FAILURE OF THE U.S. ' WAR ON DRUGS'

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On June 6, 1998, a surprising letter was delivered to Kofi Annan, secretary general of the United Nations. "We believe," the letter declared, "that the global war on drugs is now causing more harm than drug abuse itself."

The letter was signed by statesmen, politicians, academics and other public figures. Former UN secretary general Javier Perez de Cuellar signed. So did George Shultz, the former American secretary of state, and Joycelyn Elders, the former American surgeon general. Nobel laureates such as Milton Friedman and Argentina's Adolfo Perez Esquivel added their names. Four former presidents and seven former cabinet ministers from Latin American countries signed. And several eminent Canadians were among the signatories.

The intention of this topic and thread is to engage a reasonably sophisticated discussion on the issues related to drugs. The quotation above is from a series of columns that ran several years ago in the Ottawa Citizen, which you can access from the following link (note, the sequence begins from the bottom) http://www.cfdp.ca/ottcit.htm This is an extensive read, be forewarned, but it is the finest journalism on the drug issue I've every read. I think no one ought to feel obliged to read it all, but for those who seek to understand this issue with some thoroughness, have at it.

An essential element in a productive discussion here will involve defining what we mean by the term 'drug'. LSD? Alcohol? Tobacco? Methedrine that US pilots are given?

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Every society in history that could grow plants had drugs. These drugs weren't just for stanching wounds and healing the sick. They were also psychoactive drugs for altering sensation and consciousness. Few things can be said to be practically universal among human societies. Psychoactive drug use is one of them.

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blatham--
The United States is singled out for the global drug problem? Why do you single out one country?

I intend to read it, but before I do, I'd like to know why you chose to word your thread leader in that manner.

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Lash, I suspect it's from the article itself, so the question would be better directed at the journalist. The first two lines:

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WHY THE WAR ON DRUGS HAS FAILED: UNCLE SAM'S WAR
Uncle Sam's global campaign to end drug abuse has empowered criminals, corrupted governments and eroded liberty, but still there are more addicts than ever before.

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It appears this is one time reading first would have behooved.
Thank you.

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a very good but complicated topic, when i first came home from southeast asia and lived near Boulder Colorado LSD was readily available as it was at Harvard and Berkley and sponsored by our government under the guise of research. LSD in a short time became quite popular in the area and when a weekly news magazine ran a feature story about it there was an uproar and laws were quickly passed making it illegal, LSD continued to be available in the area but was no longer manufactured by a pharmacutical laboratory and the price when from $1.50 to $10.00. So, at least from my perspective our government created a illicit drug industry.

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Smoke

and

Mirrors

timber

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Am I right to assume the U.S. spends the most money on drugs and against drugs?

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timberlandko: I am still rolling over your double entendre post.

Smoke and Mirrors indeed!

That's a hoot!

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USA is #1 in both categories, CDK. I don't have a link, but I recall having read a while back that the US Anti-Drug Expenditure was roughly equal to that expended by all other nations combined.

I think it worth pointing out that The War on Drugs is brought to us by the same folks who brought us The War on Poverty, The War on Illiteracy, The War Against Government Waste, The War on Polution, and The War On Aids. Such comfort, if any exists, is to be drawn from successes in the aformentioned wars.

timber

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Craven

Not sure how I'd validate that assumption, but it seems certain to be true at both ends.

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Few countries have had any success in their anti-drug efforts. My question was posed due to the enquiry about singling out the U.S.

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"there is a war between the ones who say there is a war and the ones who say there isn't"

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Yes, and timber's stat may well be correct. The US has been, and is, the driving force behind international anti-drug laws and operations.

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Good one, dys.

Leonard Cohen's voice does have a rather "smoky" quality to it, doesn't it? Then again, so do many of his songs, with or without his voice.

timber

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I'm in the process of rereading this series now (printed out, it's nearly an inch thick)...but found this little tidbit in first of series...an example of America blessing the world with it's goodness and proper view of life

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William Jennings Bryan, a former secretary of state and a pioneer in the push to ban alcohol and other drugs, insisted in 1919, when alcohol was about to be made illegal, that the U.S. must "export the gift of Prohibition to other countries, turning the whole world dry."

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timber and dys reveal an expected refinement of taste in music

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blatham: well yeah but i like Homer and Jethro too.

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Dys, don't forget Lester and Earl ... but I digress.
Here, <cough><choke>,cough> <cough> Take this ... its burning my fingers.

[Action]Long exhale[/Action]

Yeahhhhhhh .....

Now, uh ... hmmmmmm Oh, yeah. What were we talking about?

timber

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I know we were talking about something important, Timber...........wait, I almost had it..............hummmmm, nice view of the city from here, isn't it?

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look at all the pretty lights

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FAILURE OF THE U.S. ' WAR ON DRUGS'

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