Mexico's presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of the Movement for National Renewal (MORENA) party takes part in an event at the Wilson Center in Washington, U.S. September 5, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Luis Gómez Romero, Business Insider/The Conversation: A Mexican presidential candidate wants to pardon criminals to end the drug war
* Mexican presidential candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador has suggested he would grant amnesty to members of organized crime groups and corrupt politicians in a bid to end the country's drug war.
* Crime levels in Mexico are extremely high. 234,966 cartel-related deaths have taken place since President Felipe Calderón's severe crack down on the drug trade in 2006.
* Mexican voters are currently dissatisfied with the state of the country and want a radically different approach, giving López the lead in the run up to the election.
With over 29,000 murders, 2017 was the deadliest year in Mexico since modern record-keeping began. Nearly two-thirds of Mexicans say crime and violence are the biggest problems facing their country.
A main cause of the bloodshed, studies show, is the Mexican government's violent crackdown on drug trafficking. Launched in 2006 under President Felipe Calderón, this military assault on cartels has left 234,966 people dead in 11 years.
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WNU Editor: Here is an easy prediction. Drug traffickers who make billions in the drug trade are not going to be impressed with this "amnesty offer".
