Mexican President Opens Door to Drug Legalization Debate
"The same day, Senate Foreign Relations Chairwoman
Rosario Green said that the climate of violence that exists along the border
demands that the governments of Barack Obama and Felipe Calderon draw up plans
for legalizing marihuana use. ...
The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Chamber of Deputies, Porfirio Munoz Ledo, spoke that day of the necessity of legalizing all drugs - and not only marijuana."
The
statement of President Felipe Calderon to the effect that a debate on the
legalization of drugs should be permitted within a framework of plurality is
good news. This acceptance of such a debate represents a change in the initial
position of the Calderon government not to even accept discussion of the
subject.
It
is positive that the federal government isn't closed to the possibility of discussing
drug legalization as an alternative to combat and the dismantling of organized
crime.
Yesterday,
businessman Eduardo Gallo, a victim of organized crime and the ineffectiveness
of the state to do justice, suggested dug legalization to President Calderon as
a plan B, “due to the failure of the current strategy to combat drug
trafficking.”
And
although the legalization of drugs is no panacea, it could be critical to dismantling
organized crime, since it would close an illicit multimillion-dollar market
that generates extreme violence.
The
federal government’s current strategy hasn't yielded the expected results, as was
shown yesterday during the second day of the security dialogue entitled: Assessment
and Strengthening.
No
one can speak of success when, according to Guillermo Valdes, general director
of the CISEN [National Security
and Investigation Center], this war has left 28,000 dead since the
beginning of the Calderon Administration [three and a half years].
Dozens
of drug-traffickers have been detained, and important kingpins have been
located and eliminated, such as Arturo Beltrán
Leyva and Nacho Coronel.
But organized crime mafias still continue to operate as if nothing has
happened, since this massive business hasn't even been touched.
Yesterday,
President Calderon acknowledged that often, the institutions of state function
without reflection and analysis before rushing to act when people are victims
of extortion, kidnapping, murder or violence.
But
the moment for reflection and analysis has arrived, and how fortunate it is
that this coincides with a willingness on the part of the president to put drug
legalization up for debate.
In
Congress, there is also a willingness to discuss the issue. On March 24, the
chairmen of the foreign relations committees in both houses received a
delegation of U.S. officials with statements in favor of drug legalization.
The
same day, Senate Foreign Relations Chairwoman Rosario Green said that
the climate of violence that exists along the border demands that the
governments of Barack Obama and Felipe Calderon draw up plans for legalizing
marijuana use.
The
chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Chamber of Deputies, Porfirio
Munoz Ledo, spoke that day of the necessity of legalizing all drugs - not
only marijuana.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
Opponents
of legalization who even oppose a discussion of the issue should at least explain
why there are legal drugs like alcohol and tobacco which produce addiction and
death, and why other drugs which are illegal result addictions, death and in
addition - extreme violence.
Yesterday,
President Calderon said that the battle against crime can't be a product of improvisation
or chance, but of an organized process of diagnosis and planning.
It
is precisely with such a process that it would be convenient to discuss seriously
and without dogma, the possibility of drug legalization.
