CELAC and the EU are holding a two-day meeting to review the social and economic impact of narcotics in their respective regions.
The European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) began high-level meetings Wednesday where 142 representatives will participate in the two-day conference in order to discuss recent developments of the drug situation in their respective regions.
Policy makers will also meet to examine the social and economic impact of drug use and nacrotrafficking in their respective regions. They will palso propose policies such as alternative development models and prevention programs for vulnerable groups.
Meanwhile, the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) officially committed Tuesday to create a South American drug observatory, which will act as a regional database system containing information on drug trafficking.
UNASUR General-Secretary Ernesto Samper highlighted the importance of the Observatory for South America and for UNASUR stating, “The network will function as a platform through which all countries can be informed regarding narcotic activity in the region.”
Samper, who attended a meeting of the South American Drug Council in Montevideo, Uruguay, indicated the legal reforms would not be of a radical nature, saying, "We cannot leap from prohibition to legalization."
During the meeting, Unasur proposed several initiatives, which included a crop substitution program to replace the current policy, added Samper.
Fonte: telesur
