Pubdate: Wed, 25 Apr 2012
Source: Daily, The (U of WA, Edu)
Copyright: 2012 The Daily
Contact:  http://dailyuw.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1254
Author: David Scheuermann

MANUFACTURING DISCONTENT: LEGALIZING DRUGS TO CURB CARTELS IS WORTH
CONSIDERING

Legalization of illicit drugs is a touchy subject for college
students.

We often bear the brunt of jokes about the topic as major media
outlets usually characterize proponents of legalization as young
hippies or crazy libertarians. But what happens when those yelling
loudest for a new plan for drugs are your neighbors on the world stage?

The Summits of the Americas is a series of summit meetings to discuss
regional issues among the nations of North America, South America,
Central America and the Caribbean. The last summit took place April 14
and 15 and was hosted in Cartagena, Colombia.

The U.S. and Canada found their backs against the wall as several
Latin American leaders called for a debate on the decriminalization of
drugs in the region. It was a stark and surprising challenge to the
status quo, but it was hardly unreasonable.

Drug trafficking and violence plague Latin America. These countries
host the cartels that keep the illegal drug trade alive. In Mexico
alone, the Drug War has killed 50,000 people since 2006, and the
situation in countries such as Guatemala and Honduras is not any
better. Forced to deal with the harsh realities, these countries are
looking to the U.S. to consider new ways to deal with the War on
Drugs. Latin American leaders have already discussed decriminalizing
the growth of coca and marijuana plants in order to deal with this
issue.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Guatemalan President Otto
Perez Molina have emerged as leaders in the movement to address drug
policy in Latin America. The surprising aspect of this is that Santos
and Molina are two of Latin America's most conservative leaders and
staunchest opponents to drug cartels. This is a sharp paradigm shift.
These leaders have essentially lifted the taboo of legalization talks
and sparked a discussion in Latin America over new approaches to the
War on Drugs. However, President Obama continued to defend U.S. policy
at the summit and said there would be no change in sails any time
soon. "I know there are frustrations and that some call for
legalization," Obama said. "For the sake of the health and safety of
our citizens - all our citizens - the United States will not be going
in this direction." Obama's latest drug control report repeated this
call to continue long-standing policies and even went so far as to
suggest more workplace testing and nationwide zero-tolerance laws.
There are myriad reasons why drugs should be legalized, and I support
all of them. There are the standard economic gains that are usually
presented in legalization arguments, an increase in civilian liberty
and responsibility and the potential decrease in crime if the War on
Drugs ends. But arguing for legalization because it could help fight
the cartels and facilitate cohesion with Latin America is something
entirely new. The issue is essentially about how to deal with the
global commodities market that the drug trade has become.

The U.S. is the world's largest consumer of illegal drugs, and where
there is a demand, there will always be someone to supply. By
continuing the policies of the War on Drugs, the U.S. ensures that its
drug market is only open to those who don't mind having to break the
law in order to make a buck. Legalization would open the market to
legitimate business and force the cartels to compete with legal sellers.

Addressing legalization and decriminalization of drugs could also help
improve our relationship with Latin America, a region that knows the
U.S. best for its intervention, coups and drug war policies. The War
on Drugs has been under way for decades, but these policies have
failed in not only the U.S. but also the Latin American countries that
it affects most. Maybe changing course is the best decision for the
future.

David Scheuermann is a 20-year-old mass communication and computer
science sophomore from Kenner.
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