To the Members of Parliament of ...
Brussels, October 28th, 1996
Dear deputy and colleague (Mr. or Ms.),
The "War on Drugs" has failed: those responsible for the international police admit it, the governments of the countries that produce and the countries that consume the most drugs admit it, the most attentive international observers admit it. The repressive interventions that have been undertaken and the uniformity of prohibitionist policies that thrive in the world (especially in Western countries and in the regions where drugs are produced) have not produced any significant reduction in the distribution or commerce of drugs, in particular of the so-called "hard drugs." The UN program responsible for Anti-Drug and Anti-Crime programs has declared that the fight against drug trafficking is almost without hope, that the criminal organizations today directly and indirectly control the economies and governments of many drug-producing nations, and they are in positions of notable influence in countries where these drugs are consumed, in particular in developing nations and in the countries of Central and Eastern
Europe.
In Western Europe, among the nations that have produced the most important results in the decapitation of the most powerful Mafia organizations who are the principal organizers and controllers of the drug market, the total amount of captured heroin does not count for more than ten percent of that in circulation. The cost of heroin corresponds to 1.700 times the cost of its production; one gram of heroin is equal to ten grams of gold.
What has made the creation of such a fountain of wealth, of a weapon as powerful as the control of the drug market, possible for the criminal organizations? How can the nations of the entire world slacken and weaken the grave consequences of this illicit commerce, while defending the democracy and economy of every state? What else must occur before they realize that they are blind before reality?
In order to avoid being accomplice to those who do not wish the situation to change, or those who prefer some false moralistic declaration denying the realistic analysis of the situation- because the false moralisms and positions of principle have produced only death and destruction - some Parliamentarians and citizens, of various political affiliations, have decided to give life to a political organization in Europe.
In this context, we submit the following to your attention:
1. a recommendation proposal deposited in the European parliament by more than 60 deputies. The idea would be to deposit similar documents under the form of a motion or for resolution in many of the Parliaments of the members of the European Community.
2. a brochure that resumes, across brief texts, the principal arguments in favor of the regulation and legalization of all drugs.
We also propose:
3. to participate at the First European Congress for the Radical Anti-Prohibitionist Coordination which will be held in Brussels from Dec. 5-7, 1996, in the seat of the European Parliament (the languages of the conference will be Spanish, French, English, Italian, and Dutch).
4. to receive our bi-monthly bulletin of information and action "Anti-Prohibitionism in the World - Fax" that is sent free of charge by fax or e-mail to parliamentarians and citizens all over the world.
We hope to see you soon at the CoRA Congress in Brusselsand, in the meantime we send you our best regards.
Carlo ROSSI Olivier DUPUIS
President of the CORA Secretary of the
Instructor of Transnational Radical Party
Statistics/Mathematics Member of the
at the University of Rome European Parliament
Statistic Consultant of UNDCP
- Transnational Radical Party
c/o European Parliament
REM 5.08
Rue Belliard 97
1040 Brussels
Tel. +32-2-230.41.21
Fax. +32-2-230.36.70
E-Mail: pr.bruxelles@agora.stm.it
