Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy
The first to break the taboo was the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy. Launched in 2008 as an initiative of 17 Latin American leaders, the commis - sion was led by three respected former presidents, Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil, César Gaviria of Colombia and Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico. Its objective was to trigger debate through a balanced evaluation of the effectiveness and impact of drug policies in the region and to contribute toward the construction of “safer, more efficient and humane policies” (Latin American Commis - sion on Drugs and Democracy, 2009). In 2009 the commis - sion presented the principle findings and conclusions of its report Drugs and Democracy: Toward a Paradigm Shift .