Back in the 1990s, when many Latin American governments were aligned with Washington's wider political and economic goals in the hemisphere, the so-called "Summits of the Americas" rarely displayed any contentious fireworks. Yet times have changed and this year's summit, to be held in Cartagena, Colombia, could prove to be highly combustible.
Unhappy with the Obama administration's failed war on drugs, which has led to widespread violence and endemic corruption, some Latin American leaders are bluntly calling for the decriminalisation of narcotics.
Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina, who is leading the charge, recently began openly advocating for decriminalisation of recreational drug use. Boldly, Pérez has labelled the war on drugs an abject failure and charges that the crusade costs Central American nations hundreds of millions of dollars every year, as well as the loss of tens of thousands of lives.
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