As Mexican President Felipe Calderon continues to escalate the Mexican drug war to previously unthinkable levels of death and destruction, his predecessor is saying we should think about ending prohibition:

Fox also said it's time to renew the debate about legalizing some drug use — an idea he proposed while still in office. It is gaining ground in Mexico amid increasing violence that has killed more than 10,500 people since Calderon launched a military-led offensive against powerful trafficking cartels in 2006.

Fox said strict controls and high taxes would be necessary under legalization. He said levels of drug use might remain the same but violence would be significantly reduced because the cartels would no longer control the supply. Families and schools should bear much of the responsibility to educate against drug use, he said.

"I am not yet convinced that that's the solution," he said. But he added, "Why not discuss it?" [AP]

This "let's talk about it" line is going viral. Keep an eye out for this. We'll be hearing it more and more. As a willingness to discuss and debate drug policy slowly replaces knee-jerk opposition to reform, we are presented with an entirely new political climate in which to make our case. Let's do so gracefully.