Ethan Nadelmann Statement: Latin American Commission Co-Chaired by 3 Former Presidents Releases Report Calling Drug War Failure

For Immediate Release: February 11, 2009 Contact: Tony Newman (646)335-5384 The Latin-American Commission on Drugs and Democracy (co-chaired by former presidents, Fernando Henrique Cardoso (Brazil), César Gaviria (Colombia) and Ernesto Zedillo (Mexico)) Releases Groundbreaking Report: Says Drug War is a Failure and Calls for “Breaking the Taboo” on Open and Honest Debate Statement by Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, Who Presented to the Commission’s Meeting in Bogota, Colombia in September 2008 “This report (www.drugsanddemocracy.org ) represents a major leap forward in the global drug policy debate. It’s not the first high-level commission to call the drug war a failure, nor is it the first time any Latin American leader has criticized the prohibitionist approach to global drug control. But it is the first time that such a distinguished group of Latin Americans, including three highly regarded ex-presidents, have gone so far in their critique of U.S. and global drug policy and recommendations for what needs to be done. This report breaks new ground in many ways, placing itself at the cutting edge of current debates on the future of global drug control policy. This is evident in its call for a “paradigm shift,” in its recognition of the important role of “harm reduction” precepts and policies, in its push for decriminalization of cannabis, in its critique of “the criminalization of consumption,” and, most importantly, in its conclusion that: ‘The deepening of the debate concerning the policies on drug consumption must be grounded on a rigorous evaluation of the impact of the diverse alternatives to the prohibitionist strategy that are being tested in different countries, focusing on the reduction of individual and social harm.’