Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto said Tuesday he supports calls to legalize marijuana for medical and scientific purposes, and to increase the amount of the drug that can be legally possessed for personal consumption.

In an address at the U.N. General Assembly Special Session on Drugs, Mr. Peña Nieto said he is giving voice to those in Mexico who favor lifting restrictions on the substance. He said the government will give details of planned actions in coming days.

“Availability and better access to controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes should be assured, avoiding at the same time its diversion, misuse and trafficking,” Mr. Peña Nieto said.

As a major producer and shipment route for illegal drugs to the U.S., Mexico has been at the heart of the war on drugs. More than 100,000 people have been killed in the past decade and more than 20,000 have gone missing in violence among warring gangs, and between drug gangs and security forces. The country has also suffered from growing drug use among its own population.

Drug-related violence and overall homicide rates in Mexico fell in the first two years of Mr. Peña Nieto’s term, which began in December 2012, although the levels of violence and killings began rising again in 2015.