The United States and Mexico agreed Friday to overhaul their fight against drug trafficking to address the root causes and step up efforts to curb cross-border arms smuggling. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador wants Washington to invest in regional economic development instead of sending helicopter gunships and other weapons to take on powerful drug cartels. Both countries said it was time for a rethink after more than a decade during which the United States provided military firepower, technical support and security training under a program called the Merida Initiative. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on his first visit to Mexico as the top US diplomat, said more needed to be done in areas including tackling arms trafficking, money laundering and drug addiction.

Under the Merida Initiative, the United States has given Mexico about $3 billion since 2008 for law enforcement training and equipment such as Black Hawk helicopters. Mexico is plagued by cartel-related bloodshed that has seen more than 300,000 people murdered since the government deployed the military in the war on drugs in 2006.