Pubdate: Thu, 08 Nov 2012
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Copyright: 2012 Associated Press
Contact: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/submissions/#1
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388

POT VOTES IN U.S. COMPLICATE DRUG WAR

MEXICO CITY - The main adviser to Mexico's president-elect said 
Wednesday that votes legalizing recreational marijuana in the U.S. 
states of Washington and Colorado will force Mexico and the United 
States to rethink their efforts to halt marijuana smuggling across the border.

Luis Videgaray, head of incoming President Enrique Pena Nieto's 
transition team, told Radio Formula that the Mexican administration 
taking power in three weeks remains opposed to drug legalization. But 
he said the votes in the two states complicate his country's 
commitment to quashing the growing and smuggling of a plant now seen 
by many as legal in part of the United States.

"These important modifications change somewhat the rules of the game 
in the relationship with the United States," Videgaray said. "I think 
that we have to carry out a review of our joint policies in regard to 
drug trafficking and security in general."

Videgaray has been central to the planning of a U.S. trip by Pena 
Nieto planned for Nov. 27. Videgaray said security would obviously be 
discussed during that trip, and he indicated that marijuana 
legalization would be an important topic.

"Obviously, we can't handle a product that is illegal in Mexico, 
trying to stop its transfer to the United States, when in the United 
States, at least in part of the United States, it now has a different 
status," Videgaray said. "I believe this obliges us to rethink the 
relationship in regards to security. ... This is an unforeseen element."

The current Mexican administration has been vehemently opposed to 
pro-marijuana measures in the United States, and President Felipe 
Calderon spoke out against a similar legalization move in California 
two years ago. Calderon and members of his Cabinet remained silent 
Wednesday on the U.S. votes.

In other Latin American countries, where cocaine production is 
dominant, some officials, ordinary citizens and independent experts 
said they expected little immediate change in U.S. drug policy, but 
expressed hope that the marijuana votes were the start of a softening 
in U.S. attitudes toward drug production.

Alejandro Hope, a former high-ranking official in Mexico's internal 
intelligence service who has studied the potential effects of 
legalization measures, said he was optimistic legalization in the two 
states would damage Mexican drug cartels.

Hope said a flourishing legal pot market in Colorado could reduce 
Mexican cartels' estimated annual income from roughly $6 billion to 
about $4.6 billion.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom