Friday, June 2, 2006

Chavez finances coca factories At the Drug War Chronicle: It's a trio that gives the Bush administration nightmares, and they were all together in Bolivia last weekend. Bolivian President Evo Morales hosted Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in what he called an "axis of good" during a visit to Bolivia's coca-growing Chapare region, and Chavez announced he would support Morales' call to legalize and industrialize the coca leaf by providing $1 million in funding for research into coca's uses and factories to turn it into coca flour or tea. My first reaction is to have a nice chuckle over the likely discomfiture of the drug warriors over this news. And that's fine. But then I think about how incredibly destructive our drug war has been to Latin America and how difficult it is for them to struggle to find solutions to that overbearing imposition, and I get serious again. 8:56:08 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

We have to learn how to live with drugs -- because they aren't going anywhere Tony Newman has an excellent piece at AlterNet: The Top 10 Things I Know About Drugs Drugs are everywhere.... Different people have different relationships with different drugs.... People use drugs for joy and for pain.... Drug abuse does not discriminate, but our drug policies do. ... Relapse happens. ... Smoking five cigarettes is better than smoking 20. Using marijuana is better than using heroin.... Drug abuse is bad, but the drug war is worse.... Prohibition doesn't work. Prohibition is responsible for most of the violence associated with drugs.... Drugs and the drug war touch most families... We have to learn how to live with drugs, because they aren't going anywhere.... *Bonus point: The public is ahead of the politicians.... 8:46:41 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []