The Washington Office on Latin America, a thinktank but a few blocks from here, has been getting some good domestic press on its new report called Drugs and Democracy in Latin America: The Impact of U.S. Policy.

The report's been getting some good international press too. This story from South Africa points to a pretty good indicator that the drug war isn't working.

The price of two grams of cocaine dropped nearly 31%, from $161 in 2000, when Washington launched Plan Colombia against drug traffickers and rebels, to $106 between January and June 2003, the most recent data available, according to data delivered to Wola by an unidentified member of congress.

Are the data credible? Well, the numbers were commissioned by the drug czar's office from the nonpartisan RAND Corporation. This hasn't stopped the drug warriors from trying to backpedal anonymously:

He said that because the most recent statistics were not available, a 33% drop in Colombia's coca cultivation had not had a chance to be felt in the United States.

"The impact of Plan Colombia is something that's going to be felt in the future, not in the past," the source said on condition of anonymity.

Relax, Deep Throat. It's no secret that the ONDCP is well aware that its eradication efforts aren't working. In fact, Drug Czar John Walters pointed that out himself just a few months ago.

You can buy a copy of Drugs and Democracy here, or read the executive summary here.