Traveling this week in Brazil, Pope Francis delivered an
unexpected broadside against the current push in the region by some governments
to revise drug consumption laws. Visiting a drug rehabilitation center in Rio
de Janeiro, the pontiff said,
"A reduction in the spread and influence of drug addiction will not be achieved
by a liberalization of drug use, as is currently being proposed in various
parts of Latin America." Rather, "it is necessary to confront the problems
underlying the use of these drugs," which includes promoting greater justice
and more education.
He went on to denounce powerful drug-trafficking
syndicates as "merchants
of death," adding, "The scourge of drug trafficking, that favors violence
and sows the seeds of suffering and death, requires an act of courage from
society as a whole."
The pope's words are a devastating blow to the current
campaign calling for a fundamental rethinking on how to prosecute the war on
drugs in the Americas. Much to the chagrin of Barack Obama's administration,
that has become the primary issue many of the United States' neighbors want to
discuss in regional forums. And it is not just anti-American populists pushing
the matter just to embarrass the United States, but responsible governments
like Colombia and Guatemala.
In fact, just as Pope Francis spoke those words in
Rio, Organization of American States Secretary-General José Miguel Insulza was traveling
in neighboring Uruguay and Paraguay delivering copies of the organization's
recent report
saying that governments
should consider
decriminalizing some drug use. The ostensible goal would be to make trafficking
less lucrative and hence reduce incentives for drug-related violence.
Certainly no one can blame those frustrated governments
whose societies have been most ravaged by the narcotics trade -- the wanton
violence, the pervasive corruption, the economic dislocations, and the
destroyed lives -- for seeking alternative solutions. But the pope's words are
a reminder that there are no easy solutions -- no silver bullet -- to
eliminating the criminal element in our collective midst.
The Obama administration's response to the regional
effort is to say it is open to dialogue on the issue, which is really just a
polite way of saying it has no plans to alter current counternarcotics
policies. In Guatemala, Secretary of State John Kerry said,
"These challenges simply defy any simple, one-shot
Band-Aid [approach].… Drug abuse destroys lives, tears at communities of all of
our countries."
The
administration is right to hold the line on drug policy. It is not to be hardhearted
about the domestic costs that countries have borne fighting the drug scourge. After
all, they are paying the price to feed the recreational habits of consumers in
wealthier societies such as the United States. But there is no compelling
evidence that less restrictive policies would lessen drug-related violence or
otherwise improve their respective situations in any way. In fact, what is
certain to occur is a spike in local consumption, with all the attendant social
ills and economic dislocations that would engender.
Countries
must continue the admittedly challenging tasks of developing more-effective law
enforcement capabilities, open and transparent court systems, and better
prisons, while increasing economic opportunity and building strong social
sectors. As Pope Francis alludes, regional governments have no choice but to
continue tackling the tough reforms that are essential for their own future
political stability, democratic consolidation, the general welfare, and
national security.