Whack-a-mole Drug War: Central America Throws Ball into Consumer Nations' Court

Sounds like a tennis game, but both sides are missing the point. The Latin American countries need to increase the rule of law - and the wealthy need to pay enough taxes to enable their governments to be functional. And the U.S. needs to legalize drugs, not "crack down on consumption."

DRUGS: Central America Throws Ball into Consumer Nations' Court - IPS ipsnews.net: "The leaders of Central America, Colombia and Mexico called on the governments of the world's main drug-consuming countries to play a stronger role in fighting drug trafficking and organised crime by stepping up control of weapons sales and taking effective measures to crack down on consumption.

'Europe, the United States and many other countries pressure Central America to increase our tax base, and they are right. But with the same emphasis, I urge them to reduce drug consumption,' said Guatemalan President Álvaro Colom.

He was responding to comments by officials like U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Arturo Valenzuela, who said that one of the reasons his government should not provide the region with more funds is that 'there are countries whose tax revenue is less than 10 percent of GDP.'

Colom was speaking during the First International Conference in Support of the Central America Security Strategy, which ended Thursday in Guatemala City."