Mexican leader hints he could allow changes to laws prohibiting marijuana
Source: Reuters
Mexican leader hints he could allow changes to laws prohibiting marijuana
June 8, 2014 11:30 PM
By Dave Graham / Reuters News Service
MEXICO CITY -- Mexico and the United States cannot pursue diverging policies on marijuana legalization, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto was quoted as saying Sunday, hinting he may be open to following the lead taken by some U.S. states in changing drug laws.
Political pressure has grown in Mexico to take a more liberal stance on marijuana since Washington and Colorado decided to legalize possession and sale of the drug for recreational use in 2012.
Other U.S. states plan votes soon.
Marijuana, along with contraband such as cocaine and crystal meth, has been a major source of income for violent drug cartels responsible for thousands of deaths in Mexico in recent years.
Proponents of overhaul say legalizing marijuana would both reduce the gangs' economic power and help generate more tax revenue.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/world/2014/06/09/Mexican-leader-hints-he-could-allow-changes-to-laws-prohibiting-marijuana/stories/201406090118#ixzz347BaHqvE
Comrade Grumpy
(13,184 posts)And I don't think Pena Nieto and the PRI have the guts or the street cred to lead the public to it, like Mujica did in Uruguay.
Warpy
(111,873 posts)Undercut black market prices by keeping legal stuff cheap at first. Defund the gangs. Then use the taxes to help people who run into trouble and want off the drug merry go round.
You want to fix a lot of what's gone wrong in Mexico, that's how to do it.