Venezuela: US Criticisms of Venezuelan Drug Policies Hypocritical
Mérida,
July 22nd, 2009 – Venezuelanalysis.com – The Venezuelan government
said the report published on Monday by the US Government Accountability Office
(GAO), which argues that Venezuela tolerates drug trafficking, is a political tool,
and in refutation it cited statistics by the United Nations which show
Venezuela to be amongst the highest drug confiscators.
The
Venezuelan National Assembly voted to reject the report by GAO, which criticised
Venezuela's lack of cooperation with the US over drug trafficking.
Also,
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a press statement, said the report and
other similar studies conducted by the United States, are "political
blackmailing tools that lack scientific objectivity and methodological
seriousness, whose aim is to promote the interventionist intentions of
Washington towards the rest of the world."
"The
implementation of the National Anti-drugs Plan 2009-2013 has… generated the
conceptual basis … for the nationalisation of the merciless struggle against
drug trafficking in a country like Venezuela, located between Colombia and the
United States, the principle producers and consumers," the press release
continued.
The
Anti-drugs Plan includes "Planting Values for Life", a community based
prevention plan. The National Anti-drug Network has also been set up, where
communities choose their anti-drug representatives. 14 state governments and
181 mayoralties have signed agreements towards this.
"The
GAO would make better use of its money…concentrating its efforts on dismantling
the internal networks of corruption that make [the US] a paradise for drug
smugglers and the mafia who get rich from the business of death in the face of
the incompetence and indifference of the authorities," the statement concluded.
The
minister for justice and internal affairs, Tarek El Aissami, speaking to the
National Assembly, said the US discourse was "hypocritical" and stressed that
in the United States over 50 million people use non-medicinal drugs and that
the country consumes 31% of marihuana and 41% of cocaine produced globally.
El
Aissami quoted an article by sociologist James Petras, and explained that the US
economic system depends on the drug industry and that it would suffer a greater
collapse than the current economic crisis, if drug trafficking no longer
existed.
"What
double stands for the United States
to issue opinions against Venezuela
about the anti-drug struggle," El Aissami said.
He said
that while the US's level of drug confiscation has decreased since the 1990s,
Venezuela has increased its levels of confiscation since 2006, according to a
report published by the United Nations on 26 June.
Nestor
Reverol, head of the National Anti-drugs Office also told the National Assembly
about the UN reports. He said that between 2006-2009, Venezuela has been ranked
among the top confiscators of cocaine, and that this year's report recognises
the Venezuelan government's implementation of acceptable drug policies.
According
to Reverol, the Venezuelan government has confiscated 464 tonnes of drugs over
the last decade, including 30 tonnes of drugs and 19 drug laboratories so far
this year.
Venezuela cut off anti-drug collaboration
with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in 2005, after finding evidence
that DEA was spying.