Agenzia Fides

Managua (Agenzia Fides) - The President of the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua, His Exc. Mgr. Socrates Rene Sándigo, Bishop of Juigalpa, has declard to be against the decriminalization of the drug trade in Central America, because, in his view, the consequences would be "worse" for society. "The theory that consumption is reduced is false. I think that it would be the contrary, the use would be expanded, because it would be easier to find the drug and, therefore, we are exposing the person to the deterioration of his health," said the Bishop to the local television. "If society, led by the States, becomes very flexible, one can reach a point of extreme debauchery which then will be difficult to control," he underlined. "Since the drug does not pay taxes, it will be the same government institutions to suffer for this market that does not pay taxes," concluded the President of the Bishops of Nicaragua.
The Central American Presidents will meet on March 24 in Guatemala to discuss the legalization of drugs. According to information gathered by Fides, this proposal was put forward by the President of Guatemala, the retired general Otto Perez Molina, and his counterparts in the region have agreed to discuss it. Central America is used as a corridor for the trafficking of drugs produced in South America that goes to Mexico and the United States; in recent years its territory has been used by drug traffickers as a "warehouse" of these illegal substances. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 14/3/2012)