Few countries have suffered the consequences of ineffective prohibitionist policies for so long or severely as Mexico.  Professors Alejandro Madrazo and Catalina Perez are among the world’s leading experts on this subject.  I wanted to know:  How did the criminal organizations that traffic in drugs get so powerful?  Why is it a misnomer to call them “cartels”?  What explains the extreme violence?  How pervasive is not just the corruption but the fear of violent reprisals among Mexico’s most senior political figures?  What’s the role of the Mexican military, and how has it been impacted by its evolving responsibilities in the country’s war on drugs?  Is the current president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, doing anything differently from his predecessors?  Does growing support for drug policy reform offer any hope?

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