Happy drugs revolt

Great news. Two major countries have defied the drugs prohibition idiocies imposed on the world by the USA and the UN.

Argentina and Mexico have taken significant steps towards decriminalising drugs amid a growing Latin American backlash against the US-sponsored "war on drugs".

Argentina's supreme court has ruled it unconstitutional to punish people for using marijuana for personal consumption. This will allow the Government to introduce more anti-prohibition anti-drugs-harm reforms. 

Mexico decided to stop prosecuting people for possession of relatively small quantities of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other drugs. Instead, they will be referred to clinics and treated as patients, not criminals. Yipee!

Brazil and Ecuador are also considering partial decriminalisation as part of a regional swing away from a decades-old policy of crackdowns still favoured by Washington.

The 'war on drugs' strategy has failed," Fernando Henrique Cardoso, a former Brazilian president said. Earlier this year, he and two former presidents of Colombia and Mexico published a landmark report calling for a new departure.

This is great news. Prohibition of drugs has been more damaging than prohibition of alcohol. Obama had lived a full life in Chicago. That included the use of illegal drug. He is better informed than any previous American presidents on practical ways to cut drum use, crime and deaths.

Is prohibition dying? Will we be the last to act?

Guilty-but famous

So the  court did not know what parliament meant with the ban on hare coursing. They wanted to end the barbarity of tormenting animals for fun. That is precisely what this bunch of rural sadists were doing with their slightly modified way of terrifying captive hares. Clarissa Dickson Wright was one of the crowd who came to enjoy the spectacle. The courts did not punish her. I wonder why? 

Ahhhhh

August is the month when I write books. I had set myself a target of writing 100,000 words from the 1st to the 31st of the month. The total completed and dispatched to my editor is now over 95,000. Today Iain Dale published initial details of the book in a catalogue.

Just another 5,000 words to go. Then days working with the editor to perk up the narrative. After that I can relax. 

I have published three books - all written in Augusts. Three other were not completed. They were AB20, Caught in the Rigging and How to succeed in coarse politics.  Writing is great fun. Nothing beats finishing a book and handing it over to the publisher. In a fortnight perhaps, I will be saying 'Ahhhhh'.

Conspiracy crap

The most implausible part of the conspiracy theory about a Downing Street plan to send the Libyan home to die is that it is based on an impossibility. It would mean that the Scottish Nationalist Party and the Labour were plotting together.

Comments

[HuwOS]

Good luck to you with your book Paul.

As far as the drugs sense from latin america, those countries that take steps like those mentioned are going to find themselves on the bad side of the US. They are all relatively poor countries and very vulnerable to US intimidation unless western democracies stand with them, the policies will be reversed or those countries will find themselves with either new administrations or remarkably well funded terrorists.
They have taken a lead, but they must be supported or disaster will follow.

[Jolly Roger]

Wrong again, Paul, it's time to beef,
It's hardly something beyond belief.
We've already paved the way,
With the shenanigans down at Cardiff Bay.
Labour and Plaid, like fraught young lovers,
Duck and dive beneath the covers,
Nationalist, Socialist, they are as one,
That's National Socialism for you, mun.

There's nowt new from Holyrood or Westminster.
We've aleady done it, my dear old Flynnster.
Once again, Wales is at the head of the queue,
Showing others what to do.
Hang your principles on the hook by the dowor,
And keep your mitts on the levers of power.
It works for us, just look what we've done.
Just give me an hour to think of something, mun.

So don't be surprised, Paul, me old chum,
If it doesn't return to bite the bum.
These marriages of convenience, I fear,
May end in the shedding of a tear.
Diplomacy, expediency, each an accurate word,
To describe the seemingly absurd,
Affections between this unlikely pairing,
It's ar*e covering time that they're actually sharing.

[Paul Flynn]

Thanks Huw. Happily it's a different US with Obama and a different South America with far more independence and self confidence. This is a major world advance. The country that still clings to the US/UN policies is the basket case of Colombia.
Obama is the only US President of recent times who understands the drug problems. He was part of it as a young man.

[Paul Flynn]

Thanks Jolly. There is a great difference here between Scotland and Wales. There is still a bitter division between Labour and Nationalists in Scotland. Watch today's debate.

In Wales the coalition has worked. There has been none of the in-fighting that extreme wings of both parties anticipated. Coalition is mature Government. It's what most intelligent voters want. Tribalism is weakening in politics.

