HomeNewsBriefPanama Dismisses Drug Legalization
BRIEF

Panama Dismisses Drug Legalization

DRUG POLICY / 28 FEB 2012 BY EDWARD FOX EN

Panama's government has stated its opposition to drug legalization, ahead of a visit by Guatemala's vice president to promote debate on the issue.

Before a planned visit to Panama by Guatemalan vice president, Roxana Baldetti, Panamanian Foreign Minister Roberto Enriquez said, "We absolutely do not agree with the decriminalization of drugs," reported El Nuevo Diario. He added, however, that his government would listen to Baldetti's proposals when she visits Wednesday.

Baldetti is undertaking a tour of Central America in order to explain her government's position on the issue prior to a summit of Central American leaders in March.

InSight Crime Analysis

Guatemala's new president, Otto Perez, surprised onlookers after he took office in January by calling for debate on liberalizing drug laws, saying that legalizing the trade would cut the revenue of organized criminal groups. The presidents of El Salvador and Honduras have both expressed their opposition to the idea, while Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla said it would not do anything to decrease levels of violence in Central America.

Thanks to its proximity to Colombia, and its location as the link between South and Central America, Panama is a key route for drug trafficking organizations. In 2009 its seizures of illicit narcotics were the third highest in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the UN's 2011 World Drug Report.

Though Panama has not witnessed the same levels of violence seen in its northern neighbors -- particularly Guatemala and Honduras -- its homicide rate has been rising over the last decade, reaching 21.6 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2010, double that in 2000.

Panama has a strong relationship with the US, which has spoken out against Perez's proposal.

US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano reiterated her country's opposition to altering the drug war's strategy during a tour of Central America that will see her visit Guatemala.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

COCAINE / 22 SEP 2022

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro has lambasted decades of US anti-drug policy at the United Nations General Assembly.

ELITES AND CRIME / 26 MAY 2023

Carlos Pineda, the leading candidate in Guatemala's presidential elections, has been removed from the race on a technicality.

CONTRABAND / 18 MAY 2022

Ranchers from Mexico's eastern state of Veracruz know a way to buy cheap cattle: Drive to a remote part of…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Paraguay Election Coverage Draws Attention 

5 MAY 2023

InSight Crime looked at the various anti-organized crime policies proposed by the candidates in Paraguay’s presidential election, which was won on April 30 by Santiago Peña. Our pre-election coverage was cited…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Cited in OAS, CARICOM Reports

28 APR 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s work was cited nine times in a new report by the Organization of American States (OAS) titled “The Impact of Organized Crime on Women,…