Drug Legalization

It is a rare occasion when an opportunity arises to discuss proposals for drug legalization, and, no less, in the presence of the leaders of countries most affected by the production, commercialization and consumption of narcotics, especially cocaine. I am referring to the summit that will bring together the heads of state of the Americas this weekend.

The president of the host country, Juan Manuel Santos, is one of the main proponents of placing the subject of drug legalization squarely at the center of the debate. Not only will different approaches arise, but so will different realities, since the heads of state of the countries where coca and cocaine are produced, such as Bolivia, Peru and Colombia, will be attending. Dignitaries from countries that are affected by drug trafficking will also attend, including Mexico, Brazil, Honduras and other Central American countries in which drug cartels have caused the deaths of thousands of men, women and children. But also in attendance will be the president of the United States, the country that is the biggest drug consumer in the region.

It is the perfect setting for evaluating the results of different strategies that have been implemented in the battle against drug trafficking in the region. If there is any objectivity present in the discussion, it will be necessary to analyze the steps that the US has taken to reduce the demand for drugs and not just note that they are the biggest consumers of the coca leaf.

Then the ugly truth will come out: If the US follows through with their philosophy of the market economy, they will have to accept that when there is demand, there will be pressure to increase supply. If we discuss the economic magnitude of drug trafficking, we realize there are very few possibilities of effectively confronting it while only pretending to reduce the supply using force.

Decades have already passed and we still have not seen any tangible results. With each day more and more countries become involved in the trafficking, countries that have come to know an unprecedented level of violence. It is therefore appropriate to discuss proposals, such as legalizing drug use, which have not been seriously considered, either for lack of courage or lack of political will.

Today, the Summit of the Americas presents itself as the best arena for placing the discussion on the center stage. Now, more than ever before, there are greater sources of input that could enrich an objective discussion — such as the proposals from different renowned international personalities, or those of the former presidents of Brazil FH Cardozo and Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva, or the proposals put forward by the Colombian president, Juan Manuel Santos, and the Mexican president, Felipe Calderón, and so on for other European and global personalities.

For that reason, the occasion to deal with such a controversial subject in this Summit of the Americas cannot be wasted.