Amped up anti-war rhetoric, and calls to end the War on Drugs
Featured Image courtesy of Mexico in Focus - Sicilia in Ciudad Juárez
Javier Sicilia arrived in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua and El Paso, Texas, on the 10th of June ending his second long-winded march against the deadly war that has already killed more than 40,000 people. Numbers were significantly less than the previous march, with some reports citing about three or four thousand people.
Already speaking of anti-war rhetoric previously, he amped it up at the beginning of the weekend and demanded that the US ends the Merida Initiate – The US plan that allows funds to assist in President Felipe Calderón’s war against the drug trafficking organisations (DTOs). The funds allow for training and equipment, and intelligence for Law Enforcement Agencies in Mexico.
“The United States must admit their responsibility in the violence in Mexico,” Sicilia speaks to his fellow protestors, part of a grassroots movement to end the violence that is enraging Mexico.
Sicilia asserts that the United States is the reason why Mexico is dealing with the current crisis, and demanded that obligation to end the crisis not only exists with the US Government, but also exists with its citizens, highlighting promotion of drug-use by some Hollywood celebrities.
Sicilia also endorsed the creation of a citizens inspired pact that calls for a radical change to Calderón’s current militarised drug policy. According to Sicilia, “We need to stop feeding violence and start feeding education and culture,” The pact calls for an increase in fighting corruption, impunity while instating a whole new drug policy that has human rights at its centre, as well as new social policies to draw youth away from recruiting cartels, and other DTOs.
Sicilia’s march also coincides with a report released by the Global Commission on Drug Policy demands an end to the current War on Drugs.
Signed by former world leaders, including former Presidents of Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, and notably former Secretary General of the UN, Kofi Annan, it calls for the end of criminalisation of drugs, creation of experimental regulated legal drug markets, and an end to the stigma of those who use drugs without causing any harm to others.
The report also highlights the following:
- Challenge the misconceptions and taboos associated with drug use, markets and dependence.
- Implementation of wider access to syringe systems and other harm reduction moves to limit spread of blood borne diseases, and fatal overdoses.
- Reduce drug control resources at the lower ends of illegal drug markets, such as farmers and street sellers.
- Move funds to programs that reduce people taking drugs in the first place, and prevent them from developing more serious dependant habits, while changing the paradigm of basic drug education programs into ones that are based on credible information and prevention programs.
- Focus the efforts of repressing violent criminal organisations in ways that undermine their power but with a focus on less violence and intimidation.
- Begin a global transformation of the War on Drugs Regime, and shift current policies away to policies grounded in good science, health, security and human rights, while re-evaluating flawed classification of drugs like cannabis.
The report could be considered an unprecedented call in the last twenty years to change a global drug policy that effectively is failed.
While the report has been welcomed by many, there are those who have their doubts.
Insight Crime reports that while it is a step closer, it doesn’t state specifically how to stop organised crime and violence and doesn’t offer anything specific to Latin America, stating that many Latin American Governments have rejected the report. It further stated that the US Office on National Drug Control Policy has countered the report, stating that it does not contain clear answers as to how drug reform would affect Latin America.
Sylvia Longmire, Mexican Drug War Author of Cartel: The coming invasion of the Mexico’s Drug War, Latin American Analyst, and former Law Enforcement Officer believes the US will not deviate away from its current drug policy.
“There are two key components of current US drug policy that are keeping it on these rails from which it won’t deviate: morality and history,” Longmire states in a post on her website.
She explains that US Government maintains its current strategy because it is aware of the impact that is caused by abuse of certain drugs, and introducing drugs to the legal market may cause an increase of drug use among adults and encourage minors therefore the US would rather keep its cautious stance. She also believes that the US has a history of maintaining policies that don’t work, throwing doubt on possibility of change.
While many have cast doubts on the report, it allows for new understanding and debate which can be seen in the recent letter to British Prime Minister David Cameron signed by British music artist Sting and British Actress Dame Judi Dench that urges a re-think in drug policy. Sir Richard Branson has also signed the report on the Global Commission on Drug Policy.
The report will also give organisations around the world that support these reforms or similar, more clarity in their drive to change drug policy. Certainly Javier Sicilia’s movement could only benefit from.
And while the call to reform drugs may elude others, for many – like Sicilia – in Mexico, it is a cause for hope and support for a movement that requires more than just marches for the suffering, the killing and the violence to stop.
You can find the complete report on the Global Commission on Drug Policy by clicking here.
