Rebukes policies that target poor drug victims
Pope Leo XIV has called on governments to focus on dismantling criminal organizations that profit from drug trafficking, instead of punishing the mostly poor addicts, who either end up in prison or wind up dead in the streets.
The Pontiff announced this position during an audience with anti-drug campaigners at the Apostolic Palace courtyard in Vatican City as the world marked the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
In a report published by the Catholic News Agency, Pope Leo rebuked drug policies that target the poor while powerful traffickers go unpunished.
“It is easier to fight their victims. Too often, in the name of security, war has been waged and is waged against the poor, filling the prisons with those who are only the last link in a chain of death. Those who hold the chain in their hands, on the other hand, manage to have influence and impunity,” he said last week.
The Pope’s remarks came almost synchronously to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ‘s reaffirmation of his administration’s commitment to a “bloodless” war on drugs.
He touted his leadership’s new strategy focused on prevention, rehabilitation, and enforcement, without the killings that marked the previous administration.
“It has been described as a bloodless war on drugs. And this is what we are aiming for,” Mr. Marcos said during his visit to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency on June 24.
On Sunday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) announced the arrest of two high-value individuals and seizure of P700-million worth of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride, commonly known as ‘shabu,’ during a weekend drug bust in Plaridel, Bulacan.
In a statement, PNP-Drug Enforcement Group (PNP-DEG) director Brig. Gen. Edwin Quilates said the suspects—a 55-year-old Chinese and a 40-year-old Filipino—were arrested in Barangay Bulihan, Plaridel, on Saturday.
The anti-drug agents confiscated approximately 103 kilograms of shabu and other evidence.
The suspects were brought to the PNP-DEG Special Operations Unit-National Capital Region office for documentation and proper disposition, and the seized drugs will be turned over to the forensic group for laboratory examination.
Quilates emphasized that anti-drug operatives are told to continue upholding the highest standards of the service and avoid unnecessary violence.
“We do not kill people who are just suspected of having anything to do with drugs. We are handling the drug problem differently,” he said.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “Pope Leo takes a stand vs war on drugs: Punish traffickers, not the addicts”
