This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Thursday, December 1st, 2011. I'm Caleb Brown.

The War on Drugs threatens U.S. relationships around the world as America stresses its preference

for other countries to wage an international war on drugs. as America has taken a different approach to drugs. We spoke at the Cato Institute's conference

ending the global war on drugs, November 15th.

With respect to the drug war that is essentially

being led by the United States.

How has this affected the relationship between the United States and Brazil?

Well, indirectly, because Brazil never have been directly connected to the idea of a drug war. But anyhow, since we have a close

relation with Colombia, since the moment in when Americans decide to pay the

plan Colombia, they ask Brazil to be more

alert and the Brazilian government have a profound debate about that and the idea

our idea was well the question is cannot be conducted by foreign power.

This is our problem of decisions over it.

They took a different path. We never assume the idea of a

war on drugs, but the consequence are indirect because the oral to drugs is widespread.

Then how do the laws in Brazil differ from the United States?

And why was there a different starting point?

Well, in Brazil, there is a law which says that the person cannot be put in jail just because

possess an amount of marijuana or any kind of drug, provide this is for personal use.

In America is not like that.

America is prohibited.

In Brazil, the trafficking is prohibited. In Brazil the trafficking is prohibited but the use is not prohibited.

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