Skip to main content
Home

Main navigation

  • Centers & Programs
    • Centers
      • Center for Energy Studies
      • Center for Health and Biosciences
      • Center for the Middle East
      • Center for Public Finance
      • Center for the U.S. and Mexico
      • McNair Center
      Center for Energy Studies
      Providing new insights on the role of economics, policy and regulation in the performance and evolution of energy markets.
      More Details
      The globe at night, lights in populated areas illuminated
      Center for Health and Biosciences
      Advancing data-based policies that promote health and well-being in the U.S. and around the world.
      More Details
      Female healthcare worker lifts finger to press digital buttons featuring topical iconography
      Edward P. Djerejian Center for the Middle East
      Developing pragmatic policy approaches to the region’s enduring political, economic and societal concerns.
      More Details
      Topographic map of Middle East
      Center for Public Finance
      Delivering research and analysis on the effects of major U.S. fiscal policies.
      More Details
      Stack of coins with mathematical figure overlays
      Center for the U.S. and Mexico
      Strengthening the binational relationship by addressing major concerns on both sides of the border.
      More Details
      Textured flags of America and Mexico
      McNair Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth
      Providing actionable policy analysis and recommendations that aim to expand the economy through private enterprise.
      More Details
      Professionals gather around a large table with laptops, printed documents and coffee cups for a business meeting
    • Programs
      • China Studies
      • Drug Policy
      • International Economics
      • Presidential Elections
      • Religion & Public Policy
      • Science & Technology Policy
      • Space Policy
      China Studies
      Analyzing the influence of the transnational circulation of people, technologies, commodities and ideas in China.
      Read More
      Person walks alongside large banner with Chinese characters
      Drug Policy
      Pursuing research and open debate to develop pragmatic drug policies based on common sense and driven by human rights interests.
      Read More
      Marijuana
      International Economics
      Studying timely issues in global economic policy as well as developmental policy in foreign countries.
      Read More
      International paper currencies stacked together, showing range of colors and styles
      Presidential Elections
      Offering nonpartisan analysis of elections to better understand the changing dynamics of presidential campaigns.
      Read More
      An assortment of campaign buttons from a variety of US elections and political pursuits are displayed in a collage
      Religion and Public Policy
      Exploring how religion and cultural factors interact with public policy issues.
      Read More
      A worn path stretches between rows of olive trees
      Science and Technology Policy
      Addressing a broad range of policy issues that affect scientists and their research.
      Read More
      A scientist picks up test tubes from a rack.
      Space Policy
      Focusing on U.S. space policy and the future of space travel.
      Read More
      The International Space Station (ISS) orbits the Earth at sunrise
  • Events
    Stem cell pipette
    Center for Health and Biosciences
    Fri, Sep. 29, 2023 | 7:30 am - 9 am
    Stem Cell Therapies: Hype, Hope and Evidence-based Decisions See Details
    Mandate Protest
    Center for Health and Biosciences
    Mon, Oct. 02, 2023 | 5 pm - 7 pm
    The Deadly Rise of Anti-science: An Evening with Dr. Peter Hotez See Details
    Icons representing clean energy with the evolution of decarbonization at the center
    Center for Energy Studies
    Wed, Oct. 04, 2023 | 8:30 am - 2:30 pm
    Annual Energy Summit Day 1 — The Evolving Energy Paradigm See Details
  • Experts
    • Biomedical Research
    • Child Health
    • China
    • Conflict Resolution in the Middle East
    • Drug Policy
    • Energy
    • Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth
    • Global Health
    • Health and Biosciences
    • Human Rights and Refugees
    • International Economics
    • Islam and Politics
    • Latin American Energy
    • Middle East
    • Political Economy of the Arab Gulf
    • Presidential Elections
    • Public Finance
    • Religion and Public Policy
    • Science and Technology
    • Space Policy
    • Texas Politics
    • U.S. and Iran
    • U.S. and Mexico
    • U.S. Health System Transformation
    • See All Experts
    • Experts in the News
  • Support
    • Join the Baker Roundtable
      Join the Baker Roundtable
      Learn more about the Baker Institute’s membership forum, which supports the mission of the institute and offers members exclusive access to experts and events.
      Read More
      RT
    • Major Gifts
      Major Gifts
      Major gifts provide the funds necessary for the Baker Institute to explore new areas of study and research, and expand current programs.
      Read More
      Wallace S. Wilson meeting with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair
    • Endowments
      Endowments
      Endowment gifts provide the Baker Institute with permanent resources that support research programs, fellows and scholars.
      Read More
      Pictured from left are William Martin, Katharine Neill Harris, Ambassador Edward Djerejian, Alfred C. Glassell, III, and Pam Lindberg
    • Planned Giving
      Planned Giving

      Plan a gift that will ensure lasting, meaningful support for policy programs important to you.

