Will Changing Attitudes in the US Change Its Drug Policy in Latin America? Graham Land - Latin Correspondent
go to original November 3, 2015

Is The War On Drugs Working? VICE News traveled around the world speaking to people about what they think about the war on drugs. (VICE News)

Public and political opinion regarding the so-called “War on Drugs” is shifting on a global scale. In the United States, the originator of the term and the country responsible for investing in foreign military intervention to combat the illegal narcotics, there is a growing opinion that the War on Drugs is not only a failure, but also a negative societal influence both at home and abroad.

While conservative U.S. politicians like Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson largely either support or wish to ramp up the War on Drugs, there has even been some rethinking even on the Right in terms of lessening penalties for drug offenders.

Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, who is wildly popular among the young and educated, recently declared “we have to end the War on Drugs” on popular late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!

In a recent speech, President Obama emphasized the need for drug addiction and abuse to be treated as a public health issue, rather than a criminal one. The U.S. president participated in a community discussion dealing with the risks of prescription drug abuse, saying he wished to “restore a sense of balance when it came to drugs, illegal and legal.”

Back in July Obama decided to commute the sentences of 46 drug offenders and the U.S. Justice department is starting to release inmates convicted of non-violent drug offenses this month.

Much of this turning against the War on Drugs in the U.S. can be attributed to liberalizing attitudes towards marijuana and its partial legalization in some U.S. states.

Read the rest at Latin Correspondent

Related: Mexico Drug War: 4:20 - Marijuana's Hour (Mexico Voices)

Related: Report: 1 in 5 Latin American Prisoners Are Drug Offenders (teleSUR)

Related: The War on Drugs is a Failure, and Legalization May be the Answer (Latin Correspondent)

Related: New Studies Reveal Increase in Incarceration for Drug Offenses in the Americas (Transnational Institute)

Related: Plan Colombia 15 Years on: Is the War on Drugs Working? (Latin Correspondent)

Photo: Mexico Solidarity Network

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