"Anti-drug policies in Central America have not had their desired effect,” Public Security Minister Celso Gamboa said. "I can say that after 20 years experience fighting drug trafficking, ... the cases where white collar criminals are caught, those who never touch the drugs, these cases are scarce.”
The argument goes like this: A small country like Costa Rica cannot protect itself from highly armed drug lords without the help of the United States. We need to train police at places like the U.S. Army’s Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), formerly known as the School of the Americas.
It is a job that has previously been held by law enforcement officials, a military general and physicians. But for now, it is occupied by a recovering addict.
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay – A total of 22 companies have submitted bids to supply marijuana under a law making Uruguay the first country to legalize production, sale and distribution of the drug, the government said Thursday.
U.S. states that allow medical marijuana have 25 percent fewer prescription drug overdose deaths, a team of researchers reports in a newly released academic paper, suggesting that expanded access to marijuana, often used for its purported pain-alleviating qualities, could have unintended benefits.
LIMA, Peru – Peruvian police on Wednesday seized a record six tons of cocaine from a Mexican drug cartel operating in the country, in what authorities hailed as a major blow to organized crime.
At approximately 9 a.m. Wednesday morning, Lenin Aguiluz, 45, was opening his pawn shop in the center of Santa Ana when at least three gunmen in a black vehicle called his name.
Opponents of marijuana legalization are rapidly losing the battle for hearts and minds. Simply put, the public understands that however you measure the consequences of marijuana use, the drug is significantly less harmful to users and society than tobacco or alcohol.
In its most recent National Drug Control Strategy, released last week, U.S. officials promised a more humane and sympathetic approach to drug users and addiction. Out, the report suggests, are "tough on crime" policies.
The store, one of 25 licensed statewide this week, had 11 pounds (4,990 grams) of pot when it opened July 8 and sold out about 5 p.m. local time Thursday, owner James Lathrop said. With taxes, 2-gram bags sold for $46.77, he said.