       

      Read More
      meeting
    • Corporate Support
      Corporate Support
      Corporations can become involved with the institute in a number of ways and see the benefit from the research conducted by our fellows and scholars.
      Read More
      Wide shot of the Doré Commons during a Shell Distinguished Lecture Series event featuring Wim Thomas
  • About
    • People
      People
      Learn more about the Baker Institute's leadership and get contact information for the administrative staff.
      Read More
      Secretary James A. Baker, III, stands with a portion of the Berlin Wall, outside of Baker Hall
    • Student Opportunities
      Student Opportunities
      The Baker Institute offers paid internships to degree-seeking students to help train the next generation of policy leaders.
      Read More
      Students team present policy recommendations to a panel of experts at a competition organized by the Baker Institute Student Forum (BISF)
    • Annual Report
    • Podcast: Baker Briefing
      Podcast: Baker Briefing
      Baker Briefing is a weekly podcast that tackles the most critical foreign and domestic policy issues of the day in conversations with experts at the Baker Institute.
      Read More
      Logo for the Baker Briefing Podcast (Square)
    • Contact
      Contact Us
      Complete a form for event, media or other inquiries, and get directions and parking information for the Baker Institute.
      Read More
      The front of Baker Hall, from across the plaza, with fountain in foreground
  • Contact
  • Research
    • Economics & Finance
      Economics & Finance
      Read More
    • Energy
      Latest Energy Research
      Summary on Latest Energy Research
      Read More
    • Foreign Policy
      Foreign Policy
      Read More
    • Domestic Policy
      Domestic Policy
      Read More
    • Health & Science
      Health & Science
      Read More
    • All Publications
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Economics & Finance
  • Energy
  • Foreign Policy
  • Domestic Policy
  • Health & Science
  • All Publications
Drug Policy | Commentary

What the New U.S.-Mexico Deal Means for Drug Policy

December 16, 2021 | The Baker Institute
Drugs and a gun with money in a pile

Table of Contents

Share this Publication

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Linkedin
  • Print This Publication

By MGA student and Drug Policy guest contributor Sidney Phillips

On Oct. 8, 2021, top U.S. and Mexican officials agreed on a new security program, called the U.S.-Mexico Bicentennial Framework for Security, Public Health and Safe Communities. In a press conference after the high-level meeting, Mexico’s Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard announced the end of the Mérida Initiative — a $3 billion anti-drug partnership in which the U.S. helped finance Mexico’s drug wars since 2008. With “public health” among its core tenets, the new agreement shifts from previous tough-on-crime strategies and nudges the U.S. and Mexico toward improved security relations. Unless the United States and Mexico pursue domestic structural reforms, however, both nations risk backsliding to the failures of the drug wars.

The Mérida Initiative

Prior to the new security framework, the Mérida Initiative directed U.S.-Mexico security policy for over a decade. The initiative militarized anti-drug enforcement, focusing on direct combat against drug cartels. The United States helped modernize Mexico’s armed forces while Mexico embraced the so-called “kingpin” strategy, which targeted cartel leaders like Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and Oseguera “El Mencho” Cervantes.

The “kingpin strategy” proved counterproductive. Power vacuums, left by captured kingpins, splintered and multiplied Mexico’s criminal groups. Since 2008, 150,000 deaths have been attributed to the drug wars, and cartels have gained control of an estimated 35 to 40 percent of Mexico’s territory, according to former U.S. ambassador to Mexico Christopher Landau. The approach has not stymied the flow of drugs into the U.S., which faces an overdose epidemic fueled by synthetic opioid trafficking.

A Major Break from the Past

On paper, the new framework seems to remedy the missteps of the Mérida Initiative, with a more holistic approach to bilateral security. A U.S.-Mexico joint statement outlines the framework’s three main goals: (1) protect people; (2) prevent transborder crime; and (3) pursue criminal networks. The statement affirms that protecting people includes “investing in public health as related to the impacts of drug use, supporting safe communities, and reducing homicides and high-impact crimes.” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Mexico’s Foreign Minister Ebrard acknowledged in comments that the framework will focus on cooperation and reciprocity, rather than the punitive methods of the previous U.S.-Mexico security agreements.

