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| Posted: March 26, 2009 |
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Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano recently announced plans to boost personnel and surveillance equipment at the U.S.-Mexico border and coordinate more with Mexican authorities to help contain Mexico's increasingly deadly drug war. |
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| Marnie of Madison, Wis. asks: |
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| Does any part of the U.S.' or Mexico's current or anticipated "drug war" strategy include legalizing drugs and rehabilitating or treating willing participants? |
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| Jose Diaz-Briseno responds: |
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 Ending the policy of prohibition is something that even the most ardent supporters of the cause acknowledge will not happen under an Obama administration. Anti-prohibition groups have interpreted the nomination of Seattle's police chief, Gil Kerlikowske, to become the next Drug Czar as a sign of cautious optimism. Most experts will tell you that they expect more stress on demand reduction programs and treatment in the coming years. But at the same time the administration has made very clear that they will not stop the efforts on the supply-side of the equation. Nevertheless, it is very telling of the Obama administration's list of priorities that demand reduction was the very last item mentioned on a long three-page fact-sheet detailing the latest border security initiative prepared by DHS Janet Napolitano on March 24. It basically highlighted $63 million in the FY '09 budget committed to promote the so-called drug courts system, which apparently has yielded some success. With these kinds of facts, it is very difficult for me to convey to my readers in Mexico that there is a real commitment in the U.S. to bring down demand. But let's wait for Chief Kerlikowske. |
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| Andrew Selee responds: |
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 There has also been a movement underway in U.S. states to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana and to create drug courts and alternative sentencing for non-violent first-time offenders. Both the new drug czar and (Vice President Joe) Biden, who is taking a leadership role on this at the White House, appear to support these efforts, though it is ultimately a state-by-state decision. I don't know if this will lead to a serious discussion about legalization, but it may lead to a reorienting of priorities. Mexico's Congress is also discussing a bill to decriminalize possession of small amounts of illegal narcotics so that they can focus better on traffickers and not users. |
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