Since time immemorial, Mexicans have argued that were it not for U.S. demand for illicit substances, Mexico would have a manageable drug problem. More recently, we have also contended that absent the U.S.'s laxity on arms sales and its tolerance for the possession of extraordinarily dangerous weapons, the violence in our country would not be what it has become. Lately our leaders have added a new gripe: Americans are hypocrites because they support prohibitionist and costly drug-enforcement policies — yet, through the specious fallacy of medical marijuana, are legalizing drugs without saying so.
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On weapons, there are two problems in addition to futile Mexican posturing. First, firepower is fungible. Even granting that most arms used in Mexico come from the U.S. (in fact, only the traceable ones do), there is no reason to suppose that if they stopped moving south, other sources and suppliers would not fill the void. Otherwise, the abundance of guns in countries from Brazil to Afghanistan would be inexplicable.
Most important, though, violence in Mexico did not increase when, in 2004, the assault-weapons ban expired and George W. Bush declined to resubmit it to Congress. (Obama hasn't either.) Willful homicide and every other form of crime had been diminishing in Mexico since the early 1990s and continued to do so until late 2007, precisely when Calderón's war on drugs went into high gear. As for medical marijuana, it is quite true that its use in most U.S. states amounts to legalization without admitting it. There is nothing wrong with this, although full-fledged legalization of marijuana production, commerce and consumption would be better. But if U.S. society feels more comfortable with the hypocritical regulation of pot and other drugs, so be it. What is the point of Mexicans' lecturing Americans about this, other than scoring debating points?
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In fact, the U.S. seems to be doing just fine with its current drug policies, cynical as they may be. Violent and property-related crimes are at their lowest levels in 40 years. The recession has not brought an increase in crime. So Mexico is not only barking up the wrong tree; mixing metaphors, it is also asking the U.S. to fix something that isn't broken. Perhaps another Mexican approach and a different U.S. policy might be more productive.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2080613,00.htmlAn obvious NRA shill, just like all who don't support the Brady and VPC talking points. And Time is obviously a right wing rag, too.
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