With less than one month to go before he ends his six-year term of office, Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sandoval has urged the new State Legislature to tackle the polemic issue of legalization of recreational marijuana.
“It’s the moment to change the logic,” he told members of the chamber last week. “What’s killing our young people is the trafficking (of marijuana), not the consumption. I’m sure that in the coming years, Jalisco will have a progressive government and congress that sets an example to the country.”
Sandoval said prohibiting cannabis hasn’t made young people shy away from the substance.
“On the contrary, consumption has increased, and our youth have become the principal victim,” he said.
Sandoval’s comments came on the heels of the Mexican Supreme Court’s recent ruling declaring the prohibition of marijuana a violation of Mexicans’ constitutional rights.
The reaction to the governor’s comments from several of the new Jalisco legislators was decidedly cool, however. Salvador Caro, coordinator of the Citizens Movement group of legislators said that before any decision is made on legalization, more work needs to be done to improve the attention provided to drug addicts. He added that the issue requires more research and highlighted a study that shows how marijuana is likely to flood primary and secondary schools following legalization. “I don’t want drugs in the reach of anyone under the age of 18,” he said.
Gustavo Macías, coordinador of the National Action Party (PAN) contingent, said he was certain a legalization initiative will be presented during the coming legislative session but stressed that it would need to be “analyzed profoundly” before any decision is taken.
During a visit to Jalisco last week, federal Health Secretary José Narro Robles said his agency would respect decisions taken by the courts but expressed his personal view that marijuana is an addictive substance, that in common with alcohol, can devastate families.