UN Backs Drug Decriminalization In World Drug Report

[tridim]

In an about face, the United Nations on Wednesday lavishly praised drug decriminalization in its annual report on the state of global drug policy. In previous years, the UN drug czar had expressed skepticism about Portugal's decriminalization, which removed criminal penalties in 2001 for personal drug possession and emphasized treatment over incarceration. The UN had suggested the policy was in violation of international drug treaties and would encourage "drug tourism."

But in its 2009 World Drug Report, the UN had little but kind words for Portugal's radical (by U.S. standards) approach. "These conditions keep drugs out of the hands of those who would avoid them under a system of full prohibition, while encouraging treatment, rather than incarceration, for users. Among those who would not welcome a summons from a police officer are tourists, and, as a result, Portugal's policy has reportedly not led to an increase in drug tourism," reads the report. "It also appears that a number of drug-related problems have decreased."

In its upbeat appraisal of Portugal's policy, the UN finds itself in agreement with Salon's Glenn Greenwald.

The report, released at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., also puts to rest concerns that decriminalization doesn't comply with international treaties, which prevent countries from legalizing drugs.

snip

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/24/un-backs-drug-decriminali_n_220013.html

[Peace Patriot]

1. If I was President for a day and was permitted to do ONE THING to correct all the evil

in our Corporate-blasted society, I think it would be decriminalizing drugs. Loading all nuclear weapons into some rockets and sending them to Pluto is right up there, too, as a transformative anti-evil act, but it would have to be combined with somehow banning their re-creation. Canceling all debts and re-starting the world economy with everyone having an equal share of the wealth would be hugely beneficent, but it would be complicated. (Do you measure wealth in money, resources, land, homes, education, herds of goats...what?) But in one fell swoop, decriminalizing drugs would erase the secondary "war" front that sucks up so much of our tax money and with it distributes guns, helicopters and other military control mechanisms to the worst governments, militaries and police states in the world, to be used to kill peasants and leftists. At the same time it would de-fund the "prison-industrial complex" and its profiteers, and free millions of people from prison who shouldn't be there. It would also cut into the profits of the Bush Cartel, the CIA and other criminal syndicates which are used for evil purposes. It would strike a blow for FREEDOM. Who should be dictating to adults about their drugs of choice? No one! Drug abuse, and youthful drug use, would drop--as has happened in every society which has developed a SANE drug policy. It would remove one excuse that our Corporate Empire uses to interfere in other countries. It would deny the pharmaceutical "robber barons" the power to ban a beneficial plant like marijuana and to deprive us of its uses for medicine, for hemp products and for recreation; also the coca leaf, which the indigenous in places like Bolivia have used for thousands of years to survive in the icy, high altitudes of the Andes, because it is nutritious and stimulative. There are so many good things that decriminalizing drugs would do that it is difficult to name them all. It would likely, at one stroke, solve the economic crisis, for trade in drugs would be taxed, like anything else, when things are sold. It would generate vast new revenues not to mention private sector jobs. But, hey, it would put a lot of lawyers out of business. Boo-hoo!

[Flaneur]

2. Yeah, but...

Not exactly "lavish praise," and more a change of tone than shift in policy.

The report did concede that not much bad had happened to Portugal as the result of decrim, but UNODC did not call for decrim. While in the preface to the report UNODC Costa said drug users should not be jailed, he also said that what he had in mind was drug courts and drug treatment. Sorry, that's not decriminalization.

Feeling defensive, perhaps, Costa also waged all out rhetorical war on the legalizer crowd.

Check out this article on it from the Drug War Chronicle:

http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/591/unodc_costa_world_drug_report_legalization

[mp9200]

3. Good on the UN

Now if the US would actually listen to it for once....