International commission critical of Colombia’s anti-drug policies
International commission critical of Colombia’s anti-drug policies
Sep 11, 2014 posted by Joel Gillin
The Global Commission on Drug Policy (GCDP) has produced a report in which it is critical of anti-drug strategies pursued by Colombia, declaring punitive and prohibitionist policies a failure and suggesting a move towards legalization and regulation.
Released on Tuesday, the report outlines seven recommendations on how to improve drug policy around the world, encouraging the world to take advantage of the 2016 United Nations General Assembly Special Session to implement these changes.
Decriminalizing possession and consumption of drugs are part of strategy recommended, in addition to finding alternatives to incarceration for “low-level participants” in the drug trade like farmers and couriers.
Failures in Colombian policy
The GCDP report makes several criticisms of the Colombian government’s policies with respect to the “War on Drugs.”
In a section entitled “Counting the costs of over have a century of the ‘war on drugs,’” the report mentions that part of Colombia’s anti-drug policy from 2000 to 2007 involved the spraying of toxic chemicals in an effort to eradicate illicit crops.
“Despite their destructive impact on livelihoods and land, the number of locations used for illicit coca cultivation actually increased during this period,” the report said.
More:
http://colombiareports.co/international-commission-critical-colombia-drug-policy/