Article published in the n. 16 issue of spanish newspaper DIARIO of 24.12.1989

The sense of impotence concerning the phenomenon of drugs is increasing day by day. In Spain, of course, we have reason enough: in the 11 first months of 1989 alone, the number of deaths (372) caused by the use of drugs has increased by 61%. In the United States, where 50% of all cocaine is consumed, things are no better. To prove it, you only need to look at the figures: in spite of the open war against the gangsters of the Medellin market, the price of cocaine has just gone up in the market.

It really seems like an uneven war. On the one hand, there is pure will. On the other hand there is a problem whose complexity makes any strategy one-way. Sporadic actions in the plantations, for example, have been useless, because the rural economy is based on vegetables from which the toxic substances are extracted (...)

As for simple police action, the thing is even less clear. According to an american survey, enormous investments would be needed, amounting to America's military budget, in order for intercepption of stocks of drugs to make the price of drugs increase by 50%. (...)

The fact is that the advocates of the legalization of drugs are gradually increasing in number. At the end of the summer, the Economist, which is no junky magazine, was openly defending it. And last week something even more extraordinary occurred: for the first time in history, an american federal judge has expressed himself in favour of the legalization of drugs.

Will this tendency spread itself to the political and administtrative milieu? Not for the moment. But later on, who knows...Though there is a certain confusion concerning the effects of legalization on the consumption - there are some negative forecasts, but also some facts that inspire hope: in the Netherlands, for example, the consumption of drugs has decreased since hashish and mariujana were legalized in 1976 -, public opinion is still not favourable, in a consistent measure (...) to abolishing prohibition. In such conditions, it is hard to immagine that politicians, not particularly talented for brave acts, will not continue to comply with public opinion's tendencies, and this in spite of the facts. It will therefore be necessary to wait for crime to become even more serious, for the number of convicts to make prisons explode, for the situation to become virtually unbearable: until then no decision in this sense can be expected to be taken. If it should by chance occur, we would be starting a whole new

chapter (...)