Uruguay makes international headlines news as marijuana legislation moves ahead. In the July/Aug 2013 issue of the Boston Review I compare Uruguay and Mexico’s drug strategy through the lens of democratic values.

Excerpt: The scale of the problem differs between the countries: Uruguay lacks Mexico’s entrenched, politically connected organized crime apparatus, and Uruguay doesn’t play a key role in the global drug trade. However, Mexico and Uruguay share one critical similarity: their drug policies are explicitly framed as mechanisms for upholding democracy, and they in turn reflect ideas about how democracy is fostered.

To read the piece please visit the Boston Review site or download a pdf here.