The United States needs to legalize marijuana, decriminalize drug possession and combat the black market for drugs to the greatest extent possible, said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, to a crowd of close to 70 people at the Watson Institute for International Studies Tuesday.
Nadelmann, a longtime drug policy reform activist, stressed the importance of legislative and cultural change in the realm of drugs at home and abroad. If Americans are willing to take certain measures, like decriminalizing drugs, the United States could be a model for drug policy for the rest of the world — in particular, Latin America, he said.
Nadelmann said though a wide range of opinions exists, many Latin American leaders agree drug reform is necessary. He recounted numerous firsthand encounters with Latin American chiefs of state and politicians, such as former Mexican President Felipe Calderon and former Chilean President Ricardo Lagos. Many of these leaders are wary of taking bold action on drug policy lest they lose political face, he said.
“The number one obstacle is public opinion in these countries,” Nadelmann added.
Taking action on drug policy is difficult in Latin American countries, partly because of pressure from the United States to stop the distribution and use of drugs, Nadelmann said. He said if drugs were legalized, these countries could benefit from the “unstoppable dynamic of the global commodity market,” but the United States government continues to unsuccessfully fight the growth of the drug market at home and abroad.
The objectives of drug policy reform should be to “reduce the role of criminalization in drug control to the maximum extent consistent with protecting public safety and health,” Nadelmann said. A good drug policy would strike a balance between more “draconian policies” involving strict punishment for drug use and a virtual lack of regulation in the free market, which he dubbed “Milton Friedman’s wet dream.”
In the question-and-answer section of the event, Nadelmann said cultural transformations are also necessary to modernize views on drugs. Specifically, he said certain language can stigmatize drug users. Terms like “drug war,” “drug abuse” and “drug addict ... diminish the person’s humanity,” he said.
Nadelmann’s lecture was co-sponsored by the Watson Institute and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. It was part of an ongoing lecture series entitled “New Security Challenges in the Americas.” Peter Andreas, interim director of the Watson Institute and professor of political science, said the lecture series is “part of a larger effort to raise a profile of the Watson Institute’s focus on global security.”
ADVERTISEMENT
