The New Capones

IT'S TIME TO RETHINK DRUG PROHIBITION

President Bush just snuck back into the White House after conducting
a five country tour of Latin America. One of the main points on his
agenda was to court its leaders into following the United States in
their traditional drug prohibition strategies. In Bogota, Colombia,
he was greeted by protestors who were not impressed with the $700
million in aid to combat drug trafficking through Plan Colombia.

Despite Bush's monetary incentives, elected officials up and down the
Americas are looking at the violence in the streets and are beginning
to question the failed U.S. drug prohibition model. The latest voice
to join the choir was Rio de Janeiro's governor, Sergio Cabral, who
on February 23 called for legalizing drugs as a strategy to fight the
ongoing drug-related gang violence that is devastating his state. He
expressed hopes that this new approach would reduce the violent crime
caused primarily by drug prohibition and the illicit markets it spawns.

Rio de Janeiro has one of the highest murder rates in Latin America,
fueled by outbreaks of violence among different gangs, and between
gangs and the police in the slums of Brazil's favelas, where urban
drug lords rule. Several months ago, one of the governor's first acts
was to ask the federal government to send a special security force to
Rio following the eruption of gang violence that caused both civilian
and police deaths.

"The governor is merely saying out loud what so many more think but
fear to say," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug
Policy Alliance. "Rio today is like Chicago under Al Capone--times
ten. Reforming drug prohibition won't be as quick and easy as
repealing alcohol Prohibition was, but there's no hope for breaking
the drug-crime nexus unless many more elected officials heed Governor
Cabral's call."

Not too long ago, a world away, a similar call was made in upstate
New York by Erie County Executive Joel Giambra, fed up by the
violence associated with the illegal drug trade. He went on to say
his city streets had turned into war zones. Soon after, law
enforcement officials condemned him. The same thing happened to
Mexico's president, Vicente Fox, when he called for legalization of
small amounts of some types of drugs. Prohibitionists went into
overdrive to stop him and he withdrew his idea soon after.

The idea to change the failed policies of drug prohibition has been
met with powerful resistance despite the devastation it inevitably
brings to societies. It is time to step out of the darkness and into
the light to seek a new strategy in our failed attempt of drug
prohibition. We should welcome innovative leaders with new ideas that
will make our world safer to live in, instead of condemning them.