Mike LaSusa
Argentina, a country not commonly associated with the “drug war” in the same way as countries like Mexico or Colombia, is increasingly experiencing violence and corruption linked to drug trafficking.
Last month, the White House called out Bolivia for “failing demonstrably” to comply with international anti-drug agreements for the seventh year in a row. Out of the 22 nations labeled major players in the global drug trade, Bolivia, the only country that permits nationwide legal coca cultivation, was also the only one denied U.S. State Department-managed anti-narcotics aid for the second year in a row.
Following the recent disappearance of dozens of students outside the town of Iguala, in Guerrero State, Mexico, a mass grave was uncovered containing dozens of bodies - burned so badly the government has said it would take weeks to complete full forensic analyses.
Last week, representatives of the Colombian government and the FARC rebel group began a 29th round of peace negotiations in Havana. Over the coming days, victims of the conflict will give testimony to the negotiators, who will eventually decide on the process for recognizing and compensating the many victims of the decades-long civil struggle.
On August 22, in the first of ten drug policy forums to be held around the country, Colombian Justice Minister Yesid Reyes expressed his belief that the nation must find "more efficient" policies than prohibition and imprisonment to deal with drug use. "The evaluation that should be made is how much has imprisonment affected the control of drug use and the answer seems to be that its impact is minimal," he said.