Pope says no to drug liberalization

(ANSA) - ROME, JUN 26 - Pope Francis said that legalizing drugs is not the way to combat addition during his weekly general audience in the Vatican on Wednesday, which this week fell on the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
    "Having known so many tragic stories of drug addicts and their families, I am convinced that it is a moral duty to end the production and trafficking of these dangerous substances," the Argentine pontiff said.
    "A reduction in drug addiction is not achieved by liberalizing drug use, as has been proposed, or already implemented, in some countries" He described people involved in the drugs trade as "traffickers of death" who are "driven by the logic of power and money at any cost "This scourge, which produces violence and sows suffering and death, demands an act of courage from society as a whole," he said.
    Francis argued that drug abuse should be fought "through prevention," saying this is done "by promoting greater justice, educating young people in values that build personal and community life, accompanying those in need, and giving hope for the future." (ANSA).