Opinion: Save Latin America -- end the war on drugs

[Judi Lynn]

Opinion: Save Latin America -- end the war on drugs


. . .

In a Times op-ed article, former Presidents Ernesto Zedillo (Mexico), Henrique Cardoso (Brazil) and César Gaviria (Colombia) warn that a United Nations effort to fix global drug policy is foundering:

For nearly a decade, we have urged governments and international bodies to promote a more humane, informed and effective approach to dealing with “illegal” drugs. We saw a major breakthrough a few years ago, when the United Nations agreed to convene a special session of the General Assembly to review global drug policy. It is scheduled to begin April 19.

Unfortunately, this historic event — the first of its kind in 18 years — appears to be foundering even before it gets off the ground. What was supposed to be an open, honest and data-driven debate about drug policies has turned into a narrowly conceived closed-door affair.

In the lead-up to next month's session, the U.N. Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna held a series of preparatory meetings with its 53 member countries. The commission took responsibility for crafting a declaration to be adopted by all 193 U.N. members of the General Assembly, and should finish next week.

But most of these commission-led negotiations have been neither transparent nor inclusive. Input from key U.N. agencies working on health, gender, human rights and development — and the majority of U.N. member states — was excluded. Likewise, dozens of civil society groups from around the world were shut out of the meetings.

cont'd...

More:
http://www.latimes.com/la-ol-opinion-newsletter-war-on-drugs-html-20160312-htmlstory.html

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