Forty-one years after President Richard M. Nixon declared a “war on drugs,†is it time for a change? How should enforcement be targeted - and what are the best ways to rein in addiction and the organized criminal networks that make billions from the trade in illicit drugs?
These drug questions and many others are gaining momentum in Washington and in Latin America, a frontline of the drug war for generations. Policy makers who once took for granted that the drug problem could be controlled with tough laws, some treatment, and moral arguments for prevention, now find themselves grappling with a more global, more complicated scourge.
Drug violence has intensified in areas that are neither major producers nor consumers (Central America, West Africa) and while Americans are using far less cocaine, preferring prescription drugs, South America, Asia and parts of Europe are seeing cocaine addiction rise as traffickers explo it new markets.
As Michael Schmidt and I wrote two weeks ago, these changes have led American officials to a collective reconsideration of antidrug priorities. But while Washington tinkers - with significant but incremental changes at home and abroad - Latin America is demanding an overhaul.
As a correspondent based in Mexico, I have seen the arguments over drug policy intensify here and in Central America over the past year, but the most ambitious plan now comes from farther south. I just returned from Montevideo, where Uruguay's president is proposing outright legalization for marijuana, with taxes and regulation. As my story notes, leaders in at least eight other Latin American countries, including Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, are also calling for open debate about legalization - and not just for marijuana.
“The feeling is that the war on drugs has resulted in profound damage,†said Paulo Teixeira, a Brazilian congressman sponsoring a bill to decrim inalize the use of all drugs. “We are trying to distance ourselves from the U.S. model.â€
What could that mean going forward? What are the pitfalls raising concerns, or the benefits supporters hope to gain?
I will be answering questions this week in English and Spanish about drug policy and the drug business here on The Lede. Your questions can be submitted in the comments section below, in whichever language you prefer and you can also post questions or reactions on Twitter by including the hashtag #NYTWorldChat.
Reaction and responses to a select number of questions - chosen for their relevance or insight - will be posted here. Pregúnteme cualquier cosa (ask me anything.)
Leer el artÃculo en español.
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