(THE NEW PARTY, MARCH 1993)

Leon Schwartzenberg is a member of the European Parliament in the Socialist group, former Health Minister in the Rocard government (he resigned over differences of opinion on the issue of drugs and drug-trafficking), and a member of the Radical Party. During the proceedings of the commission devoted to the subject of anti-prohibitionism - chaired by the Bulgarian deputy Elena Poptodorova and Rita Bernardini, member of the Federal Council of the Radical Party, rapporteur Maurizio Turco, the Co.R.A. secretary - Schartzenberg underlined a number of aspects of the problem.

"In a civilized world, do we or do we not have the right to inform people of the risks they run if they make excessive use of illegal drugs?" In Schwartzenberg's opinion, the problem of drugs and drug addiction is the absence of restrictions in the use of drugs. What can we do about it? "The fundamental question consists in deciding whether the current situation can continue." His answer is "No! Everything that has been done in the entire world and in the so-called civilized, democratic and free countries, has been a total failure. Ten years ago there were 100,000 heroin-users in France. There are now 150,000." We cannot, therefore, continue with a policy that has failed, but nor can we uphold the exact opposite. "Our position - continued Schwartzenberg - is not that of those who claim that there are no solutions except their own." So what is the concrete proposal that the ex-minister outlined during the debate? "If we decided tomorrow not so much to sell heroin freely but to make it available in accessible

quantities, at affordable prices, would or would there not be an increase in consumption and demand? If there were an increase, how large would it be? How long would it last? Many people believe that there would be an increase. I do not agree. We are faced here with ideological frontiers which we must break down, a task which is far from easy. Because this type of ideological frontier is similar to a moral frontier, which cannot be broken down because people do not want to try new solutions. There is another serious problem. We must introduce anti-prohibitionist measures in many different countries. The US is the first country that must be convinced. Important economists have given their opinion on this point. An end to prohibition would have the same effect as the end of the prohibition of alcohol. It would mean defeat for organizations like the Mafia. The current problems would not continue if there was controlled legalization of these drugs. We must challenge these frontiers, we must say that we will figh

t a certain type of moralism which proves that we are not completely free."