Biden goes to Latin American amid drug debate

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Biden goes to Latin American amid drug debate
Published: 12:30 pm
Updated: 12:38 pm

Vice President Joe Biden heads to Latin America this Sunday amid unprecedented pressure from political and business leaders to talk about something U.S. officials have no interest in debating: decriminalizing drugs.

Presidents of Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Colombia and Mexico, all grappling with the extremely violent fallout of a failing drug war, have said in recent weeks they'd like to open up the discussion of legalizing drugs. Argentina, Uruguay, Peru and Mexico already allow the use of small amounts of marijuana for personal consumption, while political leaders from Brazil and Colombia are discussing alternatives to locking up drug users.

Business leaders are weighing in as well: in February, a group of banking, medical and legal experts sponsored a drug policy conference in Mexico City which concluded that current drug control policies aren't working and need reform.

"It's a different moment when you have actual heads of state talking about the need for a thorough debate on this," said John Walsh, a drug policy expert at the Washington Office on Latin America, an independent think tank. "It's certainly different for sitting presidents to be uttering those words. You wouldn't have thought it possible just a few years ago."

Read more: http://www.13wham.com/news/world/story/Biden-goes-to-Latin-American-amid-drug-debate/PoNnoV_7_k65CnnSDU6Lew.cspx?rss=105

[Vincardog]

1. GOOD. Let him get back to BO and say "They are telling us to STFU about our WAR on poor people."

[SharonAnn]

2. Just back from 2 weeks in Guatemala - they said our War on Drugs was destroying

their country.

That's right, our War on Drugs was destroying their country.

Why? Because the massive amounts of money are corrupting their police, their military, their judges, and their politicians.

And there's not really anything they can do about it. They asked me to please contact our politicians and help them understand that legalizing drugs is necessary.

Geographically, their country is a transit point for drugs into Mexico and then into the United States. Since drugs are illegal here, there are incredible amounts of money for the transporters.

And, personally, I'd rather see the War on Drugs money going to rehab programs and education.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Reagan armed the militaries in Central America to kill the "commies."

As a result a vast number of people throughout the region, most particularly indigenous Maya were tortured, terrorized, dismembered, bludgeoned, thrown into wells, and rivers, entire villages being vaporized at will, and the whole populations slaughtered viciously. Sometimes "lucky" survivors were able to run to hide in the forests who lived to give testimony.

Now, instead of calling people they don't want "commies," they're just claiming they are narcotraffickers.

Same filthy, evil game, different terms, same results.

They had to stop playing "Christians vs. godless commies" due to their need to prove to the world their St. Ronnie saved the world from the Red Menace during his time in office.

Can't believe the evil continues without missing a step to this day, with no end in sight.

Thanks for your post. There must be a end to it, sooner or later, or the Americas are going to run out of people, or, as our corporatists see them, "cheap labor." Corporatists do want it both ways. They want no resistance, no protestors, and they do want multitudes of desperate poor they can tap to work their lives away for nothing, making their products.

[flamingdem]

8. What were you told about the drug war in Guatemala?

I heard that it's much worse than a year ago and the Mexican drug business has moved there and to Honduras.

[Comrade Grumpy]

3. They're getting tired of paying the price for our failed drug policies.

Central American and Mexico are drowning in prohibition-related violence, the cartels are corroding institutions with all the riches they generate from the black market, and Americans just keep gobbling down drugs. They're sick of it.

It cuts across ideological lines, too. The right-wing ex-general president of Guatemala sees eye to eye with the left-leaning former coca grower leader of Bolivia when it comes to US-imposed drug policies.

[greenfloyd]

7. Grumpy gets it right

Dear Comrade Grumpy thank you so much for using the correct description of the violence. I have tried for years to get editors, journalists and presenters to understand this key distinction between the market-effect and the actual drug effect... I was so impressed I had to sign-up so I could let you know someone noticed...
greenfloyd @ greenfloyd.org

[drokhole]

4. I suspect Biden's going down there to demand they keep up with business as usual...

I hope I'm wrong.

[Vincardog]

6. I suspect you are correct in your suspicion.

[truthisfreedom]

9. Until the re-election.

8^D

[Fumesucker]

10. Biden was one of the biggest drug warriors in congress..

Indeed, the "drug czar" was Biden's idea originally..