Saving Mexico

[CLANG]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704254604574614230731506644.html

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Growing numbers of Mexican and U.S. officials say—at least privately—that the biggest step in hurting the business operations of Mexican cartels would be simply to legalize their main product: marijuana. Long the world's most popular illegal drug, marijuana accounts for more than half the revenues of Mexican cartels.

"Economically, there is no argument or solution other than legalization, at least of marijuana," said the top Mexican official matter-of-factly. The official said such a move would likely shift marijuana production entirely to places like California, where the drug can be grown more efficiently and closer to consumers. "Mexico's objective should be to make the U.S. self-sufficient in marijuana," he added with a grin.

Culiacan, Sinoloa is the unofficial capital of Mexico's drug-trafficking business. Given the shortened lifespan for drug traffickers, shrines and mausoleums honoring fallen narcos have become an integral part of the city's landscape. David Luhnow and Jose de Cordoba report from Mexico.

He is not alone in his views. Earlier this year, three former Latin American presidents known for their free-market and conservative credentials—Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico, Cesar Gaviria of Colombia and Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil—said governments should seriously consider legalizing marijuana as an effective tool against murderous drug gangs.

If the war on drugs has failed, analysts say it is partly because it has been waged almost entirely as a la w-and-order issue, without understanding of how cartels work as a business.
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Saving Mexico? How about saving us too? Legalization of all drugs (with drug war money going to education and treatment) is the ONLY way to fix this problem. The resultant problems with drug abusers will be easier to deal with if people know they won't go to prison for admitting their addictions. Compassion always works better than demonization as a long term solution.

Flame away authoritarians!!
:toast:

[Goldstein1984]

1. Legalize Marijuana

Legalizing marijuana makes too much sense.

As noted in the post, legalizing marijuana would eliminate the black market. This is a case where the law creates more crime.

Second, legalizing marijuana, and thereby reducing the cost, might divert users away from other drugs.

Third--taxes.

Finally, it's nobody's business what someone does with their own body.

[Way2go]

2. That's the very reason why it won't be legalized

"might divert users away from other drugs." Don't you read enough to know that intelligence services depend on drug smuggling
and related activities as their PRIME source of funding used in false flag and other operations?

[CLANG]

3. You make a very good point

We're probably screwn.

[MH1]

4. Sadly true, I think.

[Goldstein1984]

11. I don't know to what degree TPTB promote or just allow drug use

But I do think that the crime associated with it certainly gives government an excuse to maintain a police state, and the dysfunction among the people certainly helps prevent organization.

[izquierdista]

5. Demonization works

To keep authoritarians and other Nazis in power.

[CLANG]

7. Yes, and it sadly works all too well...

[necso]

6. After reading about more killings in Mexico,

I was thinking about this again.

Drugs are the primary life's-blood for many illegal gangs (organizations). And cutting off a large part of this money (like by legalizing only marijuana) would significantly injure these criminal organizations, and would allow for law-enforcement monies to be redirected to better uses.

Marijuana (and hemp) would be a good domestic crop, and could be handled and taxed (another sin-tax!) like alcohol (which is a harder drug, imo). Moreover, (as I've read) the active ingredients in marijuana come from two families of organic compounds (THC and CBD), and growing it is a little more like growing grapes, than growing, say, beets; so there should be opportunities for small "boutique" growers to thrive.

I realize that there's still a lot of resistance to this; but at some point we really have to try to solve our problems, not just wallow in customary denial, division, and ineffectiveness.

[CLANG]

8. I agree with everything you posted

Ultimately, all drugs should be legalized, but it will probably not happen for a long time, if ever. The legalization of the growing, selling, and possessing of marijuana, along with a hefty tax is a damn good start.

[roody]

9. common sense

[Tutankhamun]

10. Marijuana will be legal very soon in California.

It's already ridiculously easy to get a doctor's recommendation in CA. There are places advertised in the local free magazines and on flyers that do nothing but rubberstamp MJ approvals for stoners.

Legalization will be on the ballot in CA in November. This vote will be one of the only events that will actually get stoners to (gasp!) LEAVE THE HOUSE! If they can find their shoes. (Stoners -- please don't get mad. That's a joke!) My point is that it will be an absolute shock if legalization doesn't pass.

Then, other states will follow suit and nobody in America will have to smoke lousy brown, seedy Mexican dirtweed. Not that I've ever inhaled such a thing. Ever.

[Vidar]

12. But how will the poor CIA pay for all its black operations then?