This last Monday, April 13, the Mexican congress met to discuss the possibility of legalizing marijuana in an effort to curb the potency that drug cartels have in the country. The plan has received support from three former, Latin American presidents that attended the conference to show support. To date, current president, Felipe Calderon has openly opposed the legalization of Marijuana in Mexico. However, Calderon’s term ends in 2012, which leaves the window open for the possibility of legislative action then.

Still, the three ex-presidents in attendance, Cesar Gaviria of Colombia, Fernando Cardoso of Brasil and Ernesto Zedillo of México, continue to crusade for the cause of legalizing Marijuana in Mexico and the rest of Latin America under the supposition that it is the only true way to effectively combat drug-traffickers, by taking away a large portion of the funds they currently make from its illegal status.

However, most experts agree that legalizing Marijuana in Mexico would lead to a grand deterioration in the, currently strong, US-Mexican relations. In 2005, the world saw an example of how powerful the US’s opinion can be in Mexican politics after a strongly-supported amendment to decriminalize Marijuana was rejected because of US opposition. President Obama meets with Mexican officials the day after the meetings end.