RT Article
T1 Drug Legalization, Elite Support, and Government Effectiveness in Latin America
JF Journal of drug issues
VO 52
IS 2
SP 250
OP 267
A1 Bohigues, Asbel
A2 Fernández-i-Marín, Xavier
LA English
YR 2022
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/179554385X
AB In Latin America, the legalization of drugs—where it occurred—has been driven mainly by elites, although much attention has been placed on public opinion. Considering that efforts toward legalization have been top-down, analysis should concentrate on opinions of the governing elites. To undertake such an analysis, we draw on data from surveys conducted in 18 Latin American parliaments (2012–2018), and we examine elite perspectives on the legalization of all drugs. Results from a Bayesian hierarchical logistic analysis show that in countries where the government is less effective, and where public health problems persist, legislators are less likely to support legalization. We argue that this is due to a lack of trust by MPs in legalization as a solution to trafficking. Wherever those concerned with drug trafficking see the current government as problematic, they will be less likely to support so challenging and complex a policy as drug legalization.
K1 Elite surveys
K1 Government effectiveness
K1 Drug Trafficking
K1 Drug legalization
K1 Latin America
DO 10.1177/00220426211055434