Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sandoval has come out firmly in favor of the decriminalization of marijuana, arguing that prohibiting the drug has led to more problems than resolutions.
The announcement was made at the fourth National Debate on the Use of Marijuana, held at the Fiesta Americana Hotel in Guadalajara.
“The government of Jalisco says loud and clear: ‘yes’ to the decriminalization of marijuana use, ‘yes’ to respecting freedom of choice,” Sandoval said. “A prohibitionist policy translates into increased consumption, and creates financial rewards for our most evil of enemies: organized crime.”
This was a historic announcement from the governor of one of Mexico’s most conservative states and represents a significant softening of the state’s official line on marijuana.
Even President Enrique Pena Nieto has presented himself as being newly open to the debate, despite personally opposing legalization. It was under his initiative that five public forums were held across the country, including this one in Jalisco. The president has even said that the outcome of the debate will have a direct impact on drug policy.
During his address, Sandoval argued that people’s lives cannot be subject to the laws governing clandestine drug markets. He said that if the production, sale and distribution of marijuana was governed by state laws, the authorities would be able to regulate consumption and could save funds to use in the prevention and treatment of addictions. “The drug problem is not just a criminal issue but is primarily a health issue,” Sandoval said. “We must take this opportunity and educate ourselves about what the consumption of this drug implies. We can restore confidence in our institutions.”
Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong was also in attendance at the event. In scenes reminiscent of Bill Clinton’s marijuana confession, when he famously claimed “I didn’t inhale,” Chong was asked whether he had personally consumed the drug.
“I have never smoked this substance,” Chong said, laughing. “I don’t even know how to inhale.”
The official later declared that public policies around drugs must focus on human development and public safety, not persecution.
“Drug policy is not only about putting out fires, but making sure those fires cannot be generated,” he said.
The fifth and final marijuana forum will be held in Mexico City on April 5. After that date, the findings of the exercise will be published and the government will begin surveying the general public.
A 2009 federal bill decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine and other drugs. The Mexican public, however, has tended towards reticence about the issue. A poll conducted by the Jalisco Electoral Institute showed that 60 percent of residents were against raising the legal limit for marijuana possession from five to 30 grams.
This reflects national trends, where surveys have shown for years that a majority of the population opposes decriminalization.
Yet evidence from the United States has had a powerful impact on the domestic debate in Mexico, a country which has been beset by intense drug cartel violence over the past decade. Recent evidence suggests that the authorization of marijuana sales in the U.S. states of Washington, Colorado, Alaska and Oregon has had a real impact on drug cartels.
Even former Mexican President Vicente Fox has advocated reform. “The path toward legalizing drugs is irreversible,” Fox said. “Prohibition must be replaced by regulation.”
President Enrique Peña Nieto called for this series of national debates on the issue following a recent decision by the Mexican Supreme Court that cast doubt on the constitutionality of banning the substance. In a landmark ruling last November, the Supreme Court agreed that four members of a non-profit organization were allowed to grow and smoke marijuana. Many commentators say the decision was a significant first step toward full legalization of the substance.
The forums in Mexico are part of a growing debate in the region. Medical marijuana is now legalized in Colombia, while Uruguay has created a regulated market for pot.