Fox Should Lead Way on Drug Legalization

Another Latin American president is talking about ending the war on drugs. First, there is Uruguay’s president, Jorge Batlle, who openly calls for drug legalization. And now there is Vicente Fox, Mexico’s newly elected president. Last Monday, (March 19) in an article entitled “Fox Talks Drug Legalization,” the Associated Press reported, “In an interview published by two newspapers Sunday, Fox indicated agreement with a police official who suggested last week that the only way to win the war on drugs was to legalize drugs — eliminating the profits and violence caused by illegal trafficking. But the president quickly qualified the statement, saying that Mexico could not move alone and indicating that he did not expect such a step soon.” Fox is both right and wrong. He’s right to say that the war on drugs should be ended by (re-) legalizing drugs. But he’s wrong to imply that Mexico must wait for other countries (i.e, the U.S.) to do so. Latin American countries such as Uruguay and Mexico can — and should — lead the world by unilaterally legalizing drugs. This would bring an end to so much of the violence, corruption, and gang warfare that has pervaded Latin America for decades. When U.S. government officials see the benefits that come with ending this immoral, inhumane, and destructive war, the pressure will be on them to follow Latin America’s lead. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wprv/aponline/20010319/aponline180002_002.htm