A major break from the past, the Bicentennial Framework’s less hardline approach seems to echo the domestic drug policy priorities of the Biden and López Obrador administrations.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, referred to as AMLO, has voiced his opposition to his predecessor’s tough-on-crime tactics. His famous “hugs not bullets” campaign strategy emphasizes social welfare to curb organized crime. During his first year in office, AMLO released the National Peace and Security Plan 2018-2024, a comprehensive plan to provide youth employment programs and offer subsidies for rural farmers, as well as legalize marijuana and reform sentences for criminal convictions.

As the U.S. faces a mounting overdose epidemic, Biden’s drug policy priorities center around “evidence-based public health,” as well as “ensuring racial equity in drug policy and promoting harm-reduction efforts.” The CDC reported that U.S. overdose deaths reached a record high of 93,331 in 2020, with 60 percent of deaths linked to synthetic opioids. In March 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan — a $4 billion measure aimed at expanding drug treatment and prevention in the American health care system.

Biden and AMLO Backtrack on Reform

Despite some advancements, both Biden and AMLO have seemed to backtrack on their pledges for meaningful drug policy reform, facing criticism from criminal justice activists and human rights groups.

President Biden has done little to fulfill his campaign promise to federally decriminalize cannabis, and some of his recent policies seem to counter his reformist rhetoric. In September 2021, the Biden administration issued a proposal to permanently classify all fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs, which could stiffen prison sentences for certain synthetic opioids. A coalition of 100 civil rights and criminal justice groups rejected the policy in an October letter to Congress. The letter warns that the policy could deepen racial disparities, citing that in 2019, 68% of those sentenced for fentanyl analogs were people of color and law enforcement continues to target consumers rather than the “kingpins, importers, or manufacturers.”

Biden’s choice for his appointee to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Dr. Rahul Gupta, also raises concerns about the administration’s commitment to harm reduction. In his prior role as Director of West Virginia’s Bureau of Public Health, Gupta supported the shutdown of his state’s largest syringe service program in Charleston, home to what a CDC official called the “most concerning” HIV outbreak in the nation.

Across the border, President AMLO’s “hugs not bullets” strategy promised to fund social programs in place of militarized policing. However, since his 2018 election, ALMO has vastly expanded the military’s role in policing and public life. He placed the military in control of seaports, customs inspections and even construction projects, including a now-cancelled airport in Mexico City. In 2018, AMLO also created a National Guard tasked with combatting organized crime. The 100,000-strong civilian police force replaces the disbanded Federal Police, and is comprised of former military and Federal Police personnel. Human rights organizations, like Amnesty International, have denounced the new security force over several alleged human rights violations, including the torture and abuse of Central American migrants when the group served as de facto border patrol in 2020.

Looking Forward

The Bicentennial Framework for Security, Public Health and Safe Communities, expected to be finalized in January 2022, demonstrates a clear shift in U.S.-Mexico drug policy priorities. However, significant change is not guaranteed as the Biden and ALMO administrations seem to renege on their commitments to reform. While the rhetoric has changed, U.S.-Mexico security cooperation is still tethered to the legacy of the Mérida era. On both sides of the border, criminal justice policies continue to penalize those with substance use disorders and fail to offer reparative justice for groups most affected by the drug wars. Future U.S.-Mexico security cooperation risks repeating past mistakes unless both countries also address their troubled domestic policies toward drugs and those who use them.

 

This material may be quoted or reproduced without prior permission, provided appropriate credit is given to the author and Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. The views expressed herein are those of the individual author(s), and do not necessarily represent the views of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

© 2023 by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy
  • Print This Publication
  • Share
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Email
    • Linkedin

Related Research

Marijuana+Law
Drug Policy | Center for the U.S. and Mexico | Commentary

Marijuana Rescheduling Is Creating a Buzz for Some, Consternation for DEA

Read More
Prescription opioid medication pills spilled onto table
Drug Policy | Podcast

Baker Briefing: The Biden Administration Takes On Tranq

Read More
Cannabis
Drug Policy | Journal

Exploring the Impact of Adult‐use Cannabis Legalization on Legal System Referrals to Treatment

Read More
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Donate Now
  • Media Inquiries
  • Membership
  • About the Institute
  • Rice.edu
Contact Us

6100 Main Street
Baker Hall MS-40, Suite 120
Houston, TX 77005

Email: bipp@rice.edu
Phone: 713-348-4683
Fax: 713-348-5993

Baker Institute Newsletter

The email newsletter of Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy provides a snapshot of institute news, research and upcoming events.

Sign Up

  • © Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy
  • Web Accessibility
  • Privacy Policy