Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has decided not to attend a three-day special session on drug policy at the UN’s General Assembly next week, and decriminalization activists say this is a sign of his reluctance to address a vital issue for Mexico.
More than 100,000 deaths are attributed to the country’s drug wars since the government kickstarted a crackdown on organized crime nearly a decade ago.
The Mexican delegation at UNGASS, starting April 19, will be headed by foreign minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu.
The President didn’t give any specific reason for his decision, but he allegedly would prefer not to be directly associated with the international debate on drug policy in New York.