On November 10, Uruguay's President Jorge Batlle became the first Latin American leader to call for the legalization of drugs.
During the Tenth Iberoamerican Summit of Chiefs of State and Government in Panama, Batlle said "If that little powder was worth only 10 cents, there would be no organizations dedicated to raising a billion dollars to finance armies in Colombia."

In a subsequent interview with the New York Times, Batlle explained "I don't know if drugs kill more than alcohol or tobacco, but I know they kill thousands on the battlefields of Colombia."

Batlle's solution for the Colombian civil war? "Legalize drugs and bring Colombia into NAFTA."

Batlle is in his first year of a five-year term.