Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan appeared on CBS's "Face the Nation" on Sunday and spoke about the need for greater cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico to combat drug-related violence. When asked about the possible legalization of marijuana, Sarukhan emphasized that it “is a debate that needs to be taken seriously… both in producing, in trafficking, and in consumption countries.”
(Fast forward to the 8:00 minute mark to view Sarukhan’s full reply):
Sarukhan’s comments come at a time when the Mexican Congress is considering some form of legalizing marijuana. "What we don't want is to criminalize youths for consuming or possessing marijuana," said opposition lawmaker Javier Gonzalez regarding the debate on permititng marijuana for personal use.
The White House has yet to comment on the specific debate even though President Barack Obama will visit Mexico on Thursday. It’s worth noting that Mexican President Felipe Calderon suggested last year that penalties against the personal use of some illegal drugs such as marijuana should be relaxed.
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, UPI, Ottawa Citizen, YouTube, Huffington Post, Voice of America
I am not familiar as to what effects this would have on drug trades,
ReplyDeleteIf we legalize marijuana in terms of use there should be soke form of legalized sales.
But, this should make for an overall interesting debate.
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