Drug policy has in much of the world become a major issue as of late. Marijuana policy reforms have been successful in numerous US states, and even seem to have accelerated since the 1990s. There also seems to be great interest in the issue recently in many Latin American countries. High-ranking public figures in the region, including current and former heads of state, have spoken out in support of liberalizing their drug policies, and the region has shown significant progress in actually changing policies as well. There is an ongoing trend in the member states of the European Union toward removing or simply not enforcing criminal penalties for possession of marijuana. This sometimes applies to other drugs as well.