'Prohibition is the great ally of the narco-traffickers'- Senator Vivian Morales
NarcoNews | 29.08.2001 12:14
Thursday, August 23, 2001
The debate over drug legalization opens in
Colombia
By Associated Press (in Spanish)
Congress has opened the debate over the legalization of drugs, but the government of president Andres Pastrana warned that this initiative can not be undertaken unilaterally by Colombia.
Interior Minister Armando Estrada Villa said that the legislation to legalize the production, distribution and consumption of drugs, under a monopoly by the Colombia government, is not viable at this moment.
"Legalization would pit us alone against the world," Estrada said in the Senate last night, recalling that Colombia has signed international agreements to combat drug trafficking.
Senator Vivian Morales, sponsor of the bill, said that her objective is to "create political deeds to open a debate about legalization because the prohibitionist alternative is not the solution for Colombia."
The legalization bill is accompanied by another bill to suspend the aerial fumigation of coca and poppy crops in order to avoid environmental damages and exonerate peasant and indigenous farmers that have subsistence level farms.
---
For more on this historic pronouncement (aka politicos coming to their senses) go to:-
NarcoNews
Homepage:
http://www.narconews.com/colombiacongress1.html