Top Official of Calderon Administration Proposes 'Regulation' of Marijuana Consumption Milenio
go to original October 3, 2013

The ex-Secretary of Government Relations [a top cabinet position under Felipe Calderon], Fernando Gómez Mont, has said that discussing the regulation of marijuana from a “prohibitionist” perspective and treating it as a police issue “is proving very damaging” and hindering debate on the issue.

In the interview with Carlos Puig on MILENIO Television, the ex-federal secretary asserted that the violence in Mexico “can be explained” in terms of illegal activities benefiting criminal organizations.

“The prohibitionist approach, which fails to ‘recognize’ the problem and treats it as a police issue, has made it much more difficult to deal with. Make no mistake: crime in this country is economically motivated, for profit,” he stressed.

Gómez Mont emphasized the importance of using the term “regulation” rather than “legalization” in this debate, to bring the discussion into line with related issues such as the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and anti-depressants.

Read the rest at Mexico Voices

Translated by Catriona McDermid

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