MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Colombian president supports legalizing drugs if it reduces violence and crime

Juan Manuel Santos joins a list of prominent Latinamerican leaders

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said in an interview published Sunday that he could consider legalizing drugs as a way to reduce violence and crime in his country. He joins a list of prominent Latinamerican leaders who are promoting the initiative.

“It is an alternative that we can discuss. I am not opposed to any formula that is effective” Santos said in the interview with Semana, a news magazine.

“And if the world decides to legalize and thinks that that is how we reduce violence and crime, I could go along with that” he added. Santos also confirmed that Colombia supports Bolivia’s request to have coke leaves de-criminalized.

“The position to support Bolivia was done because it is established in the Constitution: respect for ethnic, indigenous traditions”, added Santos.

In Latin America, several high-profile former leaders recently have come out in favour of legalizing drugs to stem drug-related violent crime, such as former presidents Cesar Gaviria of Colombia, Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico, Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil, Vicente Fox from Mexico, Uruguay’s Jorge Batlle.

Santos was one of a handful of prominent Latin American leaders who condemned a referendum held in California last November on legalizing marijuana, saying that if it passed it would make it harder to combat drug cartels in the region and sent an inconsistent message.

In Mexico alone, fighting among drug cartels has left more than 34,600 people dead since December 2006.