08/09/10 – Former Mexican President Vincente Fox announced his opinion to legalize drugs in México in an article he wrote and published on his official blog. In response to his critics, Fox recognized the dangers of legalizing drugs by stating “drugs can cause terrible damage to a person.” He believes that it is ultimately a choice to be made by a person to consume drugs; however, it is important for “more and better information” to made available to the public regarding drug addiction. He also believes that “we can make an effort to strengthen the message that can be mentioned to young people, children and parents.”
The article, titled “Drug addiction, organized crime and safety: time for reflection and proposals,” cites his reasons for legalizing drugs. In his blog, Fox stated that “we should consider legalizing the production, distribution and sale of drugs… radical prohibition strategies have never worked.” His main idea is to “look at it as a strategy to strike at and break the economic structure that allows gangs to generate huge profits in their trade, which feeds corruption and increases areas of power.”
The publishing of his article comes almost a week after current president Felipe Calderon announced that he was willing to have an open discussion regarding the possibility of legalizing drugs in México.
Sources:
Jiménez, Horacio. “Fox defiende propuesta de legalizar drogas.” El Universal. 09 August, 2010.
