But you have to start somewhere – remember the dramatic increase in public support for cannabis legalisation – and discussing the issue is a first step. This year`s Global Drug Survey, for example, asks respondents if they would be willing to pay extra for ethically and “fairly-produced” cocaine. Rolles hopes his yet-untitled book, which will hopefully be published later this year, will further stimulate that dialogue. Before we go any further, you know that cocaine use or possession is still very illegal in almost every country. Probably in the country you`re reading this from. At the same time, Bolivia launched its “Coca sí, Cocaína no” programme, which enshrined coca in the constitution but demonized cocaine in powder form. This makes sense because coca is historically deeply linked to Bolivian national identity, while cocaine powder is associated with “neoliberalism” and capitalist exploitation, according to Paul Gootenberg of Stony Brook University. South Dakota on Tuesday became the first state where voters approved both recreational marijuana and medical marijuana through two separate initiatives in the same election. The legalization of recreational marijuana was approved by Montana voters, and medical marijuana was approved in Mississippi. Progressive drug policies seem to be taking root in the United States. Just ten years ago, recreational cannabis was not legally available anywhere, but now 10 states have introduced legalization, and many more are moving in that direction. Given the recent approval of esketamine by the FDA — MDMA and psilocybin psychotherapy not far behind — psychedelic drugs appear to be next, at least partially free of prohibition.
Since 1994, possession of 1 gram of cocaine for personal use has been legal. The sale remains illegal, but personal production or donation of cocaine is allowed. Bolivia is the only other country where cocaine is truly legal, not just decriminalized as in Portugal. In 2008, the country significantly excluded the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and withdrew from the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. The country re-enrolled in 2013, but with one exception for coca. Today, about 3 million people in Bolivia use coca leaves. The prohibition of cannabis and psychedelics is slowly dissolving in some places, but it`s harder for stimulants to sell it right now. Even someone who believes that psilocybin mushrooms should be allowed in therapy, or that cannabis should be sold as freely as beer, may have a hard time accepting a legal market for cocaine. At various times around the world, coffee was illegal and cocaine was widely consumed.
Cocaine is illegal because it is highly addictive in its current form, and unregulated cocaine mixed with various cutting agents increases the risk of overdose or serious illness. You have to start somewhere – and discussing the topic is a first step. With decades of trials and mounting scientific evidence, it is abundantly clear that prohibition only makes risky drug use. If we really want to reduce drug-related mortality and other health problems, it makes more sense to regulate legal drug markets than to encourage illicit drug markets. So-called “hard” drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine are no exception. Tax proposals have been put to a vote in more than a dozen states. Tobacco tax increases were passed in Colorado and Oregon. Colorado voters also approved a slight income tax cut. Proposals to raise income taxes on the wealthy stayed in Illinois, but led to Arizona, where the new revenues would fund salary increases for teachers and other school staff. A California property tax increase for businesses remained nearby. Cocaine is used for some surgical procedures (mainly eye and nose surgery), and therefore it is legal for surgeons to use it in these circumstances. There is no place in the world where it is legal for general use.
Indeed, cocaine is prohibited by the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (although cocaine is not a narcotic). A national campaign to relax drug laws took an important step forward Tuesday as voters made Oregon the first state to decriminalize possession of small amounts of street drugs such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. Meanwhile, five other states have legalized marijuana for adults. Possession of cocaine without a doctor`s prescription is illegal. Small amounts for personal consumption may go unpunished for first-time or non-regular offenders, but this varies from province to province. The use, possession and cultivation of Class B drugs is illegal in Greece, except for medical reasons. Personal use could be decriminalized. Its use in public is also illegal. The cultivation of coca plants is legal and coca leaves are sold openly in markets. As in Bolivia, chewing leaves and drinking coca tea are cultural practices. Possession of up to 2 grams of cocaine or 5 grams of coca paste is legal in Peru for personal use under Article 299 of the Peruvian Penal Code. It is important to note that if a person possesses two or more types of drugs at the same time, this is considered a criminal offence.
The Drug Initiative in Oregon will allow people caught with small amounts of hard drugs to avoid trial and possible jail time by paying a $100 fine and participating in an addiction treatment program. The treatment centers are funded by revenue from legalized marijuana, which was approved in Oregon a few years ago. Colombia`s new president, Gustavo Petro, wants to legalize and regulate cocaine in his country. He is right that prohibition in South America, fueled by billions of dollars in U.S. aid, is ineffective and wasteful. Nevertheless, Mr. Petro`s plan to unilaterally legalize cocaine will not reduce the violence and corruption fueled by illicit international trade and could inadvertently create more problems than it solves. The United States should listen to the will of the Colombian people and help find an option somewhere between failed law enforcement and reckless legality. There is no penalty for transporting up to 1/2 gram per gram, but any higher quantity is illegal. That doesn`t stop Steve Rolles, senior policy analyst at the Transform Drug Policy Foundation, a British think tank. He hopes that nations will soon regulate and legalize the sale, possession and use of spinning tops.
He does not say that these drugs do not pose risks, but he notes that prohibition does nothing to mitigate those risks and that we need a different approach. As misguided as sudden legalization is, the U.S. has room for negotiation. It is important to note that some of Mr. Petro, such as ending the eradication of coca plantations, would not threaten U.S. interests. Since the supply and price of cocaine in the United States reflect more the cost of maintaining illicit international supply chains than the cost of illicit production, they would not change even if Colombian production increased. The most reliable indicators of drug abuse, such as treatment admissions and workplace urinalysis test results, did not change significantly with fluctuations in cocaine production. The recent increase in overdose rates is likely caused more by concomitant opioids than by the increased availability of cocaine.
Spillovers from surplus legal producers to other countries are possible, but the amount of cocaine consumed outside Colombia is unlikely to change. In order to retain the financial support of Colombia`s allies, Petro`s government must convince them that a domestic legal market can and will be contained. It is more likely to do this through gradual rather than abrupt changes. Legal markets could solve this growing problem. To take an example, let`s focus on cocaine. A legal market for coke may seem absurd, but the drug became widely used in the United States a century ago, as a remedy for baldness and better known as an early ingredient in Coca-Cola. Could a regulated cocaine market function 100 years later? And what could convince politicians to seriously consider this idea? The consumption and possession of fresh coca leaves for chewing and teas is legal. Whether it`s coca leaves or a line of white powder or free-base coke (crack), it`s the same drug – but different strengths and routes of administration can have very different effects. Voters in New Jersey and Arizona have approved measures to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older.
In New Jersey, lawmakers must now pass another measure to establish the new marijuana market. Arizona`s measure also allows people convicted of certain marijuana-related crimes to request deletion of their records. The passage of the measure marked a change in attitude after Arizona voters narrowly rejected a legal pot proposal in 2016.