In a statement, the MUCD stressed that the sentence would only be carried out if it is confirmed by the court and stressed that it did not legalise cocaine. While the vicious cycle of illicit drugs causes corruption and violence, affects society and the economy, increases organized crime and harms vulnerable communities and institutions, as the organization claims. Currently, more than 250 million people worldwide are at risk of frequent drug use. According to the Global Commission on Drug Policy, there are two circles regarding drug prohibition. At some point in history, drugs that are now illegal were legalized in Mexico. In fact, the government opened clinics where doctors administered controlled doses to people who were addicted. Human traffickers use a variety of tactics to evade discovery by U.S. authorities at the border. These include hiding or hiding drugs in vehicles, smuggling into the United States through underground tunnels, and flying over border barriers using drones or other aircraft. After Mexican drug traffickers smuggled bulk drug shipments into the United States, local groups and street gangs manage retail distribution in cities across the country.
Carlos Zamudio presented the results of his ethnographic research on drug trafficking in Mexico City. He found that there are two main types of trafficking, the first is a delivery system where the trafficker brings drugs to the user. This is common in wealthier neighborhoods, but in marginalized communities and some middle-class areas where vendors sell their products from fixed locations. Usually, he said, a family that has political ties or comes from a part of a neighborhood known to be particularly violent gets into the drug trade. Zamudio described how the family provides a service to the neighborhood by ridding the area of the old common crime and gaining the support of the local community despite their illegal activities. Families involved in local commerce often provide other services to the community, offering loans to residents and funding neighborhood festivals, he said. While drug use can often lead to disruptive behavior and other crimes, Zamudio noted that traffickers try to minimize this problem by creating a designated space, including in the neighborhood, where users can use the drugs in a discreet environment. He also pointed out that young people are at the heart of this phenomenon, both as users and as traders.
They also tend to feel the effects of these actions more directly, as the lowest traffickers are the first to be arrested when police feel they need to show progress on drug problems, Zamudio said. Jorge Hernández Tinajero said that efforts to combat drugs should take into account two objectives, the safety of citizens and the regulation of the drug trafficking market. A recently passed law strengthened the government`s powers to combat drug trafficking and allowed local governments to prosecute drug-related offenses as violations of the health law, Hernández Tinajero noted. He went on to describe how the new law theoretically cracks down on retailers while decriminalizing consumption. However, the fact that possession of relatively small quantities of drugs is considered evidence of intent to distribute has opened up unhealthy opportunities for negotiation (corruption) with the police, as it determines the exact amount of drugs a suspect possesses. In addition, Hernández mentioned that the application of the law has been very different and that in many areas there are no changes in enforcement. He sees Mexico`s change in legal framework as much more modest than originally imagined, concluding that the marijuana decriminalization movement in many U.S. states could have a much more profound impact on Mexico`s drug laws and drug market.
On August 20, 2009, the Mexican government passed a law decriminalizing possession of small amounts of drugs. Under the new law, possession for « personal and immediate use » – defined as up to half a gram of cocaine, five grams of marijuana, 50 milligrams of heroin, 40 milligrams of methamphetamine and 0.015 milligrams of LSD — do not result in criminal prosecution. « In this case, it`s about emphasizing the need to end the criminalization of people who use drugs and develop better public policies that explore all available options, including regulation. » « It could end up in a rocky area, » Baumgarten said, explaining that a majority of Mexicans oppose the legalization of marijuana. The court`s decision orders Mexico`s national health authority Cofepris to allow two people to legally possess, transport and consume cocaine. President Donald J. Trump has shifted U.S. priorities for Merida to issues such as border security and combating drug production and money laundering. In a highly controversial move in February 2019, Trump declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and ordered the deployment of thousands of active troops, citing an influx of illegal drugs, criminals and undocumented immigrants. Mexico then deployed twenty-five thousand members of the National Guard to secure its borders, which some experts say increased violence and reduced the country`s ability to fight cartels. These were the early years of World War II and the government was unable to buy drugs because it was brought from Europe, where the war continued.
In 2017, marijuana was legalized for medical and scientific purposes, and in November 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that a blanket ban on recreational use was unconstitutional, Reuters reports. The ruling means the anonymous couple can use small amounts of cocaine but not sell it, according to Mexico United Against Crime (MUCD), an NGO that filed legal documents in the case as part of its strategy to change the country`s drug policy. On August 21, 2009, Mexico decriminalized the possession of small amounts of cannabis and other drugs in order to reduce illicit drug activities.
