Latin America debates legalising marijuana
14th August 2010 |
A growing number of Latin American countries are debating whether or not to legalise the use and sale of marijuana.
The governments of Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Guatemala are among those discussing the legalisation as a means of curbing narcotics-related violence from rivaling cartels, which thrive off the illegal trade.
The talks are part of a recognition spreading throughout region that the militarised war on drugs has failed for decades and it is time for a new plan to combat the problem, which claims thousands of lives each year.
Al Jazeera's Lucia Newman reports from Buenos Aires, Argentina's capital.