Pubdate: Sat, 18 May 2013
Source: Morning News, The (Springdale, AR)
Copyright: 2013 The Stephens Media Group
Contact:  http://www.nwaonline.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/835
Page: 7A

LEGALIZE MARIJUANA, OAS STUDY ADVISES

LIMA, Peru - An Organization of American States study commissioned in
response to calls by some Latin American leaders for rethinking the
war on drugs advocates serious discussion of legalizing marijuana.

"Sooner or later decisions in this area will need to be taken," the
study released Friday says, although it makes no proposals or specific
recommendations on any issue.

The $2.2 million study also notes that "no significant support" was
found among any of its 35 member nations for the "decriminalization or
legalization of the trafficking of other illicit drugs," including
cocaine, which most directly affects the region.

The report was hailed as historic by drug-policy overhaul advocates
who call the more than $20 billion that Washington has spent on
fighting drugs in Latin America over the past decade a damaging waste
of taxpayer money.

The study arose from last year's Summit of the Americas in Cartagena,
Colombia, and was presented by outgoing OAS Secretary-General Jose
Miguel Insulza on Friday in Bogota to Colombian President Juan Manuel
Santos, who has said he smoked marijuana as a college student at the
University of Kansas.
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MAP posted-by: Matt