The Conference Finished

Read here the conclusions about the III Latin American Conference and I Mexican Conference on Drug Policy.

Broad consensus on ending the war on drugs in Latin America

Comprehensive public policies for the areas affected by violence decriminalization of possession and harm reduction strategies, prioritize human rights over military operations, respect the cultural uses of substances and alternatives to prison sentences for the weakest links traffic were the recommendations at the conclusion of the Third Latin American Conference on Drug Policy, which met yesterday and today in Mexico City over three hundred people, including government officials, experts and activists from 32 countries.

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Tension between recreational and religious use of drugs

The recreative uses of drug historically linked to religious uses are valid? This question crossed the panel “Drugs, identities and cosmogonies,” where exhibitors raised that psychoactive substances are linked since time immemorial to the mythic narratives that offer a comprehensive worl view. The BrazilianBeatriz Labate stated: “There is no opposition between traditionaland recreational uses,the opposed is the abuse.”

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Inclusive health policy and harm reduction

In the “ Socio- sanitary solutions, experiences and challenges” panel , Andrea Gonzalez stressed that the illegality of drugs prevents any accurate or abundant information about their effects. Di Nella Yago stressed that health policy should stop excluding  drug users and vulnerable populations in general, Giselle Amador Muñoz questioned the policies of his country (Costa Rica), Laura Guzman discusses the experience of crack users , and Maria Elena Ramos spoke on harm reduction.

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UN agencies advocate harm reduction but ratify the drug war

This afternoon at the Third Latin American Conference on Drug Policy that takes place today and tomorrow in Mexico City. UNAIDS, WHO, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (ONUDOC / UNODC) and the OAS designated harm reduction as a necessary strategy in dealing with drug users. For his part, Antonio Mazzitelli, the Latin American representative of the agency defended the repressive policies. “We do not have a system of prohibition, but of control,” he said.

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“The constitutions are not respected to make war against drug in Latin America”

Prisons overloaded of petty drug dealers, everyday more women are imprisoned cause of drug crimes; illegal grows in constant movement between Andean borders; disrespect of ethnic human rights and political constitutions hurt in benefit of a repressive policy are some of the consequences of drug war exposed by specialist of Latin America in this first day of debate at the III Drug policy conference in Latin America.

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