Global Ganja Report

A park in Mexico City sports a small book stall known as the Biblioteca Canábica, or the Cannabis Library—part of an attempt by civil society groups to disseminate reliable information about illegal drugs for parents, teachers and youth. It's also a small way of raising the volume on a debate that is growing ever louder in Mexico: whether to legalize drugs.  "We want a healthier relationship with drugs," said Carlos Zamudio, director of the Cannabis Library project. "[T]he relationship we have now has brought us problems with violence and health. A healthier relationship requires regulating drugs in a different way."

The first Cannabis Library project was launched in 2003, and there are now six locations across Mexico City, with a seventh recently opened in Puebla. All told, the project boasts a collection of some 600 books. On the shelf at the park stall is a book in English called Buzzed: The Straight Facts About the Most Used & Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy. Another in Spanish is titled Drug Addiction and Drug Trafficking: Legal Aspects. And another, in English, is Why Marijuana Should Be Legal.

There is also a copy of the Mexican Constitution—to teach citizens about their laws—as well as a copy of an Aztec manuscript translated into Latin in 1552. It includes drawings of medicinal plants labeled in the ancient Nahuatl language, with names like ayecohtli and tolohuaxihuitl.

Those opposed to legalization may accuse the Cannabis Libraries of supporting it. They have facetiously dubbed their campaign "LSD"—an acronym for the Spanish phrase "leer sobre drogas," or "read about drugs." (CSM, Oct. 4)

Photo by Drome