National Latino Congreso 2012
May 17-19, 2012

¿Permisos para 'sin papeles'?
Así como en Arizona y Alabama se han promovido legislaciones que restringen derechos a los inmigrantes sin papeles, en California se estará impulsando una iniciativa que otorgaría permiso de trabajo legal a los indocumentados.

Se trata del "Plan California", una iniciativa que ayer se reveló en el Congreso Latino que se llevó a cabo en el Pitzer College de Claremont, con la cual se estaría desafiando a las leyes federales ante la inacción del Congreso y de la Casa Blanca respecto a la reforma migratoria.

Resolution to Explore Alternatives to Drug Prohibition in order to Reduce Drug-Related Harm and Eliminate Violence along the United States-Mexico Border

WHEREAS, the El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua community, as well as communities in border states such as Arizona and even as far north as Colorado, have witnessed continued violence and devastating effects of drug cartel operations; and

WHEREAS, over 10,000 people have been killed in Mexico in violence associated with the black market trade in illegal drugs; and

WHEREAS, in Juarez alone, well over 4,000 deaths are estimated to have occurred within the past three years; and

WHEREAS, this total includes not only those involved with the drug trade or who consume drugs , but also innocent bystanders and activists speaking out against the atrocities committed both by cartels and the military’s full forced response; and

WHEREAS, many people in northern Mexico have begun seeking refuge in the United States due to extortion or death threats; Juarez has become one of the most dangerous cities in the world for news reporters to work in, and many have had to search for political refuge in El Paso; and

WHEREAS the war on drugs, prohibitionist approach—like alcohol prohibition—has not worked, is not working and will not work. With the situation occurring in Mexico we can see that prohibition ultimately leads to violence caused by the marketing of illegal substances that in turn creates false inflation and an underground market which is ruled by cartels, who do not have the interest of those suffering from substance abuse, the youth or community in mind, but rather money and power; and

WHEREAS, in 2006 the National Latino Congreso adopted a resolution declaring the war on drugs a failure and calling for a public health approach to drug problems and an end to the criminalization of people struggling with substance abuse; and
WHEREAS, the drug war affects Latinos not only in the disparity among those convicted and sentenced to prison for non-violent drug crimes, but also in the responsibility that the United States must take to acknowledge the cyclical trade of guns and money that eventually ends up in the hands of those creating this havoc; and

WHEREAS, violence and the organized crime associated with the illicit drug trade are critical problems throughout Latin America, and the war on drugs strategy pursued in the region over the past 30 years has exacerbated these problems; and

WHEREAS, organized crime that thrives under prohibition also breeds corruption of political and security officials and undermines democracy and democratic institutions in the countries of Latin America; and

WHEREAS, in 2009, the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy—a prestigious, blue-ribbon commission of Latin American experts headed by former presidents of Mexico, Colombia and Brazil—issued a report that resoundingly declared the prohibitionist approach to the drugs trade a dismal failure, and called for a “paradigm shift” in drugs policy for the region; and

WHEREAS, the Commission outlined recommendations for safer, more successful, and more humane drug policies, including a much greater focus on demand reduction through education, prevention, and treatment, instead of repressive, supply-side approaches like incarceration, interdiction and eradication, which have proven ineffective; and

WHEREAS, the Commission stated that people who abuse drugs must be treated as patients in need of medical care and not criminals; and

WHEREAS, the Commission further recommended the launching of a broad public debate about alternatives to prohibition of all drugs; and

WHEREAS, the Commission specifically encouraged countries to consider the decriminalization of cannabis for personal adult use, since it is no more harmful than alcohol and tobacco, and that the harms currently associated with its use–risk of arrest, incarceration , and the violence of the black market – derive solely from prohibition and not the substance itself; and

WHEREAS, the United States government needs to take a health-care response instead of a criminal justice one in regards to the levels of consumption of illegal drugs in this nation. Our current responses include arrest, mandatory minimum sentences, and serious obstacles to becoming a part of society again having a permanent criminal record; and

WHEREAS, the State of New York recently repealed its notorious Rockefeller drug laws – some of the most draconian mandatory minimum sentencing laws in the country—and proposals to undo similar unjust laws are pending in other states; and

WHEREAS, many science-based, medical interventions to reduce the harms of drug misuse are employed in Europe, Canada and other parts of the world and have proven far more effective than strategies employed in the United States; and

