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Friday Evening : Puff the Magic Dragon

By Jeralyn, Section Crime Policy
Posted on Fri Mar 27, 2009 at 06:12:59 PM EST
Tags: drug law reform (all tags)
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  • Council on Hemispheric Affairs: Evidence Mounts that the drug war is unwinnable and that a debate over legalization and decriminalization should not be met by presidential giggles

[Hat tip for song to MSNBC's David Shuster.]

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    Friday Evening : Puff the Magic Dragon | 13 comments (13 topical)

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    Anyone Home? (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by squeaky on Fri Mar 27, 2009 at 08:11:18 PM EST
    Last month, former presidents of Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico called on the US to radically reassess its drug policies...
     

    Radically reassessing drug policy must be something only former presidents have the luxury to yap about. Current leaders are too afraid of their electorate to stray from policies that have never worked.

     

    In 1987, Kurt Schmoke was elected (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by Anne on Fri Mar 27, 2009 at 08:24:49 PM EST
    mayor of the City of Baltimore.  He set people's hair on fire with his outspoken opposition to the War on Drugs, and his advocacy for the decriminalization of marijuana - I mean it was a radical thing for an elected - and black - official to do in 1987.

    Doesn't seem like much, if any, progress has been made in the last 20 years.

    Wow (none / 0) (#10)
    by squeaky on Fri Mar 27, 2009 at 08:28:59 PM EST
    What a visionary. Too bad the vision has not taken hold.... yet.

    Parent
    Its pretty cool... (5.00 / 1) (#14)
    by kdog on Sat Mar 28, 2009 at 07:36:19 AM EST
    that the issue is even in the national discussion, at least for the next 15 minutes or so.

    Nary a peep about it during the campaigns remember.

    When is the next internet chat so we can ask again, as well as request the president be serious for at least a moment?

    Holbroke: A Complete Rethink (none / 0) (#1)
    by squeaky on Fri Mar 27, 2009 at 06:21:40 PM EST
    Asked about the priority of drug fighting in the Afghanistan review, Holbrooke, as he was leaving the briefing, said "We're going to have to rethink the drug problem." That was interesting. He went on: "a complete rethink." He noted that the policymakers who had worked on the Afghanistan review "didn't come to a firm, final conclusion" on the opium question. "It's just so damn complicated," Holbrooke explained. Did that mean that the opium eradication efforts in Afghanistan should be canned? "You can't eliminate the whole eradication program," he exclaimed. But that remark did make it seem that he backed an easing up of some sort. "You have to put more emphasis on the agricultural sector," he added.

    digby

    I like this plan from digby:

    A very smart political friend and I were chattering about Afghanistan a couple of months ago and he wondered if it wouldn't be cheaper for the American government simply buy up the opium crop at top prices rather than spend the money on redevelopment and military action that never seems to work.
    America to the Rescue (none / 0) (#3)
    by SOS on Fri Mar 27, 2009 at 06:48:13 PM EST
    Anyone ask us to do this?

    We have tent cities popping up all over the place and people one step from destitution and we're going to save the world starting in Afghanistan.

    How come no ones helping us?

    Parent

    NATO (none / 0) (#4)
    by squeaky on Fri Mar 27, 2009 at 06:55:00 PM EST
    All the new talk regarding the region is in advance of next weeks NATO conference where Afghanistan is the main topic.

    My Administration is committed to strengthening international organizations and collective action, and that will be my message next week in Europe. As America does more, we will ask others to join us in doing their part. [NATO]

    [snip]

    And finally, together with the United Nations, we will forge a new Contact Group for Afghanistan and Pakistan that brings together all who should have a stake in the security of the region - our NATO allies and other partners, but also the Central Asian states, the Gulf nations and Iran; Russia, India and China. None of these nations benefit from a base for al Qaeda terrorists, and a region that descends into chaos. All have a stake in the promise of lasting peace and security and development.

    link


    Parent

    Glad we got advance warning (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by SOS on Fri Mar 27, 2009 at 06:57:34 PM EST
    instead of him waltzing out and announcing were  going to kick ass over there. And your paying for it.

    Nice work there.

    Parent

    Chasing the rabbit down the hole (none / 0) (#11)
    by Amiss on Fri Mar 27, 2009 at 11:42:08 PM EST
    we will forge a new Contact Group for Afghanistan and Pakistan that brings together all who should have a stake in the security of the region - our NATO allies and other partners, but also the Central Asian states, the Gulf nations and Iran; Russia, India and China. None of these nations benefit from a base for al Qaeda terrorists, and a region that descends into chaos. All have a stake in the promise of lasting peace and security and development.

    And what are his plans beyond a contact group? I honestly think our allies are getting sick and tired of these many years wars with no concrete improvement. And Americans are sick and tired of funding these wars year after year.


    Parent

    George W. Obama? (none / 0) (#12)
    by squeaky on Fri Mar 27, 2009 at 11:55:50 PM EST
    ....it would be ridiculous to gloss over the extent to which Bush's good-versus-evil worldview profoundly impacted his presidency on issues like Iran, Pakistan, and missile defense. We're only a couple months into the Obama's administration, so it would be premature to predict the specifics of Obama's policies-or their prospects for success-but we do know that Obama's worldview is 180 degrees different.

    TNR

    Parent

    180 degrees, or ... (5.00 / 1) (#13)
    by cymro on Sat Mar 28, 2009 at 03:09:42 AM EST
    ... 360? I'm more worried about how often it will turn out to be the latter, for the sake of expediency. As in "GWB was completely wrong on this, so now just we need to focus on moving forward." Or "The GOP created this problem, but right now we don't have the votes to fix it." Or "This is a such a complicated problem that it will take a bipartisan effort to come up with a solution." Etc., etc., etc.

    Parent
    Pump (none / 0) (#2)
    by SOS on Fri Mar 27, 2009 at 06:45:44 PM EST
    the magic market
    live by the sea

    well (none / 0) (#6)
    by connecticut yankee on Fri Mar 27, 2009 at 08:00:10 PM EST
    I think the story is funny as it suggests "it's foolish" for the mexican government to try and inject itself into a turf war between gangsters.

    Their operations arent just about drugs, they are also human smugglers, kidnappers, etc.  They make money coming and going and theyve taken over the operations for many of coyote routes. I think it's great that the mexican government is fighting organized crime.  Those are bad dudes, drugs or no drugs.

    Friday Evening : Puff the Magic Dragon | 13 comments (13 topical)

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