'Illegality of Drugs Killing People': UN Urges Legalization in Latin America

A U.N. agency on Monday called for legalizing drugs in Latin America to reduce the human cost of prohibition. 

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Alicia Barcena, a Mexican who heads the Santiago-based Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the United Nations’ regional arm, told a Latin America forum in Paris the time had come to explore a new strategy. 

"I’m going to be very provocative. Who would drug legalization be good for? Latin America and the Caribbean, for God’s sake. Because the illegality is what’s killing people," she said, according to Reuters. "It’s time to seriously consider legalizing drugs."

The Latin American continent has a long history of using plants for traditional recipes that would induce trance-like states, most countries in the Americas continue to pursue restrictive policies towards drugs, with fewer concessions given to legalizing drugs. 

The three Latin American countries, Peru, Colombia and Bolivia are the top producers of coca leaves used to make cocaine, much of which is smuggled through Mexico to reach the world’s biggest market, the United States. 

Tens of thousands of people across Latin America have died in violence stemming from the struggle to control the drug trade, most importantly in Mexico, where murders fuelled by the warring drug cartels reached a record high last year. The battle to dominate crystal meth and heroin markets have also led to mounting violence in Mexico.