Saturday, June 11, 2011

Gabor Maté: Obama Admin Should Heed Global Panel’s Call to End "Failed" U.S.-Led Drug War; More Compassion, Less Violence Needed in Addressing Drug Ad

Democracy Now

Dr. Gabor Maté: Obama Admin Should Heed Global Panel’s Call to End "Failed" U.S.-Led Drug War



A high-level international panel has concluded the so-called "war on drugs" has failed and that governments should consider legalizing substances, including marijuana. The Global Commission on Drug Policy is comprised of 19 members, including several former heads of state. The Office of National Drug Control Policy at the White House has refuted the findings of the commission’s report. We speak to Dr. Gabor Maté, a Canadian physician and bestselling author of four books, including In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction. "On any level you care to name, the war on drugs is a failure," Dr. Maté says.

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Dr. Gabor Maté: More Compassion, Less Violence Needed in Addressing Drug Addiction



In part two of our interview about a new report declaring the so-called "war on drugs" a failure, Dr. Gabor Maté notes that "where violent suppression of drug activity increases, so does killings and violence related to drug use." The Canadian physician and author also relates the study’s findings to his own work in a drug addiction treatment clinic in Vancouver. "The causes of the addiction in their life have to be understood and addressed, and they have to be treated with compassion," says Maté.

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