WESTERN LEADERS MUST BACK COLOMBIA'S COURAGEOUS STAND ON DRUGS

President Santos's call for a new approach to drugs must be supported
wholeheartedly

President Santos's call for a new approach to the war on drugs, an
approach that could even look at legalising cocaine and marijuana,
deserves a positive response from the leaders of the consumer
countries and the US and EU in particular ("Colombia's leader urges
global rethink on drugs").

Those of us who have campaigned for serious debate on the issue have
been frustrated by the number of senior politicians who have agreed
with us but said they could not take a public stand for fear of
committing political suicide due to a hostile reaction from the US
administration or public opinion or, in the UK, the Daily Mail. The
fact that the president of Colombia, the country that has paid the
highest price and fought hardest in the war on drugs, should have
been prepared to speak out so courageously should inspire the many in
American and European political circles who share his view about the
failure of the war on drugs at last to make their voices heard.

Sir Keith Morris

British ambassador to Colombia 1990-94

London SE19