From Madrid, the Head of State asked the international community to redefine the way to face drug trafficking, after pointing that “drug is legalized in the way that use is allowed”. He reiterated that the decision of penalizing the use of drugs is compatible with prevention and rehabilitation public policies.]

Madrid, Spain, April 29 (SP). President Álvaro Uribe confirmed this Wednesday his call to all the countries of the world, to make an efficient contribution to fight drug trafficking.

During the ceremony where the President received the Freedom Award “Cortes de Cádiz”, from the Cadiz mayoralty, for his effort defending freedom and his progress fighting terrorism, the Head of State pointed that the world must redefine the way to face drug trafficking.

“We need more help from the entire world, especially from Europe, to be able to fight drug trafficking, which is finally the enemy of freedom”, stressed the Leader.

In addition, he asked for reflection around drug trafficking, because in his concept there has been an erroneous debate.

“Many say that drug must be legalized, in order to eliminate crime from the business. I think that drug is legalized in the way that its use is allowed”, Uribe explained.

And he added, that is not coherent that while production and trafficking of drugs are been fight, at the same time the laws of some countries allows its use.

“How do you understand that we make a huge effort to end with crops, with chemical precursors, to confiscate possessions acquired with drug money, to extradite drug traffickers and, at the same time,  have to deal with drug use, because our legislation as well as others, are permissive and don’t declare the use as illegal”, he said.

About it, Uribe said that Colombia has had some problems fighting illegal drugs while use is still allowed.

“What can a Judge do, if he can not take a dealer to jail, because the only thing that he can find is his legal personal dose?”, the Leader asked.

As he highlighted the approval by legislative, in first debate, of the law project that penalizes drug use, Uribe assured that this initiative is totally compatible with the rehab and prevention policies that the government must enforce.

 “Yesterday the Congress of Colombia, in the first of eight debates, approved to declare the use of drugs also illegal. We must make a warning: the fact that use could be illegal does not mean that rehabilitation and prevention policies are going to be abandoned. The decision of make use illegal is compatible with prevention and rehabilitation policies” the Head of State finished.