According to the National Development Plan (PND) 2019-2024, the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador proposes to reformulate the fight against drugs and reduce consumption levels by lifting the ban on substances that are now illegal.
The document sent by the federal Executive to the Chamber of Representatives proposes that the resources destined to combat the traffic of illicit drugs must be applied in massive “but personalized” programs, of social reinsertion and detoxification.
The 298-page text warns that in terms of narcotic drugs “the prohibitionist strategy is already unsustainable, not only because of the violence it has generated, but because of its poor results in public health.”
The National Development Plan does not detail what type of drugs they would seek to legalize, it only states “those that are currently illegal.”
“The prohibitionist model inevitably criminalizes consumers and reduces their chances of social reintegration and rehabilitation,” according to the official document.
The AMLO government maintains that the “war on drugs” has escalated to a public health problem that currently has banned substances that should be legalized, since the situation has become a public safety crisis.
“The alternative for the State is not to combat addictions by banning substances, and rather focus on keeping those who already suffer from addictions under control through clinical treatments, and the provision of prescription doses. Then offer them personalized detoxification therapies under medical supervision”, the document claims.
However, they clarify that the proposal for legalization process must be conducted in a negotiated manner, both in the bilateral relationship with the United States and in the multilateral sphere, within the UN.
The Yucatan Times Newsroom
