“The fight against the drug smuggling is lost worldwide.”
- May 20, 1935 – May 13, 2025
- Uruguayan
- Politician, Former President of Uruguay, Former Guerrilla Fighter, Advocate for Simple Living
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Quote
“The fight against the drug smuggling is lost worldwide.”
Explanation
With this stark declaration, José Mujica confronts the global failure of the war on drugs, asserting that efforts to eliminate drug trafficking through prohibition and enforcement have not only failed but may be fundamentally misguided. By stating that the fight is “lost worldwide,” he implies that despite decades of punitive strategies, illegal drug markets persist, violence continues, and the human and economic costs remain immense.
Mujica’s perspective is rooted in pragmatism rather than defeatism. As president of Uruguay, he pursued a pioneering approach by legalizing and regulating cannabis, aiming to undermine criminal networks by removing the black market’s economic incentive. His critique suggests that repression alone cannot solve a problem that is deeply tied to demand, poverty, and social inequality, and that public health and regulation may offer more effective solutions than criminalization.
In a world where many countries still cling to prohibitionist policies, Mujica’s statement is a call to rethink global drug policy through a lens of realism and harm reduction. It challenges governments to acknowledge failure not as an excuse for inaction, but as a reason to change course, prioritizing human dignity, safety, and informed regulation over ineffective wars.
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