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Latin America: Attacks Made on Candidates from Mexican Party That Favors Drug Legalization

Submitted by Phillip Smith on (Issue #587)
Consequences of Prohibition
Drug War Issues
Politics & Advocacy

Mexico's small, left-leaning Social Democratic Party (SDP) calls openly for drug legalization as part of its platform. Now, in the run-up to midterm elections in July, that stance may be attracting attention of the wrong sort. The party reports that at least four of its congressional candidates have been attacked while campaigning, and the party chairman is strongly suggesting that he thinks drug traffickers are behind them.

On Sunday, a PSD campaign worker was injured by flying glass after unknown assailants fired on the vehicle of PSD candidate Emmanuel López in Acapulco. Two days before that, someone threw a Molotov cocktail at PSD hopeful Celina del Carmen Ávalos in Tijuana. Two other party candidates were attacked in separate incidents in Mexico state earlier in the campaign. None were seriously injured.

In a Tuesday press conference, PSD leaders called the attacks "unacceptable" and demanded that the government act to halt them. All four attacks had been reported to local law enforcement, they said.

"He's out of danger," PSD chief José Carlos Díaz Cuervo said of the injured campaign worker. "However, it seems to us unacceptable, requiring of public outcry, that these attacks continue." The attacks signal "a clear intention to intimidate us... something we interpret as a sign we are doing well, disturbing precisely the interests that have this country prostrate before organized crime," the PSD chairman said. "It's time authorities said something about this. These acts of violence cannot be allowed to pass as campaign anecdotes," he said.

When asked directly if he thought drug traffickers were behind the attacks, PSD deputy chairman Luciano Pascoe said the party had no direct evidence to support that theory. "What we are beginning to find is that they (the attacks) are directed against the party, against the proposals, and this speaks of a political profile," Pascoe said. "What they won't achieve with bullets is to silence us."

But Díaz was less hesitant. "Doubtless, unlike the federal government, it appears the drug traffickers do understand that the regulation of that market would take the business away from them and would be a more intelligent way to combat them," he said.

The campaign comes as Mexico's drug war continues to roil the country. Upon taking office in December 2006, conservative President Felipe Calderón began deploying federal troops and police to rein in the so-called cartels, whose battles with authorities and among themselves left 1,500 people dead in 2006. But even as the number of federal troops and police rose to 65,000, with several Mexican border cities under virtual martial law, so has the prohibition-related death toll. It jumped to 2,700 people in 2007 and leapt dramatically to more than 6,000 last year. This year seems to be keeping up with that torrid pace, with some 2,500 people reported killed so far.

The PSD argues that drug legalization would increase public safety by constricting the money supply to the cartels. It also calls for legalization on public health and humanitarian grounds.

Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.

Comments

The only model that will wipe out the Drug Cartels is one where individuals can grow their own: No Taxes, No Regulations, No More Drug Cartels.

The MERP Model is the answer and neither Dave Borden, nor anyone else in the "moneyed movement" will allow a discussion about their "tax and regulate" model Vs the real solution: No Taxes, No Regulations! for Personal Cultivation.

That is because George Soros is pulling the strings so he can profit from a highly regulated, government controlled model of legalization that WILL NOT destroy the Cartels. Read all about it right here:

How the Marijuana Re-Legalization Movement Has Been Betrayed by Soros, Nadleman (DPA) and Kampia (MPP)
http://www.newagecitizen.com/MERP/RelegalizeNowObama08.htm

For numerous essays and videos on MERP:

MERP Headquarters
The Marijuana Re-Legalization Policy Project (MRPP)
http://www.newagecitizen.com/MERP.htm

Fri, 05/29/2009 - 1:02pm Permalink
Bud (not verified)

What happened to it? At the end of April this year, the Mexican Senate overwhelmingly approved the decrim of personal possession of most of the drugs. Two days later, the Chamber of Deputies (akin to our House of Reps) also approved the legislation. This legislation originated out of Calderon's office and, after the voting, was sent back to him for his signature. Then, NADA!

So, what happened to the bill? Why is Calderon sitting on it? Why hasn't he both signed and announced the new law to the population? What's the hold up?

If you're going to report about Mexico, then try to follow what's actively going on down here. This is one story that shouldn't be "dropped" for the "new taste of the day."

Sat, 05/30/2009 - 10:14am Permalink

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