August, 2009

The Indefensible War on Drugs

by Ted Galen Carpenter
The Conversation
August 31st, 2009

In his latest post, James Roberts once again has an opportunity to defend the four-decade track record of the war on drugs. Once again, he neglects or declines to do so. Instead, he presents yet another installment in his entirely speculative case that ending prohibition would be a policy disaster. Presumably, he means that it [...]

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Legalization: Coddling the “Me Generation” and Putting the Country at Risk

by James Roberts
The Conversation
August 31st, 2009

Some final thoughts from me on what has been an interesting online conversation. Ms. Hanson argued that attempts “to disrupt the supply or transit of drugs [would be] a futile endeavor.” In response, Dr. Castañeda pointed to “legalization as the only long-term solution.” Those sweeping statements made legalization sound like a “Silver Bullet” to me [...]

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Cracks in the Drug War Fortress

by Ted Galen Carpenter
The Conversation
August 26th, 2009

The allegation by James Roberts that he has been the victim of ad hominem attacks is bizarre and unhelpful. Until his latest post, the discussion on Cato Unbound has been both civil and substantive. Since I seem to be the principal target of his complaint, I want to point out that I criticized his use [...]

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To the Barricades — for Freedom!

by James Roberts
The Conversation
August 25th, 2009

When the ad hominem attacks begin, it is a cue to the reader that the debate opponent is finding himself on the losing end of the argument. I would expect the assaults if they were coming from the left, but it is disappointing to see them coming from an ally on the right. In good [...]

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The Forty Years’ War

by Ted Galen Carpenter
The Conversation
August 24th, 2009

Both Jorge Castaneda and Stephanie Hanson make some compelling points. Dr. Castaneda is absolutely correct that Mexico cannot go it alone with regard to significant drug policy reforms. Despite its self-inflicted wounds (most notably the Iraq war and the domestic financial meltdown), the United States is still the 800-pound gorilla in the international system. Mexico [...]

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The Eroding Support for the Drug War

by Jorge Castaneda
The Conversation
August 21st, 2009

On Stephanie Hanson’s reflections, I think two points are in order. First, today President Calderón signed into law a bill passed by Congress three months ago increasing the amounts of legally possessed drugs, from heroin, to meth, to cocaine. The allowed quantities are very small (smaller than in a similar bill passed in 2006 but [...]

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Don’t Fence Us Into Your Brave New World!

by James Roberts
The Conversation
August 19th, 2009

To varying degrees Professor Castañeda, Ms. Hanson, and Dr. Carpenter all make arguments against the “prohibition model” and for the abolition or substantial modification of U.S. laws against illegal drugs. This is their silver bullet to solve the narco-terror threat to the United States. and Mexico. To avoid muddying their reasoning and weakening their arguments, [...]

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On Decriminalization

by Stephanie Hanson
The Conversation
August 19th, 2009

Jorge Castañeda suggests that “Mexico should lobby the U.S. in favor of decriminalization, and should make its stance known, but on the understanding that it cannot act unilaterally.” This is an idea I support, but I am wondering if we can explore some of the details of such a strategy. First, is there consensus among [...]

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