President Calderon Calls on Mexico to Fight Youth Drug Use The News
go to original October 30, 2012

President Felipe Calderón yesterday called on the country to fight against and prevent addictions in children and young people, saying that addiction is “the slavery of the 21st century.”

Speaking at the First National Meeting of New Life Centers in Manzanillo, Calderón said that “in our century, drugs have been the cause of millions of lives cut short, as well as countless family tragedies and stories of suffering in general.”

He said that drug-related addictions have become a “source of economic power” for organized crime groups and are strongly linked to the violence that has plagued the country in recent years.

Calderón said “addictions are the slavery of the 21st century, particularly among children and young people, who get hooked … from a very early age, and this slavery follows them, in the majority of cases, throughout their lives.”

He said that six years ago his government took the “state decision” to face crime head on as it represents “one of the greatest threats to the integrity and security of the Mexican people and to the Mexican way of life.”

His administration, the president said, decided to use a three-pronged strategy: to combat criminals head-on, to modernize and strengthen law enforcement institutions and, most importantly, to repair the social fabric.

Calderón added that society must remain strong in order to prevent violent crime from spreading to rural communities.

National Institute of Psychiatry (INPRF) Director General María Elena Medina Mora presented the results of a survey which investigated the consumption of illicit drugs in Mexico.

The INPRF study found that between 2008 and 2011 the consumption of drugs remained steady, breaking an upward trend. There was an increase, mainly among young women, in youth drinking.

“In protecting the health of the Mexican people, as well as in protecting the security, freedom and well-being of citizens, the government has acted responsibly and with a long-term vision,” President Calderón said.

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