MEXICO CITY — Mexico has been victim of drug-related violence and corruption for years. But a new bill passed last Friday may change all that.

While the debates around marijuana legalization continue state by state in the U.S., Mexico is just one step away from legalizing medical marijuana in the entire country.

The Mexican Congress passed a bill to legalize the scientific and medical use of marijuana. And if President Enrique Peña Nieto signs it, it will become a federal law.

President Peña Nieto has said in the past that the war on drugs has failed around the world, but no one knows when — or how — is he going to address this new bill.

The debate on legalizing marijuana in Mexico has been as complex as it has in the United States. Former president Vicente Fox has become a strong voice in favor of it, while his successor, Felipe Calderón, still opposes it.

The partial legalization of marijuana would be a landmark in Mexican drug policies.