Former Presidents Ernesto Zedillo (Mexico), Cesar Gaviria (Colombia) and Fernando Henrique Cardoso (Brazil) are in a quest in Latin America and The U.S. promoting the decriminalizing of marijuana. Among the group’s proposals ahead of a special United Nations ministerial meeting in Vienna to evaluate drug policy is call to decriminalize the possession of cannabis use.

The former presidents said the U.S-led war on drugs has failed and urged President Barack Obama to consider new policies, including decriminalizing marijuana. U.S. president Richard Nixon declared war on drugs in 1971. More than 5,300 people were killed in drug-related violence in Mexico last year, and Mexican Lawmakers have said the U.S. holds responsibility for the bloodshed because demand for narcotics has made the cartels powerful.

Gaviria said hee hoped Obama invest in harm reduction and prevention efforts that would relieve Latin America of the burden of fighting drug traffickers. “It makes no sense to continue a policy on moral grounds without getting the desired results, Obama, being a pragmatist, should recognize these failures”.

The group was created last year to focus the global drug debate on harm and prevention efforts and away from policies based on eradication of production and the criminalization of consumption.