By Steve Elliott
Hemp News
As President Barack Obama departs for a three-day trip to Mexico and Central America to meet with several regional counterparts, advocates are urging him to put drug policy reform at the top of the agenda.
The failed Drug War has wreaked havoc throughout Latin America. In Mexico, the War On Drugs has caused an estimated 70,000 deaths, 25,000 disappearances and more than 250,000 internally displaced people since 2006.
Meanwhile, drug trafficking organizations have increasingly moved or expanded their operations to Central America, which has become one of the most dangerous regions in the world, according to the United Nations. And rather than reducing the supply of or demand for drugs, prohibitionist drug policies have only enriched criminal organizations while increasing rates of incarceration and drug-related harms.
Obama is scheduled to meet Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on Thursday and then travel to Costa Rica on Friday to meet with President Laura Chinchilla, as well as heads of state of the other Central American countries and the Dominican Republic. Many of these leaders have voiced support for alternatives to drug prohibition -– including exploring options for legally regulating marijuana and other drugs -– in order to reduce the power and profits of violent drug traffickers.