Drug caravan to visit more than 20 US cities

[AlphaCentauri]

Source: Miami Herald

A coalition calling for an end to the war on drugs began its monthlong campaign Sunday in San Diego that will take it to more than 20 U.S. cities.

More than 200 people gathered at a park on the U.S.-Mexico border as part of a movement known as the "Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity" that includes nearly 100 organizations.
The effort is led by Mexican peace activist Javier Sicilia, whose son was killed by drug gang members last year. Sicilia and others want to draw attention to what they say are misguided anti-drug policies in both the U.S. and Mexico. They estimate that tens of thousands of lives in Mexico have been lost because of the war on drugs.
"We will travel across the United States to raise awareness of the unbearable pain and loss caused by the drug war - and of the enormous shared responsibility for protecting families and communities in both our countries," Sicilia said.



Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/12/2949152/drug-caravan-to-visit-more-than.html

[DJFrey]

1. recalibrate

Everyone with common sense knows that pot is not a problem in our society. It should be legalized, taxed, and the revenue focused upon treating those with serious drug issues - meth; heroin; coke. If the treatment fails and the individual chooses to destroy him/her/self, then do not pass go.

[Comrade Grumpy]

2. The Mexicans are tired of paying in blood for our drug prohibition.

More than 50,000 killed in the six years of Calderon's drug war.

[Archae]

3. They never will change the policy.

Why? Simple.

No politician will want to get the label "soft on drugs."

I'm afraid that's how it's always going to be.

Ron Paul is looked at as a nutcase only for his anti-drug war view.
(He's an asshole for other reasons, but that's not the topic here.)

[MADem]

4. About the only thing Paul says that makes sense is the drug stuff.

It's all that White Citizens Brigade shit that puts him in woowoo land....plus the fact that he lies about shit like dead babies in trashcans...and he has a nutjob for a son.

http://newsone.com/1758875/ron-pauls-white-supremacist-radio-connections/

http://www.thefrisky.com/2011-12-31/pro-lifers-spank-ron-paul-for-not-rescuing-aborted-fetus-from-trash-can/

[Warren DeMontague]

6. I disagree. Like LGBT equality, it is changing, and maybe faster than is readily apparent.

The old days it was "no politician wants to be seen as soft on drugs".

But that is rapidly transitioning to "no politician wants to justify spending $60 billion a year to fight the smoking of a plant that 2/3 of America- including they, themselves- have smoked recreationally at some point or another."

[wordpix]

9. I'm guessing there are a lot of pols taking campaign $ from drug kingpins, too

Of course, the $$$ is no doubt laundered with lots of soap and bleach.

[Le Taz Hot]

12. Oh, I don't know about that.

What about states with high Hispanic populations such as California, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona (off the top of my head)? There could be a pretty good blowback against the hook-em, book-em and cook-em anti-drug politicians.

[dreamnightwind]

5. Catch the caravan here:

Here's their calendar. They're in L.A. right now, and will make their way to D.C. in a month.

http://www.caravanforpeace.org/caravan/?page_id=116

[Warren DeMontague]

7. 20 City Drug Caravan? ...In my day, that was known as "dead tour"

Seriously, though, the drug war is a failed joke. Time to start doing things differently.

[wordpix]

11. lol, i remember when friends & i drove Phil Lesch to his hotel after the concert

in a VW bus, no less. Those were the days, weren't they? Even then, I knew the drug war was a failure, esp. the war on marijuana.

[Uncle Joe]

8. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, AlphaCentauri.

[Le Taz Hot]

10. This is a great idea!

This is the first time I've seen tying the cartel-related murders in Mexico with the War on Drugs in the U.S. and Mexico (spurned on by the U.S.) on this scale. It also ties in neatly with the fact that minorities are at a higher risk of incarceration for pot and illegal drugs.

This really expands the advocacy pool here in the U.S. and Mexico.

There are some really interesting possibilities here. Thanks for posting.

[wordpix]

13. looking forward to joining them in my city

[duhneece]

14. We'll meet & greet them in El Paso

I believe we are closer to the tipping point with every method used to raise awareness of the failed prohibition policy.

Thanks for posting.

[darkangel218]

15. I personally dont think illegal drugs should be legalized

Marijuana, maybe ( never tried it ), but no way to all the other heavy duty crap. Imagine a society high on cocaine or heroine! Eww no.

[Socal31]

16. Legalized and Regulated are two different things

Do some research into why certain compounds are illegal as opposed to others, it has nothing to do with health and safety.

People already access those chemicals if they want them. If you believe there are millions of Americans just waiting get their hands on some store-bought meth and opiates, you are dead wrong.

Those people are either getting them on the street, or via their MD. (Adderall, desoxyn, and all opiate pain killers).


All decriminalization would do would raise tax money, and push out the Al Capone's of our era.

[darkangel218]

17. Im sorry, but i dont see how making cocaine accesible

Will help our society. Next time someone is.going through one of those shitty moments, they will snort coke or inject heroin rather than downing a few drinks in a bar. HUGE difference and terible outcome.

[Socal31]

19. I guess you didn't get the gist of my post

If a person wanted to seek out cocaine, they could get it already. And it is cut with who-knows-what, which is even worse.

Just like people were drinking anything the could during prohibition, the public now puts any amount of unknown adulterants up their nose.

[darkangel218]

20. Thats corect

However, making it so available will entice A LOT more people to use it. And that's a good enough reason to not make it legal.

[Le Taz Hot]

18. Actually, Portugal abolished all criminal penalties

for personal possession of drugs in 2001. Instead, they offered treatment for those who requested it. People were far more likely to seek help for their addiction as they were no longer under the threat of criminal penalty. The result was exactly the opposite of what you assert -- less addicts and more people seeking treatment.

You can read it for yourself here:

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1893946,00.html