"An intelligent way to combat drug trafficking"
*Updated Aug. 29*Guadalajara -
President Obama will arrive in Mexico next week - his first official visit since Enrique Peña Nieto took office Dec. 1 - and in advance of the trip Washington is busily advertising what it has billed as a new approach to combating drug usage in the United States.
The timing is not coincidental. The president has acknowledged that U.S. drug demand is responsible for damage done to Mexico and other Latin American nations. And a recent report by the U.S. Center for Investigative Reporting found that drug cartels regularly recruit U.S. nationals to haul their illicit merchandise across the border. Mexican drug traffickers find ready assistance in mules carrying American passports.
Meanwhile, states like Colorado and Washington have defied the federal government on marijuana, contending they have the power to legalize the plant for recreational purposes. Although they don't, and the use of cannabis remains prohibited by U.S. criminal statutes, the president hasn't responded. When asked about the state initiatives just days after his re-election, Obama replied, "I've got other fish to fry right now." His response, and others like it, have led to more than a little frustration in this country, where a late 2012 survey showed that 79% are firmly against drug legalization. Mexico's incoming PRI government pays little attention to marijuana efforts in U.S..
This week president Obama sent U.S. drug czar Gil Kerlikowske to the plate, who offered a carefully choreographed overview of the administration's plan for dealing with drug usage. At the heart of it is "neuroscience, not politics," according to his 104 page report, which noted that "drug addiction is not only a criminal justice matter, but a significant public health concern." The document said that by 2020 mental health services and addiction counseling would be available to more than 60 million Americans. That's nearly 20% of the current U.S. population.
Tomorrow Kerlikowske and other officials will travel to Baltimore, where they will formally deliver the administration's plans before an assembly at the Johns Hopkins University Medical School. Advance copies of the report and planned comments by the drug czar were released to media sources today. They're being widely quoted and analyzed in the Mexican press.
"The main message is that we're focusing on a public health approach, and the importance of treating persons with drug issues. We can't solve the problem by arrests or by the legalization of drugs," said Kerlikowske. But he stopped short of saying what, if anything, the Obama administration would do with the Colorado and Washington legislation, as well as medical marijuana laws in numerous other American jurisdictions.
It was the second time in less than a year that Kerlikowske has denied president Obama supports drug legalization. He said that his four decades as a police officer convinced him that treatment and prevention are at the heart of a successful anti-drug strategy. Kerlikowske worked for several police departments in Florida and New York, and was appointed police chief of Seattle in July 2001.
In 2010, after California voted on and rejected Proposition 19 which would have legalized marijuana for personal use, Kerlikowske commented, "Californians recognized that legalizing marijuana will not make our citizens healthier, solve California's budget crisis or reduce drug related violence in Mexico." According to an Associated Press report at the time, before that vote the Obama administration had threatened to sue the state if the proposition passed - something it has not yet done, or even hinted at, with Colorado or Washington.
"We hope that between increasing resources for the drug dependent and the 2010 health insurance reforms, millions will now receive the help they need, which in turn will help us reduce costs in the criminal justice system," Kerlikowske said in his prepared statement. Calling the plan "an intelligent way to combat" drug trafficking, he said more nonviolent offenders will be sent to treatment programs instead of incarcerated. The expanded use of state and local drug courts and community prevention programs are also key features of the Obama strategy. The report claims that every dollar invested in prevention portends a potential savings of $18 in treatment expenditures.
According to the administration, in 2011 some 21.6 million Americans age 12 or older were in need of alcohol or drug addiction care, but only 2.3 million received it - less than 11%. The government says military veterans and university students are among those most likely to require medical intervention for substance abuse.
In 2012 the administration earmarked $9.2 billion for drug treatment and prevention. In fiscal 2014, which begins in September, the sum will increase to $10.5 billion.
The report acknowledges that the misuse of prescription medications, especially those containing codeine and opioids like hydrocodone and oxycodone (commercially marketed as OxyContin), is a growing problem in the United States. In 2010 more than 38,000 Americans died from the abuse of such drugs, which experts say can be highly addictive.
Although Washington admits that there were more heroine users in 2011, it claims that overall, drug consumption in the United States is falling. The Kerlikowske report says that methamphetamine use has dropped by a third since 2006, and cocaine usage by as much as 50%. While those numbers may be accurate in the absolute sense, they will be of little solace to Mexico and Central America. Guatemala and Nicaragua contend that 85-90% of the Colombian produced cocaine destined for the U.S. market passes through their territory, leading to grave political and social instability and rampant common crime. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC) agrees with the proposition.
On that hot button topic, Kerlikowske's report stresses that the U.S. has a "shared responsibility" in the war against narcotics trafficking, and must continue working closely with its partners in Mexico and Latin America. It also urges alertness in the face of an incipient eastward drift of the drug trade (Mexico is "witnessing the end of drug trafficking" - but with a worrisome shift to Caribbean).
Presidents Barack Obama and Enrique Peña Nieto will have many issues to discuss next week in their first official encounter. The "new and improved" U.S. drug strategy will surely be high on the list.
Aug. 29 - U.S. hypocrisy on legalization poses the question, who is committed to combating drugs?
May 26 - Joe Biden tells Latin press, "No vamos por la senda de legalizar drogas"
May 2 - President Obama arrives in Mexico
Apr. 30 - Mexico refused U.S. offer to "take out El Chapo Guzmán"
Apr. 29 - 56% of Mexicans blame the United States for narco violence in their country
Apr. 29 - The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration "has more employees in Mexico than in any other of its 67 foreign posts," reported The Washington Post two days ago. U.S. role at a crossroads in Mexico’s intelligence war on the cartels.
Apr. 24 - Malaysia's OLD drug war strategy
Mar. 15 - U.S. splits over marijuana, but Kansas says: it's still illegal in Sunflower State
Feb. 17 - U.S. freezes Mérida Initiative funds promised to Mexico, approved by Congress
Feb. 27, 2012 - U.S. rejects Guatemala's proposal to "open a dialog" on possible drug legalization
Dec. 6, 2011 - Mérida Summit to U.S.: get the drug usage under control, stop the flow of weapons
© MGRR 2013. All rights reserved. This article may be cited or briefly quoted with proper attribution or a hyperlink, but not reproduced without permission.
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