U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said in Mexico Monday that he was open to joining a growing Latin American debate about legalizing illicit drugs, but only to show that a change of policy would not work.

Biden’s two-day visit to Mexico and Central America comes amid frustration about the failure of U.S.-backed efforts to combat regional drug violence and new debate about decriminalizing illicit drugs spearheaded by Guatemala.

“It’s totally legitimate for this to be raised, and the reason it warrants a discussion is that on examination, you realize that there are more problems with legalization than non-legalization, including the notion of taking the criminal element out of the system,” Biden told reporters in Mexico City.