Mexico president concerned about legalizing marijuana in California. Do you agree?

The president of Mexico has entered the debate over whether California voters should legalize marijuana.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon told the Associated Press in an interview late Thursday that he was concerned about what legalizing pot in California would do to the larger drug war. He told AP that legalization would mark "a terrible inconsistency" in U.S. drug policy.

Proposition 19 on the November ballot asks voters whether pot use should be legal in California.

The measure 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.

Do you agree with Calderon? Share your views below.

Comments

[DG3]

Felipe Calderon's motives are so transparently obvious. Less money paid for pot from Mexico means less money for that country.

[Josh]

hmm. wonder why he would care...

[cecil Rhambo, Jr.]

Please. Mexico legalized casual use of heroin, meth, cocaine, AND marijuana for its entire country. He's probably more worried about the US business competing with the Cartels for US consumption. He just showed his colors.....he's been compromised by the Cartels. What a hypocrite! Besides, WHY should we allow him into OUR debate? Gimme a break, wake up, cut it out for Christ sake.

[Geox]

He's just worried we're going to take their jobs.

[Mike]

That is a ridiculous assumption. It's like saying California accounts for all of Mexico's drug cartel traffic. Someone should inform the great president of Mexico is he ill-advised. Before commenting on another countries move away from an unnecessary prohibition, maybe he should try to do something about his own problems.

[James Simmons]

Its understandable, legalization would undercut the whole purpose for the fight, and everything that has been invested in Mexico including the loss of blood and treasure would have been done in vain. California has been declining for years though, so some see no problem with doping up all of its people.

I wish those sponsoring the bill could answer two questions: With all of America curbing cigarette smoking because of the second hand smoke potentials, how will we deal with people losing their jobs, because of dirty tests, from second hand smoke?

How about kids that live adjourned to users in apartment dwellings, I mean would there be some kind of building code that would force apartment building owners to retrofit the buildings to avoid the lingering into unauthorized dwelling spaces?

[James Jackson]

Former President of Mexico Vicente Fox endorses legalized marijuana in the United States to curtail drug violence in Mexico. No doubt President Calderon enjoys the subsidies America pays Mexico to fight this unending and futile war against marijuana. With drug gang violence increasing under President Calderon in Mexico, the time has come to try something new--like legalizing marijuana.

Harvard economists Jeffrey Miron and Katherine Waldock recently estimated that legalizing drugs would save Americans $88 billion yearly through taxes and by stopping wastage of police resources in the war on drugs.

Proposition 19 will become a source of tax revenue for California and save money as we quit wasting police resources in fighting a harmless weed. After 70 years and hundreds of billions of dollars spent in the attempt to stamp out marijuana, it has become obvious to all that the drug war is not a war worth winning.

[Alex]

I don't agree with his view. In fact I think not just the US, but also Mexico should legalize marijuana as it would be a significant vlow to the drug cartels. But in all honesty marijuana is alot safer than alcohol, prohibition hasn't stopped society from using it and never will, and we've reached the point where close to a majority of the public seems to be for it. If Obama had gotten got caught when he 'inhaled' he probably would not be the president now.

California is also in a huge recession and the billions of dollars in taxes certainly will not hurt the state. Law enforcement can redirect their budget to actual crimes and save everyones time from this facist prohibition policy the US has been running for years. Prohibition will never work and nothing good has come from it. Cigarettes and alcohol both kill 100's of thousands of people every year while marijuana in it's 1,000s of years on earth has never been linked to one death except for a bag of weed about 25 pounds fell out a warehouse and landed on someones head, but that wasn't a result from actual use of the marijuana plant.

[Kate]

I think that Calderon's concern is likely based more on the worry that without any need for a black market for marijuana in California, Mexican drug smuggling will have less business north of the border and less money with which to reward Mexican officials -- and American lobbyists, for that matter -- for making sure the cartels have a virtual monopoly on the drug trade.

[Tirau]

Well then, the solution should be that it must be legalized at the federal level and in every state! It's a far saner course of action than the horrific War on Drugs, which isn't working at ALL to stop any drugs according to a study released this week based on the US Govt's own data...

Source: http://stopthedrugwar.org/trenches/2010/oct/07/new_report_us_government_data_de

Yes on 19.

[Galaxy420*]

It's funny, If you ask the president before this President in Mexico, he is all for legalization. But, considering Mexico's reputation for importing compressed marijuana at a high volume, it only makes sense why this President doesn't want California to legalize it. 60% of Mexican drug cartels income will be slashed if legalization goes through. And it really will, because people will be able to buy it from Californians that can grow it in their own backyards.

