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MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Sunday that he would consider legalizing certain drugs as part of a larger strategy to fight poverty and crime.
President-elect of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, delivers a speech at a rally as part of a tour to thank his supporters for his victory in the July 1 elections in Morelia, Mexico, on July 6 October 2018. REUTERS / Alan Ortega
Speaking in the state of Zacatecas, Lopez Obrador said that a recent proposal by the Minister of National Defense, which supported the legalization of opium for medical purposes, was important and that he did not exclude anything.
"It's important what he proposed," said Lopez Obrador. "There should be a comprehensive approach to the terrible problem of insecurity and violence."
Lopez Obrador, who will take office Dec. 1, said Sunday that he would also consider paying more farmers for their corn to deter them from planting poppy seeds.
Since 2006, Mexico has been plunged into an army-led battle against drug gangs, which have now split into smaller groups fighting over trafficking routes and territories to sell drugs. Homicides broke a record in 2017, according to INEGI statistics.
The elected president organized public debates on violence and discussed a possible "amnesty" for drug traffickers and non-violent farmers. Members of his team have previously said that Mexico will assess the creation of legal markets for marijuana and opium.
Reportage by the press room of Mexico City; Edited by Marguerita Choy
