Thinking the unthinkable
Amid drug-war weariness, Felipe Calderón calls for a debate on legalisation
THE nota roja, a section reporting the previous day's murders and car crashes in all their bloodstained detail, is an established feature of Mexican newspapers. It is also an expanding one, as fighting over the drug trail to the United States inspires ever-greater feats of violence. Last month in the northern state of Durango, a group of prisoners was apparently released from jail for the night to murder 18 partygoers in a next-door state. A few days later, 14 inmates were murdered in a prison in Tamaulipas. In all, since Felipe Calderón sent the army against the drug gangs when he took office as president almost four years ago, some 28,000 people have been killed, the government says. There is no sign of a let-up, on either side.
This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline "Thinking the unthinkable"
More from The Americas
Why Mexico’s largest-ever election matters
The results will determine the political environment in which Mexico’s next president operates
Huge floods in Brazil’s south are a harbinger of disasters to come
Climate change is making weather events more extreme in the region
Luis Abinader is poised for a thumping re-election win
Voters rate the management of economy and his fight against corruption