As we wrote earlier we do not support legalizing drugs. It just doesn’t seem to be the solution. If you can’t control it, just legalize it? Wouldn’t want to be living in Mexico when they decide to legalize killing people, because they can´t stop it…
However, I do support discussing the problem. It has been brought up numerous times. Former Mexican president Vicente Fox did it, after retiring. Colombia’s Juan Manuel Santos said he would consider supporting it, if everyone else would. And now there is Otto Perez Molina, Guatemala’s recently installed president.
He boldly states he will propose to his counterparts in the region to actually legalize drugs, without conditions. Production, transportation, commercialization. Let the narcos go right ahead and do whatever they want. Quite a thing to say for the guy who won the elections by saying he would hardhandedly clean up the country, mano dura! But is it really as stupid as it sounds? And does it sound stupid at all?
Perez Molina surely knows it will not happen. It’s that simple. The United States are strongly against it and as we all know, they call quite a lot, if not all, of the shots in the region. Regardless, Perez will be officially proposing the legalization of drugs to the fellow members of SICA (Central American Integration System, in English). The presidents of the SICA member states (Central American countries and the Dominican Republic) usually gather once every six months, to discuss current affairs in the region.
The next meeting will probably be held as late as June or July, but Perez seems to have already started campaigning. During a visit to Guatemala Mauricio Funes of El Salvador stated he had listened to Perez Molina’s proposal and wasn’t initially for it nor against it. On his way back to El Salvador he apparently gave it a lot of thought (or received a phone call from the United States), because upon arrival in San Salvador he declared that he opposes the legalization of drugs.
Otto Perez knew that his little balloon would be shot to a millon pieces before even being launched. The US embassy in Guatemala rapidly issued a statement saying that the United States ‘continues to oppose such measures because evidence shows that our shared drug problem is a major public health and safety threat’. So why does Perez Molina bother anyway?
Looking at how he managed his first month in office, he is trying to create an image of a strong, visible leader who’s not afraid of taking drastic measures. Far from legalization, he might be looking to create leverage to actually intensify the battle against drug cartels. Ever since Mexico stepped up the pace in their war on drugs, Guatemala was flooded by Mexican drug lords and their subordinates seeking refuge and a way to continue their operations without being bothered. The negative reaction from the United States might very well be used by Perez Molina to negotiate a bigger help package. If you won’t let me legalize it, than come down and help me! Send more money and more weapons and I´ll shut up. It might turn out to be a very smart move.