The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
December 12, 2016

Colombian President Accepts Nobel Prize, Calls for "Rethink" of Drug War
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Saturday accepted the Nobel
Peace Prize for his role in crafting a peace deal with FARC rebels,
ending a half-century of civil war that left a quarter-million people
dead. At a ceremony in Oslo, Norway, President Santos hailed the Nobel
Prize as a "gift from heaven" and dedicated it to all Colombians
affected by the fighting. In his wide-ranging acceptance speech, Santos
also said nations, including the U.S. and Colombia, need to "rethink"
the war on drugs.

President Juan Manuel Santos: "It makes no sense to imprison the peasant
who grows marijuana, when nowadays, for example, its cultivation and use
are legal in eight states of the United States. The manner in which this
war against drugs is being waged is equally or perhaps even more harmful
than all the wars the world is fighting today, combined. It's time to
change our strategy."



.