YES ON PROP 19. WE CAN DO IT. TIME FOR CHANGE.

Just look at all the violence the illegal drug market has done to poor Mexico. Let's stop making the cartels as rich and powerful as they are getting. Prohibition with alcohol created the Mafia. Prohibition with marijuana and other drugs have created "Super Cartels". I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to buy my weed from the cartels ever. I would rather buy it from a distribution point in CA where we know it is not tainted with blood.

Legalize it because the drug war has failed. Legalize it, because science shows it is not bad for us. Legalize it because you cannot overdose on it. Legalize it because people are always going to use it. Legalize it because the cartels are now too powerful.

YES ON PROP 19

[Dave]

Yes. it would hurt the drug war in that it may help end it, and we can't have that now can we?

[Diamlake]

"Calderon has no business attempting to control American policies or politics." That is the first issue I have with his opinion. He is a liar and that is the second issue I take with his "stated" opinion.
I take issue that he has these cartels in Mexico, there are soldiers in his armies who are working in and with the cartels and he stands there to tell to world he is honest and Mexico's government does not profit by all these drugs they export in the billions. I seriously considered whether he would be assassinated, like the honest governors, police, prosecutors, etc. if he was honest and there were no stealth agreements going on behind the scenes between the cartels and the countries where no one in government seems to be able to control or stop these cartels from doing whatever traffic and violence they have to whim to do to innocent victims on both sides of any one of Mexico's borders.

[andre amine]

This will most certainly get rid of the drugs on the streets. Im from sydney australia, so there arent much drugs here compared to the rest of the world but from what i'v seen from around the globe of the drug issues many countries face, legalizing marijuana is worth a shot instead of going to war with drug cartels which leads to more deaths & violence over time.

[Dingo]

He is probably being paid off by some drug cartels everyone has their price right? and Mexico is well known for corruption

[Raul Marioni]

Of course he can have an opinion in this matter, every Mexican should care about the US hypocritical policies on drugs legislation. Those comments implying Mexico wants to keep the black market for money are misinformed, immature, and insensitive. The last thing we Mexicans want is your endless hunger for drugs. So many lives lost to keep your Paris Hilton-like youth partying. Being a conservative president, it is natural he is against legalization. I don't agree with him, I believe in the long term legalization in the sick US can be a benefit for us. If Americans were as good asking their government to stop guns traffic as they are asking our government to stop drug traffic, less lives would have been lost in gun fighting in our side, and less youngster would be sick of loneliness in theirs.

[Da real deal]

Interesting that every post so far disagrees with Calderone and feels we should legalize, regulate and tax.

ADD ME TO THAT LIST.

Of course, he 's going to hear a giant sucking sound of illicit drug profits leaving Mexico and their cartels for good. Let's regulate and tax the herb to make life better in America.

Yes on 19! I'm so there!

[SnapTie]

This guy needs to stay out of anything that happens in this country. Clean up your mess first.

[Bill Harris]

Yes, California will be inconsistent with the federal government if it legalizes marijuana. The federal Controlled Substances Act is unjust and immoral. If California refuses to be consistent with its injustice, other states are sure to follow. In a short time, federal prohibition will implode, as states wake up to the virtues of liberty. Yes it would be better just to repeal prohibition at the federal level, but that is not going to happen as long as the feds can coerce conformity on the states by every form of tyannny.

[albert venti]

no I dont use pot but why cant Mexico and the federal government but out. If people want to smoke pot then let them. California has always been a trend setter and it is now with the pot issue. I dont smoke and could care less.

[Mike]

Mexico should be follow California in legalizing drug, like all the countries, but most of the people are ignorant, in this subject, like the mexican president....

[Fed Up]

Is he concerned that his cut of the drug trade will be reduced?

[RWh]

The President of Mexico should worry about Mexico and how to put the millions of poor there to work so that they don't have to look elsewhere for a place to try and survive. Butt out.

[Gregory]

Wow!

Why would Mexico be opposed to the legalization of Marijuana?

Could it be that Mexico BENEFITS from the ILLEGAL DRUG CASH flowing into MEXICO???

Could it be that the flow of CRIMINAL ILLEGAL Immigrants from Mexico to the U.S. would stop???

Could it be that MEXICO would have to solve it’s OWN DRUG PROBLEMS???

Revenue from Illegal drugs sold in the U.S. fund most of the countries south of the U.S. That funding will DRY UP.

[Sam J]

Inconsistent? All our laws are insistent, especially our immigragion laws.

He's worried about less money for his crooks, and he's got a lot of nerve butting into our election when he stole his own and loves to export his impoverished here, yet has cruelly strict immigration laws of his own.