Breaking the Taboo: Tackling drug addiction

Mitch Winehouse met with MPs this week to urge them to give addicts more chances to get better by focusing on rehabilitation and not criminal justice. The controversial subject of drug addiction has been brought up once more with the death of Mitch’s 27-year-old daughter, singer Amy Winehouse, and when some one dies so young it is impossible not to wonder: is it time for a new approach?

The documentary “Breaking the Taboo” brings together former political leaders to open an honest debate about drug trafficking and addiction. Seeking the opinions of leaders like Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, former Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso travelled the world to see how different countries deal with the war on drugs. The result is an eye opening documentary.

Forty years ago, the United States declared war on drugs; this zero tolerance policy has not helped in the least, as drug traffickers have found ways around the strict laws. The film shows that not only is it extremely easy to buy drugs anywhere but that there are no prisons free of drugs; even the maximum security prisons are full of them.

Going back and forth between former leaders of several countries such as Colombia, Mexico, Switzerland and Holland, the current strict policy used to tackle drugs in most countries is weakened. Bill Clinton, using his powerful personal experience of having a brother who was addicted to cocaine, determines that the issue of drug shouldn’t be treated as a military affair but as people issue.

The contrasting realities produce a very strong argument of decriminalization of drug use. In Holland, where marijuana is legal and addicts are given drugs by the government, people are taken away from the crime and the decadence of the addiction. By coming closer to the government and clean ‘using’ facilities, the chances of rehabilitation increase and the probability of contamination diminishes.

In countries such as Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, harsh realities are told. In Colombia, getting kidnapped or killed in the name of the drug war is common, and every family has some kind of tragedy to do with it. In Brazil, the civil warfare to ‘contain’ the drug lords is common, but the corruption is so intrinsic to the system that no real peace is ever gained. In Mexico, people are beheaded every day because of drug trafficking.

All of this irrefutable violence should certainly proven that a new solution is needed; the war has clearly failed. Should marijuana be legal? Should the government really provide addicts with drugs? Should peace be declared?

These are questions that must be treated very carefully and with special attention to each drug. Decriminalization is very important, especially if the person is an addict and is risking their life by not approaching the authorities for help. Most addicts don’t have money to pay for rehab and the situation becomes even worse if they are put in jail for possession – addiction is ultimately a disease. Crime might come along with it, but it is a disease that must be treated.

‘Breaking the Taboo’ is opening the door for honest debates about drugs and every problem they cause. And what better time to start a new approach than now?

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