For the first time ever we have strong government in the Assembly that can create a policy and be assured that it will be carried through.

[Paul Flynn]

Thanks for the good wishes about the book Huw. There will be a complimentary copy for the regular contributions to this blog. You deserve it.

[Tony]

Paul, I thought youmight like to see this on Portugals experience on drugs

http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14309861

Makes a lie of the 'drugs need to be criminalised' line ..

And as for Lockerbie ?

I can't imagine the government 'activelu seeking' the guys death'.

But I can see where Straw would get the idea that it would be in our national interest for him not to actually die in prison..

So maybe he eased the situation to allow him to go..

BUT, if it does come out that he was released to enable an oil contract to be agreed then the fallout will be huge ..

[Tony]

Update on Lockerbie..

Some would argue that this is precisely the sort of hard-headed "realpolitik" decision that we elect politicians to take.

Hmmm, what happened to 'an ethical foreign policy' ?

OK, on one hand Libya (not the friendliest of contacts) says if he dies in prison it will jepordise UK business interests -
On the other the UK government says that a committment to the US (our close(ish) ally) no longer matters.
So the UK government make it absolutely clear that releasing him would not be a problem

Pragmatic - yes , Honourable - hell, no

And why, if this followed all 'due process' does it leave such a nasty taste

207 people died on that flight - I think our moral compass is spinning round in circles ...

[George Laird]

Dear Paul

I welcome the decision taken by the Argentina and Mexico Governments.

It is a sensible step forward and long overdue.

But... they have to go further and the next step is to bankrupt the entire drugs market.

That can only be done by the state being radical.

I did a post on my website on 30th July called 'Time to end "victorian" values and bankrupt the drugs market'!

It is the logical next step to cut crime.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

[Kay Tie]

"And why, if this followed all 'due process' does it leave such a nasty taste "

Particularly nasty is the dropped appeal that might well have cut through the murky realpolitik surrounding the dodgy trial in the Hague that put the man in prison in the first place.

It all stinks, from the day we fingered Libya for the crime right through to now.

[Chris Long]

Thankyou Paul for making it possible for others to read news like "Mexico and Argentina decriminalising/legalising drugs" without having to search too hard to find it.

The media, apart from one or 2 papers have pretty much ignored the story and im fed up to the back teeth with it.

Why is it that the UK is so far behind every other country with regards to the drugs issue?

Portugal has seen a large decrease in all associated crimes with regards to drugs, hell, even california has seen a marked reduction just in the last year since allowing medical marijuana dispenseries.
http://www.examiner.com/x-17593-NORML-Examiner~y2009m8d26-Crime-down-in-states-with-medical-marijuana-dispensaries

There are the odd few good politicians that can see the benefits far outweigh the negatives, like yourself, but this issue seriously needs to be tackled sooner rather than later!

Why do you think nothing is done? Do you feel that more could be done and if so, what do you feel needs to be done to bring this issue to the forefront?

Why is the government wasting millions of tax payers monies on advertising campaigns that are nothing more than a complete laugh?
How can the government not see that the links between cannabis and psychosis are false, even when places like Keele university and others have proven what has been known for many years....its just not true.

If the arguement is that it will raise crime and addiction levels then portugals data since 2001 says enough.

Even the UN backs decriminalisation, via the backdoor.....
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/24/un-backs-drug-decriminali_n_220013.html

Alcohol less harmful when used along with cannabis.....
http://www.dailytexanonline.com/top-stories/study-alcohol-less-harmful-paired-with-marijuana-1.1820555

Cannabis, the gateway OUT of drug addiction...
http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/content/gateway-out

Cannabis does not cause lung cancer....
ttp://www.alternet.org/story/142271/smoking_marijuana_does_not_cause_lung_cancer/?page=entire

The list goes on and on, when will we see this being properly debated and acted upon? my hope is soon, my believes are far from that unfortunately.

Cheers for reading,
Chris.

[Nursing pajamas]

"Happy drugs revolt"...great topic! It's good to hear that, 'Argentina and Mexico have taken significant steps towards decriminalising drugs.' Instead of punishing the persons involved, it is good for them to be referred to clinics and treated as patients, not criminals so they would be cured and won't commit crimes anymore.

[cna certification test]

oh i remember this movie! i watched this movie thrice on the sameday LOL
like this movvie it scares my younger sister :D