Mexican civil society organizations support the President's proposal to decriminalize drugs

After the announcement, by the president-elect and his future officials, of a a possible decriminalization policy as an instrument for pacifying the country, a hundred or so civil, academic and entrepreneurial organizations announced their support for the president. It seems that a progressive turn is taking hold in Mexico, a country plagued by drug trafficking, given the failure of current drug policies and the extent of organized crime's negative impact on youth development.

Regulating drugs

The organization Semáforo Delictivo has proposed to the government not only to legalize and regulate the recreational use of cannabis, but also the cultivation of poppies for medical purposes. The organization's director, Santiago Roel, cites the following example the case of Turkey, which successfully legalized cannabis production to combat illegal production. He adds that without drug regulation, pacification is impossible.

In a press conference he said: «If we regulate drugs, it will be the first step, not the last, there will be many other things to do, but it will be the first step. We believe that no drugs should be in the hands of the mafias, and the worst policy is prohibitionism, which leads to bloodshed and extreme corruption». In his opinion, regulation would reduce homicides linked to organized crime by 80%, while benefiting producers economically.

The General Manager of Imjuve (Mexican Youth Institute), Máximo Quintana Haddad, also spoke out in favor of legalizing cannabis for recreational use. He declared that he «takes a positive view» of Olga Sanchez Cordero's proposal to decriminalize drugs, and wants to make the Institute a progressive institution.

Including young people in the dialogue

According to Máximo Quintana Haddad, we need to change our approach to drugs and young people, and replace prohibition with prevention methods that respect everyone's rights. He also believes that it is time to put an end to the stigmatization of young people who use cannabis, and calls for an end to hate speech against consumers. From this perspective, decriminalization would make it possible to separate the wheat from the chaff by differentiating between consumers and traffickers.

Since young people are the main target of drug use and the temptation of organized crime, as well as the section of the population most affected by violence in the country, the director of Imjuve proposes to include them in the political dialogue: «we believe that youth must be part of this discussion». He hopes to re-politicize a disillusioned youth who are demanding to be listened to: «Young people need to retain their participatory vitality, particularly in these themes that are so close to their reality, such as the legalization of cannabis. They must not only discuss, but also create and demand spaces for serious discussion on the subject».

He made this speech as part of Iniciativa Joven-Es por Mexico, a national project for young people aged 18 to 29, enabling them to present legislative proposals to legislators. The «Youth(s) for Mexico» initiative is a joint project between the Youth Commission of the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Electoral Institute to promote the participation of young people in political life. The Institute Imjuve supports the project and encourages young people to debate topical issues such as the decriminalization of drugs.