WHEREAS, President Barack Obama has stated that politics will no longer triumph over science; and whereas science has continually proven the therapeutic benefits of currently prohibited substances such as marijuana, we must pressure the government to reschedule marijuana for further unbiased research in helping to treat, and to even find future cures for debilitating medical conditions such as Cancer, HIV/AIDS, Multiple Sclerosis, glaucoma, chronic pain, Arthritis, Depression, Anxiety, Anorexia, Sleep Apnea, Alzheimer’s disease, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and many other conditions; and

WHEREAS, this month, New Jersey became the 14th state to legalize marijuana for medicinal use, and many others are considering following suit; and
WHEREAS, for thousands of years, many cultures have used marijuana as a self-sustaining resource, and whereas we are continually looking for a greener economy, we must not forgo the possibility and option of manufacturing hemp, the strongest and most durable fiber known to humankind. Throughout history hemp has been used as a bio fiber, has no known need for pesticides or chemicals, and can be used as bio-fuel; and

WHEREAS, the prohibition of marijuana and hemp historically originated from racism directed toward the Latino community in the U.S. during the first half of the 20th century; and
WHEREAS, we have also seen the criminalization of this resource through moral panics and propaganda that only benefit the industries that profit from its illegality; and

WHEREAS, our economy has seen a downturn only witnessed a few times in history, and we must look to sustainable jobs and new sources of revenue that will benefit all; and
WHEREAS, the manufacturing of industrial hemp and the taxation and regulation of marijuana through legalization could contribute significantly to a recovery of the United States economy; and

WHEREAS, a fiscal analysis of a California bill to tax and regulate marijuana estimated that it would generate almost $1.4 billion in new revenue for the state if passed; and
WHEREAS, currently, young people report that marijuana under prohibition is easier to obtain than alcohol and tobacco, and that responsible regulation of marijuana for adult use will reduce teenagers’ access to and use of marijuana; and

WHEREAS, countries and states that have removed penalties for marijuana use among adults have not experienced any increase in rates of marijuana use; and
WHEREAS, a serious discussion of the legalization of narcotics—from which drug cartels profit so highly—has been thwarted by all levels of government in Texas and the United States, and we must take it upon ourselves to demand the recognition of an issue that affects us on a daily basis; and

WHEREAS, prohibition does not provide our children and community members with the adequate tools needed to make responsible decisions and avoid drug consumption. Prohibition does not provide the necessary medical response to people who have balanced and fallen from the slippery slopes of addiction; and

WHEREAS, prohibition rewards us not with a prosperous community, but rather with high levels of HIV infections, addiction, crime, poverty, and lack of opportunity; and
WHEREAS, prohibition allows for legal racial profiling which eventually opens the door for legal racism, considering the majority of the population in jail for non-violent drug crimes are people of color; and

WHEREAS, those who profit from prohibition largely include governmental agencies and the rise of the prison industrial complex; and

WHEREAS, the drug war has generated much revenue for private prisons and special interests within criminal justice agencies, while the costs borne by society have been incalculable; and
WHEREAS, the integrity of families is compromised as children become more vulnerable to desensitization due to the daily violence in their communities or see their parents incarcerated for drug offenses; and

WHEREAS, some countries like Portugal have decriminalized the personal adult use of all drugs, and have not experienced any negative consequences; and
WHEREAS, every report to study Portugal’s decriminalization law since it was passed in 2001 have found incredibly successful outcomes: drug use among Portuguese youth has decreased, the number of newly reported cases of HIV and AIDS declined significantly, drug-related death rates have been reduced, and Portuguese drug usage rates are far lower than most other countries of the European Union;

1. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that organizations represented by the delegates of the 2010 National Latino Congreso , ASSEMBLED IN El Paso Texas, January 29-31, 2010, call for a paradigm shift in U.S. drug policy in order to reduce the harms associated with drug use and eliminate violence related to prohibition on both sides of the border; and

2. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, based on available evidence, that organizations represented by the delegates of the 2010 National Latino Congreso support the taxation and regulation of marijuana for adult use, the manufacture of industrial hemp to promote economic growth, and the unfettered use of medical marijuana among people with debilitating medical conditions;

3. BE IT FURTHER RESOVLED that organizations represented by the delegates of the 2010 National Latino Congreso urge state and federal governments to follow the successful example of countries like Portugal that have decriminalized personal adult possession and use of all drugs, which has improved the health of drug users, reduced incarceration and death, and saved taxpayer money with no negative consequences to society;

4. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that organizations represented by the delegates of the 2010 National Latino Congreso urgently request a broad, national, public debate on ending the prohibition of illegal drugs and the likely benefits of alternative regimes to control and regulate these substances tin order to minimize social and individual harm.