Mexico's president troubled by California's marijuana legalization ballot measure

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has expressed strong misgivings about the Proposition 19, the California ballot measure that would legalize marijuana in the state.

Calderon said in an interview with the Associated Press in Tijuana that legalizing marijuana use in California would create a "terrible inconsistency" in the U.S.' overall drug policy.

Prop. 19 would make it legal for anyone 21 or older to possess, share or transport up to an ounce of marijuana for personal use and to grow up to 25 square feet per residence or parcel. Cities and counties would be authorized to regulate and tax commercial marijuana production and sales.

Earlier this month the state council of the Service Employees International Union, the largest labor union in California, has endorsed the ballot measure. But many law enforcement groups and mainstream elected officials are opposing it. Recent polls have shown the race to be tight.

"They have exerted pressure and demanded for decades that Mexico and other countries control, reduce and fight drug trafficking, and there is no discernible effort to reduce the consumption of drugs in the United States," he said.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/10/mexican-president-felipe-calderon-troubled-by-california-marijuana-legalization-bill.html

Probably more worried about how it would cut into his under the table drug money from the cartels.

Calderon would see one of his under the radar revenue streams get a lot smaller.

I hope Prop 19 passes, and sets the stage for a nationwide legalization effort. It is good for our country, good for our people, and even good for Mexico, since it would drastically reduce the scope and severity of that country's raging drug wars.

The only ones it would hurt are those in law enforcement and government who make money off of illegal drugs, through kickbacks, forfeiture, bribes and other such activity.

because he didn't say he was against legalization. He says that US policy is not consistent.

But I think he's being misleading by equating legalization to "trafficking."

"They have exerted pressure and demanded for decades that Mexico and other countries control, reduce and fight drug trafficking, and there is no discernible effort to reduce the consumption of drugs in the United States," he said.

There is no reference to legalization there at all.

Calderon opposed legalization in his campaign but he didn't say what the headline says. The ex president Vicente Fox has come out in favor of legalization. And Mexico has legalized small amounts of several street drugs, iirc, since 2006.

The guy might simply be trying not to get killed, too. I can't blame him.

The article talks about legalization and his comments aren't completly relevant. Wouldn't legalization in CA be good for the Mexican drug war? That cuts out a big part of the market.

south-central American weed, increasing the fortunes of the traffickers - actually, it would boost the domestic growers, reducing the influence of the cartels. If a cartel muscles in on domestic production, suddenly the grower can report it to the police without fear of being arrested himself.

The cartel income stream would be greatly curtailed, decreasing their power. They would not just 'switch' over to hard drugs, because they can only supply the market demand, and the hard drug demand is already being met by them, so there is no switch involved. Legalization of pot will not increase the demand for heroin. The only connection between them is that they are both currently illegal, and illicit demand is being met by the same traffickers.

The ballot measure would essentially cut Mexico out of the California marijuana game.

in an effort to concentrate on traffickers without the distraction of petty busts?

What is the difference?

It passed the Congress in 2006, but under US pressure, Fox balked.

But Mexico's decrim was actually part of a larger bill that enhanced the drug war by allowing state and local police to investigate drug crimes--before that it had been the purview of the Mexican feds. It also created the new offense of narcomenudeo, or small-time drug dealing.

(Golden Triangle area)

he'd have a point. Of course cannabis and other drugs will find it's way across the border that will happen regardless of whether this will pass or not.

He's done nothing but make the mess worse. It was him that decided to go to war with the drug cartels instead of trying decriminalization. Now all of a sudden he's a whiner because it turned out badly, like he was told it would.