Opinion: The World Should Follow Uruguay in Legalizing Marijuana
Mexico's Former Foreign Minister says a Shift in Drug Policy is Necessary
August 5, 2013— -- Efforts to legalize marijuana in Uruguay, have lots of world leaders talking about a new approach to drug policy.
One of them is Jorge Castañeda, who was Mexico's Foreign Minister from 2000 to 2003.
As foreign minister, Castañeda oversaw U.S.-Mexico cooperation in the drug war, with both countries working together to catch cartel leaders and intervene drug shipments headed to the U.S.
But nowadays, Castañeda is one of the most vocal critics of the prohibitionist drug policies backed by the U.S. federal government. In several public forums, he has said that Mexico is paying too high a price –in money and in lives-- to stop drugs from entering the US.
In the video commentary that you can see above, Castañeda talks about Uruguay's recent decision to move forward with the legalization of drugs.
"This marks the beginning of the end of the prohibitionist paradigm (towards drug policy) that was started by President Nixon of the United States," Castañeda said. "I hope it will be a historic step for Latin America and that other countries will follow this road."