

SamHarris wrote: »

Going to be tough considering 75% of the people in his country do not agree with him either.

Even if the US were to come aboard it would take some persuading in, say, Brazil where the drug problem is far far worse.

Its tossed out there every year or so by different bodies, usually not by people directly accountable to an electorate, its never a very popular idea when passed on to the masses.

Maybe there wouldn't be such opposition to decriminalisation if they didn't spend the last few decades preaching the evils of drugs to everyone.

troposphere · 26-03-2012 05:08AM

Lets bash the backward US

If only they were as forward as Ireland where medical marijuana is illegal, gay marriage illegal, abortion illegal, separation of church and state is not clear (like not paying the legal fees and lawsuits for decades of abuse by the church), where being gay and getting a divorce is not a recent legal right.

mackg · 26-03-2012 05:22AM

troposphere wrote: »

Lets bash the backward US

If only they were as forward as Ireland where medical marijuana is illegal, gay marriage illegal, abortion illegal, separation of church and state is not clear (like not paying the legal fees and lawsuits for decades of abuse by the church), where being gay and getting a divorce is not a recent legal right.

Let's not bash anyone and just discuss the topic.

troposphere · 26-03-2012 05:26AM

mackg wrote: »

Let's not bash anyone and just discuss the topic.

Topic? America's war on drugs? I think the war on drugs is a load of nonsense but it is hardly the US alone that is going along with it.

mackg · 26-03-2012 05:35AM

troposphere wrote: »

Topic? America's war on drugs? I think the war on drugs is a load of nonsense but it is hardly the US alone that is going along with it.

But when you talk about smuggling cartels in central America and their negative effects on the country eg. Guatemala then yeah it has a lot to do with the U.S.

troposphere · 26-03-2012 05:46AM

If Europe was in the same location as the US it would be the same deal. Like there would a be a decrease in drug trafficking if Mexico bordered Europe instead of the US. It is not like the majority of western governments are more progressive that the US when it comes to drugs.

Brendog · 26-03-2012 06:28AM

Is this a new trend of ****hole countries commenting on other countries?

Sure just the other day Iran were "Concerned" about the treatment of human rights here...

mackg · 26-03-2012 06:56AM

troposphere wrote: »

If Europe was in the same location as the US it would be the same deal. Like there would a be a decrease in drug trafficking if Mexico bordered Europe instead of the US. It is not like the majority of western governments are more progressive that the US when it comes to drugs.

Yeah but it's not it is it? Therefore the pressure from Central America is placed on the U.S. I'm not saying Europe is miles ahead in terms of this but again that's not what the topic is about.

troposphere · 26-03-2012 07:00AM

mackg wrote: »

Yeah but it's not it is it? Therefore the pressure from Central America is placed on the U.S. I'm not saying Europe is miles ahead in terms of this but again that's not what the topic is about.

The topic is about the drug war, Europe and the US have basically the same policy. There is more active political groups on the state level calling for change in the US than there is in Europe.

tony007 · 26-03-2012 08:54PM

Brendog wrote: »

Is this a new trend of ****hole countries commenting on other countries?

Sure just the other day Iran were "Concerned" about the treatment of human rights here...

If you had a small idea of the history in Guatemala, you'd understand.

tony007 · 26-03-2012 08:56PM

mackg wrote: »

But when you talk about smuggling cartels in central America and their negative effects on the country eg. Guatemala then yeah it has a lot to do with the U.S.

Yeah it has, some individuals aretrafficking them because there's such a thing as supply-demand. They could reduce the demand far effectively and far cheaply than reduce the supply. Butthat isn't their objective.

Gunnerkid · 30-03-2012 06:23PM

Colombian lawmakers propose bill to decriminalise drugs

The bill's backers say legalisation will encourage farmers to grow other crops
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Lawmakers in Colombia have proposed decriminalising the cultivation of the coca leaf and marijuana to deprive traffickers of revenue.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17558382

Seems to be a push for decriminalization in South America, wonder how the yanks are going to respond to this.

Guatemala President says the America's war on drugs has failed

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