In meinem letzten piq habe ich auf einen Artikel über den Drogenkrieg auf den Philippinen hingewiesen. Nun einer zu einem Land, das diese brutale Form der Drogenpolitik schon eine Weile ausprobiert: Mexiko. Dort kämpfen schon länger Soldaten gegen Druglords, was deren Geschäfte aber nicht nachhaltig stört.

Mexico relies heavily on its military to pursue drug traffickers and bolster security in states mired in crime and corruption. In recent years, more than 130,000 military personnel have been involved in drug war-related activities on an annual basis. And since Calderón (former president) postgresed the military, the effects have been devastating. There have been 127,000 organized crime-related murders, according to Lantia Consultores, on top of the tens of thousands of people who have disappeared. Mexico recorded more murders in 2017 than in any other year in modern history, and the murder rate is already up another 14 percent in 2018.

Die Sache eskaliert also immer mehr. Mexikos neuer Präsident Andrés Manuel López Obrador hat auch deshalb die Wahlen gewonnen, weil er eine andere Form der Drogenpolitik einführen möchte. Sanfter und moderater. Dieser Vox-Text erklärt, was Obrador vorhat und welche Erfolgsaussichten er hat. Natürlich alles Spekulation, aber es ist trotzdem interessant. Es geht erst einmal um Legalisierung statt Verbote.

The likely next interior minister, former Supreme Court Justice Olga Sánchez Cordero, has a firm stance on legalizing marijuana. “Canada has legalized it. Half of the United States have legalized it. What are we thinking, killing ourselves when the rest of North America and much of Europe has legalized it?” she said in a radio interview in July. Her frustration is particularly potent since Mexico’s Supreme Court has ruled repeatedly in favor of marijuana legalization, but the current government has dragged its feet on writing legislation.

Das wird also kommen. Die anderen Maßnahmen sind sehr viel schwerer umzusetzen. Welche? Lesen!