MEXICO'S PAINFUL ADMISSION

For years, Mexico has blamed its drug problem on the United States.

From the president to ordinary people, Mexicans have insisted that their
illegal drug industry has blossomed because of the huge demand in the
United States.

They've been right for the most part. If 15 million Americans were not
hooked on illegal substances, the narcotics market of more than $30 billion
a year would not exist.

But President Vicente Fox noted this week that a growing number of Mexicans
also are becoming addicted to illegal drugs.

Estimates vary, but it is believed that at least 2 million Mexicans, mainly
teenagers and young adults, smoke marijuana regularly and another million
snort cocaine.

To reverse such trends, Fox plans to enlist the help of state and local law
enforcement agencies. The narcotics war always has been the responsibility
of the federal police. In recent years, the armed forces also have been
involved, mainly in burning the large poppy fields in the countryside.

Mexico deserves American moral support in its uphill battle. If the drug
cartels have been successful in buying protection from the federal police
and even from some military leaders, corrupting state and local police -
who are usually underpaid - could be much easier.

Fox should be commended for addressing the issue. To ignore it would have
more serious consequences for the nation's 100 million people - and even
for the United States.