( CNN ) -- Part of the solution to end drug violence in Mexico should include legalizing drugs like marijuana for personal use , former President Vicente Fox told CNN en Espanol . `` In order to get out of this trap ( of drug violence caused by organized crime ) , I 'm specifically proposing the legalization of the drug , '' Fox said during a visit to Puerto Rico , where he was speaking at a conference for small business owners in the city of Fajardo . Fox advocated decriminalizing marijuana in a 2009 interview with CNN en Espanol . Since then , he has repeatedly called on officials to rethink drug laws . In an interview that aired on CNN en Espanol Tuesday , he also said the Mexican government should `` retire the army from the task of combating criminal gangs . '' Current Mexican President Felipe Calderon has sent as many as 50,000 troops to hot spots around Mexico to fight the drug cartels . The enforcement strategy is considered a pillar in Calderon 's overall anti-drug policy . Both Calderon and Fox belong to the conservative PAN ( National Action Party ) . Ex-President Fox , a former Coca-Cola executive who was the president of Mexico from 2000 to 2006 , said the Mexican government should also `` demand that the United States do its part . '' `` The United States has a huge responsibility . It 's not enough that they give us ( Mexico ) a tip , saying 'Here 's 500 million dollars . Go do your homework . You can pay us back with blood and with dead bodies , ' `` Fox said . Mexican drug cartels buy their weapons and launder drug money in the United States , he said . Fox said Mexico has fallen into a trap `` between the gigantic U.S. drug market and the ( illicit ) drug producers in South American countries like Colombia , Venezuela , Bolivia , Ecuador and others . Fox is not alone in advocating for legalization of some drugs for personal use . Two years ago , three former Latin American presidents proposed radical changes in drug policy for the region . Brazil 's Fernando Henrique Cardoso , Colombia 's Cesar Gaviria , and Mexico 's Ernesto Zedillo wrote in the 2009 final report of the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy that `` Prohibitionist policies based on the eradication of production and on the disruption of drug flows as well as on the criminalization of consumption have not yielded the expected results . We are farther than ever from the announced goal of eradicating drugs . '' The same conclusion was reached by the U.N. 's Global Commission on Drug Policy last month . The commission , comprised of former presidents ( including Fox ) , policymakers and leaders from all over the world , recommended that governments experiment with drug legalization , especially marijuana . CNN 's Dania Alexandrino in Puerto Rico contributed to this report .
Vicente Fox says the current narcotics fight is n't over . The co - president also calls for withdrawing Mexico 's army from drug gangs . The United States should take some responsibility too , he says .