Ecuador A Drug Policy Leader

By James E. Gierach, Palos Park, IL, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP)

Dear Editor:

In 1994, the Swiss started a heroin maintenance program for addicted drug users (only) that was so successful in improving the health of addicts and stopping crime that the program was sent to the World Health Organization for study and, in 2008 Swiss voters agreed by referendum to continue the successful heroin maintenance program.

In 2000, the Portuguese decriminalized the possession of small quantities of all drugs for personal consumption, recognizing the limits of power and government’s inability to stop people from consuming drugs by outlawing them. The result – rather than crime and drug use increasing, it decreased.

In the 1970s, Hollanders decided to make marijuana, the world’s most popular illegal drug with over a hundred million users worldwide annually (http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20120105/worldwide-illegal-drug-use-estimated-200-million-people-year), de facto legal through tolerance of its now world-famous “coffee shops.” The result – as intended, the plan successfully separated “hard” and “soft” drug markets with significantly lower rates of drug use than in the U.S. On the other hand in the U.S., zero-tolerant prohibition of all drug use (hard and soft) turned out to be the “gateway” to dreaded polydrug use and higher rates of drug use.

In 2009, Bolivians exercising democratic prerogatives adopted a new constitution that afforded constitutional protection of its hallowed cultural, medicinal and historic use of the coca leaf for millenniums (coca leaf is also the prime ingredient of cocaine, powder and crack) in the high Andean country, despite being a signatory to the United Nations 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. That convention outlaws the coca plant, heroin and marijuana and farcically includes all three in Schedule I of outlawed drugs with high potential for abuse and supposedly no medicinal value. However, as of 2014 marijuana is legal in Colorado and the state of Washington, the country of Uruguay, and 20 U.S. states and the District of Columbia say marijuana is medicine.

And now in 2014, Ecuadorians have disavowed the popular U.S. practice of “policing for profit,” where seized drug property and profits are plowed back into the drug-war machine, feeding law-enforcement in terms of police hiring, salaries, overtime, equipment, vehicles and buildings. Instead, Ecuador is impounding drug dealer assets and land and using the plunder to support poor and vulnerable communities with jobs for residents through development of sustainable economic projects as an alternative to illicit drug cultivation, processing and transit.

Meeting with the drug czar of Ecuador Rodrigo Vélez and ten members of the international press from Colombia, Guatemala, Uruguay, Cuba, Ecuador and Canada and seeing those Ecuadorean projects personally last month confirms the vitality of its efforts. One shrimp farm is providing jobs and generating $80,000 every four months while a high-tech program tracks 1,805 private companies that purchase, ship, use and account for precursor drug products in real time. The press and I also inspected an operating community, corn-farm alternative.

My four-day adventure to beautiful Ecuador gave me hope for drug policy reform, a sober society, viable community crop-substitution programs, control of precursor chemicals and the possibility of approval of a UN drug prohibition treaty amendment that would end the failed war on drugs and restore peace, health and freedom while reducing the harm of drugs and the war on drugs.

(originally published by The Regional News May 7, 2014)

Neill Franklin's visit to Hilo generating interest!

We fondly remember David's Bratzer's visit to the Big Island two years ago, and we are looking forward to Neill's visit to Hilo on Friday February 3rd.

We've been working on his schedule and it is filling in nicely...it won't be an easy "aloha Friday" for Neill after his busy four days in Honolulu...

He'll start off by meeting Hawaii County Councilman Dennis "Fresh" Onishi. It is a "Furlough Friday" so we really appreciate Councilman Onishi extending his aloha.

Next up, the Rotary Club of Hilo, an organization with many conservative members. The Hawaii County Chief of Police (Harry Kubojiri) recently made a presentation before this group (mostly about the concerns of the local police regarding the state's medical marijuana program), so Neill's presentation will no doubt raise a few eyebrows. Can't wait to gauge the reaction of the attendees once the presentation is over.

Our friends at Global HOPE, Noelie Rodriguez and the students, were able to reserve the Campus Central Plaza at UH Hilo, so Neill will become the second LEAP speaker to wow the students with his message (D Bratz got there first, yo!).

Finally, a very favorable crowd is expected at 4:30pm at the East Hawaii Cultural Council. Neill will most certainly be "preaching to the choir" at this event, which is open to the public. We expect that many victims of the "War on Drugs" from this community will be in attendance, and Neill message of change and reconciliation is going to be a healing one for many.

Local blogs are picking up the story...

http://hawaiinewsdaily.com/

http://www.bigislandnewscenter.com/

And, the Big Island Weekly, which publishes on a Wednesday is looking to do a story which would hit the stands two days before Neill's arrival.

It is going to be a great day!

Supporter of Drug Legalization wins CPAC straw poll

At CPAC, an annual gathering of American conservatives in Washington, D.C., Texas Republican Congressman Ron Paul won a straw poll as their top choice to run for President in 2012. This is significant for drug reformers as the Texas Congressman has campaigned for years against the drug war.

Paul did not shy away from this issue during his speech to CPAC as witnessed by the first 30 seconds or so of this clip.

LEAP, of course, is non-partisan, but it is encouraging to see that someone who advocates for ending the drug war can find significant support in the conservative movement.