Latin America
Related: About this forum'War on drugs’ needs rethinking: Santos, Carter
.Monday, 14 January 2013 09:46 Rob Edmond ..Tags:FarcJimmy CarterJuan Manuel SantosPeace Talks
Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter on Saturday agreed with Colombia's head of state, Juan Manuel Santos, that "the drug problem" should be considered a "public health issue."
In a press release from the president's office, Santos said that he discussed a wide-range of topics with Carter including the 40-year "war on drugs." Colombia's head of state said that both he and former president Carter were in agreement that "alternatives" are needed, specifically, that they [U.S. and Colombian governments] must abandon the "punitive approach" and embrace the idea of thinking about drug abuse "as a matter of public health."
The war on drugs "has been launched for 40 years and, unfortunately, the results are far from satisfactory," said Santos.
Jimmy Carter, U.S. president from 1977 to 1981 and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, traveled to Bogota to attend a dinner hosted by Colombia's head of state. Carter's presence was a sign of international support for the Colombia government's ongoing peace talks with the country's largest guerrilla group, FARC.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/27677-war-on-drugs-needs-rethinking-santos-carter-.html
samsingh
(17,571 posts)I hope President Obama takes it while in office
Bacchus4.0
(6,837 posts)with regards to marijuana at least. Once enough states enact decriminilization or legalization measures, national politicians will start to line up.
samsingh
(17,571 posts)Bacchus4.0
(6,837 posts)s
naaman fletcher
(7,362 posts)He is supposed to be a Latin American leader, yet he is nowhere on this.
Perhaps those under him have too much of a stake in the status quo.
Bacchus4.0
(6,837 posts)s
Bacchus4.0
(6,837 posts)Venezuela Bans "Family Guy" -- But "Baywatch" Is OK (VIDEO)
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The Venezuelan government highlighted the clip as an example of how the U.S. government promotes pot smoking and the legalization of drugs. Venezuela resented a recent U.S. Congress report that said a fourfold increase in cocaine smuggling through Venezuela has been aided by police corruption and a refusal to work with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
"There's no subliminal messages here," said Interior and Justice Minister Tarek El Assaimi, who warned that the government would fine any TV station that continues to broadcast the show. "It's an animated cartoon where you can observe perfectly how they promote consumption and moreover sponsor the consumption of marijuana."
El Aissami blamed U.S. drug consumption for fueling Venezuela's narco-trafficking market and suggested that "adult" cartoons such as "Family Guy" were mouthpieces for the U.S. government's tolerant attitude toward drugs.
"Family Guy" is not the first cartoon to receive short shrift from authorities in Venezuela. Last year, "The Simpsons" was banned from terrestrial television after it was ruled "unsuitable" for children. It was replaced with "Baywatch," the 1990s series featuring scantily-clad lifeguards in California.