Poll: Mexicans Want to Keep Drug War Going

Few adults in Mexico would consent to the legalization of drugs, according to a poll by GEA-ISA. 75 per cent of respondents think it is necessary to keep fighting drug traffickers for an unlimited amount of time.

Mexican president Felipe Calderón took over as Mexico’s head of state in December 2006. During his campaign, he vowed to combat illicit drug trafficking and drug-related crime. One of Calderón’s first measures was to send military personnel to northern towns severely affected by drug trafficking. More than 6,300 people have died in 2008 and 2009, many of them caught in conflicts between drug cartels.

Under the so-called Merida initiative, the U.S. is giving Mexico $1.4 billion U.S. in order to combat organized crime and drug trafficking.