Decriminalization of the personal dose is one cause, Dr. Uribe adds. The other is the international war on drugs, which causes more of the product to be kept in Colombia and sold domestically at ever-lower prices. Maria Isabel de Lince, director of a rehabilitation clinic in Prometeo, disagrees strongly with Gaviria's opinion that legalized drugs can be kept out of the hands of youth. Although she has not noticed a rise in applicants during the last year, her clients are younger. Many Colombians, such as former Prosecutor General Gustavo de Greiff, support worldwide decriminalization, which would eliminate the violent distribution chain.
Legalized drugs mean lower prices and an end to the wars among distributors.
As for Gonzalez, he has had access to drugs all his life. I was born into a world of drugs, and I fell into a world of drug addiction. He would like to stop dealing drugs to take drugs, but says that is unlikely as long as Colombia cannot provide rehabilitation for all of its citizens. But for the poor, the only rehabilitation center is prison.