Breaking the Taboo Page #5

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"Miguel Silva

Convicted of Kidnapping"

If you legalize drugs,

criminals will turn to other activities...

such as kidnapping,

extortion, and murder.

The European experience reveals

that we need to move away

from the absolute prohibition

or full liberalization dichotomy.

There is a middle ground

between these two choices.

There are many possibilities

that have not been tested

because of the prohibition

on thinking and experimentation.

We're dealing with

a complex problem.

It is a process that has

many cultural dimensions.

There are values

and emotions involved.

Any solution has to take

into consideration

the emotions and values

at stake.

We have to look for more humane

and efficient policies.

What kind of civilization

do we want to build?

"Rio de Janeiro, Brazil"

What do you think about the UN Report

which condemns Latin American leaders

who call for the

decriminalization of drugs?

The UN is committed

to the war on drugs.

They call for war and

we are calling for peace.

Those who are commited to war

reject those who are calling for peace.

What we are saying is:

"It is time to end this war".

Let's pull people away

from drugs.

A policy of peace is not a policy

of surrender.

I'm not saying

"you can do anything you want".

I'm in favor of a policy of persuasion,

of negotiation, of trial and error.

Based on the belief

that human beings can act rationally.

Given alternatives and information,

people can make the right choice.

These guys here were all criminals.

I'm totally focused

on these individuals.

If I want to reduce violence,

I must think of this guy.

Because he is the protagonist.

"Jose Junior - Founder and executive

coordinator of Afroreggae"

Out of every ten traffickers

I meet, seven want to leave crime.

There is no point in discriminalization

without providing treatment.

Almost every drug user

wants to stop.

If they were able to,

the problem would end.

It's hard to give up on a drug

you're addicted to.

This is a disease, and you cannot

put a sick person in jail.

One day we're going to look

back at all this and say:

"I can't believe that in the past,

drug users used to be thrown in jail!"

A drug-free world is a utopy.

It has never existed in history.

What you can and must do is

reduce the harm that drugs cause

to people and their societies.

"Anthony Papa

Author of '15 to life"'

"Even though the US has invested

USD 1 trillion in the War on Drugs,

it's easy to buy drugs in

any city on the planet.

But the way the world is dealing

with the issue is changing... "

Portugal, Spain and the Czech Republic

have decriminalized drug possession

for personal use. "

"In 14 European nations, drug addicts

are treated as patients, not as criminals. "

"China has adopted large-scale

methadone maintence treatment. "

"In 16 American states, the use

of medical marijuana has been legalized. "

"46% of the California voters supported

marijuana legalization. "

"In 2010, the number of people

arrested in the United States

for drug-related offenses decreased

for the first time in 30 years. "

"Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Uruguay

have taken steps towards

decriminalizing drug possession

for personal use. "

"Despite its recent progress, Brazil's

drug policy is far from being humane. "

"Drug consumption is still a crime, though

felons are no longer sentenced to jail. "

"Because the law doesn't

specify the quantity

of drugs that differs a user from

a dealer, many users end up in jail. "

"From 2006 to 2008, 66% of the people

arrested for drug dealing

were first-time offenders and 86%

were not carrying any weapons. "

"The health care system doesn't have

the necessary structure to treat most

of the drug users. "

"All across Brazil, youth are still dying

and killing in the name of an endless war. "

"In 1971, the United States of America

declared war on drugs. "

"Forty years later, it's time

for the world to declare peace. "

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