Mexican President Felipe Calderón has publicly said he is willing to listen to arguments in favor of the legalization of drugs in an effort to end the drug war that has killed 28,000 people since 2006.

Felipe Calderón: “I also take note of the debate that has come up here regarding the regulation of drugs. It is an essential debate. Firstly, I think it should be considered in a pluralistic democracy — and it is great that we have that in this country — and that the pros and cons should always be deeply analyzed. The arguments of one person and another are fundamental.”

Calderón’s comments come a week after former president Vicente Fox called for the legalization of drugs in both Mexico and the United States. Another supporter of drug legalization in Mexico has been Alejandro Madrazo, professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Alejandro Madrazo: “If you take drugs out of the criminal realm, and therefore make trafficking legal, then the person moving the drugs does not need to physically control territory by violent means to be able to ship the drugs. Of course violence would drop. Of course not all violence would be eliminated, but it would drop. It is elementary logic.”