Mexico's New Debate on the Failed War on Drugs IDARF
go to original August 4, 2012

The presumed president of Mexico, Pena Nieto, recently stated that a “new debate” on the so-called War on Drugs was critical… and we at the International Drug Awareness Research Foundation could not agree more.

Mr. Nieto stated during an interview with CNN, “I do believe we should open up a new debate regarding how to wage war on drug trafficking. Personally I’m not in favor of legalizing drugs. However, let’s open up a new debate in which the U.S. plays a fundamental role in conducting the review.”

We at IDARF agree that new approach is an absolute necessity, but are also determined that any new debate not be solely focused on military intervention, policing, and incarceration; but includes as its primary focus the only realistic measure that can reduce the costs and violence on a global basis: drug awareness, prevention, and education!

The harsh global reality is that the past policies and implementations of the so-called “War On Drugs” has failed. The vast majority of governments, academic institutions, think tanks, and corporate leaders around the world recognize this fact. The United States is in the middle of its most costly anti-drug campaign in history, yet drugs are killing 500,000 Americans every year. The irony is that drug use is probably the world’s leading “preventable” health problem. The costs, both social and economic, are enormous and the strategy that has been in place for decades has done little or nothing to solve the problem. Every city and town in the United States is affected.

The Alarming Facts

• The international illicit drug trade generates $400 billion per year, equivalent to 8% of all world trade
• Greater than $374 billion spent by federal and state governments, some 95.6% was spent on policing, crime, healthcare and related costs; while only 1.9% of this was spent on prevention
• There are 250 million users of illicit drugs worldwide, and millions are involved in cultivation, production and distribution, according to UN estimates
• 90% of Americans who are currently addicted started smoking, drinking, or using drugs before age 18
• People are dying of drug overdoses every day, and drug related deaths now exceed those of traffic related deaths
• 23.6 million citizens (or 8.9% of the U.S. population), young and old, in the U.S. are using illegal narcotics

Parents Watch Children Die As Drug Epidemic Spreads Worldwide

The increase in drug related deaths in teens over the last decade are staggering, and the upsurge in the abuse of prescription drugs such Oxycontin and Vicadin is terrifying. Recent studies have shown that there are enough prescription pain pills in the United States to do every man, woman and child for an entire month!

The entire community is affected by this trend of prescription drug abuse. Families are ripped apart, and policing has very little effect on stopping this devastating trend. Parents do not have the tools or information at hand to even discuss these issues with their children. The only answer is drug awareness, prevention, and education at the family level.

Prevention and Education: The Only Answer

The failure of the War on Drugs is not a matter of debate. A 2011 international commission including Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou and former heads of state, former UN secretary Kofi Annan, British businessman Richard Branson and former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz recognized that the current policies have absolutely failed. However, they came with terrifying conclusion that legalization should be part of the solution. Tom Zatylny, President of the International Drug Awareness Research Foundation, states that legalization would do nothing but add flame to the fire with devastating results. During the recent Summit of The Americas President Obama said, “Legalization is not the answer… The capacity of a large-scale drug trade to dominate certain countries if they were allowed to operate legally without any constraint could be just as corrupting, if not more corrupting, than the status quo.” The answer is not to spend billions on policing or legalization, but to increase spending for drug awareness, prevention, and education. Education! Education! Education!

About the International Drug Awareness Research Foundation

Headquartered and incorporated in 1996 as not-for-profit in the state of Florida, IDARF’s healthcare information products are sought after worldwide. The organization is dedicated to the education and ultimate prevention of substance abuse through the research, development, and distribution of visually arresting high-impact healthcare communications material highlighting drug awareness, prevention and education.

For further information about the International Drug Awareness Research Foundation, please visit www.idarf.org or contact Jay Wzorek, Executive Vice President International Corporate Relations at 8555930071 or via email at wzorek@idarf.org

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