Decriminalizing Drugs ~ Mexico's Sensible Fox

Excellent to read in CNN that former Mexican President Vicente Fox joined fellow members of the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy, Mexican Ex-President Ernesto Zedillo, Colombian Ex-President César Gaviria, and Brazilian Ex-President Fernando Henrique Cardoso in urging the decriminalization of drugs, starting with the soft-drug marijuana. As they and the Commission note...

"The problem is that current policies are based on prejudices and fears and not on results. [The current anti-drug battle is like] Prohibition in the United States in the 1920s [...] What worked in the U.S. was not Eliot Ness," referring to the federal agent famous for fighting gangsters in the 1920s and 1930s. "It was the repeal of Prohibition."

This makes total sense. Not only is the drug war a massive waste of money which has totally failed and has lead to horrible collateral violence and jails overflowing with non-criminals. More important, it is a fundamental and inherent violation of the basic civil rights of each individual to Freedom of Choice about themselves and their lives. We allow nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, and other drugs. What makes marijuana and others any different? Here's some actual data relevant to this discussion...