Mexico has been a producer and transit route for illegal drugs since the 1970's. However the country is now dealing with drug cartels that are extremely well financed. While American and Mexican officials are working very closely, their strategy has not proved very successful.The violence has now spilled over the border and is a major concern in the Southwest.
Unarmed drones have been sent out in order to gather intelligence. Several suspects have been found. However, the rising drug related murders has proved that this alone will not end the violence. This struggle is affecting U.S -Mexico relations as threats against American diplomats, and consulate workers along the Mexican border have occurred. News organizations and journalists have been targeted and many reporters have been killed.
Mexicans have just started to openly speak about decriminalizing drugs to reduce the sizable profits the gangs receive. American and Mexican agencies are also refocusing on border enforcement efforts and strengthening training of Mexican police officers, judges, prosecutors, and public defenders. Instead of building a larger wall at the border, there would be a system that would allow goods and people to be screened.
Personally I think that the federal and state expenditures of billions of dollars a year have been a failure. This is based on the fact that the number of drug users has grown. Interception of drug cartels has led to more of a demand for drugs, this leads to higher prices, which ultimately leads to the drug lords making higher profits. Realistically people in the U.S are not going to stop using drugs. Well armed drug cartels can afford to fight a war in Mexico and they can bribe and coerce officials who are dealing with high rates of unemployment. The high rates of unemployment are due to the flight of Mexicans to the U.S claiming higher paid jobs. Another solution may be to increase educational and employment opportunities within Mexico. Since the majority of the workforce is now in the U.S the majority of the Mexican population is either elderly or very young. This leads to a lack of teachers and normal jobs.
I think that we are ignoring the lessons of the Prohibition Era which drove distillers underground and failed to eliminate alcohol from the private market. This created gangs and the mafia. Thousands of people die every day as a result of overuse of alcohol and smoking tobacco, no one has died due to smoking marijuana. While I am not entirely for legalization of marijuana I do think that decriminalization in Southwestern states will have a major effect.
The war on drugs can be solved if drug gangs lost their source of income, they would not be able to bribe officials with large sums of money which would decrease corruption in government. Turning low level drug offenders through the system, putting them in jail, these prisoners come out with more problems then when they went in. Incarcerating, arresting, charging high profile drug sellers, marijuana levels did not decrease rather it resulted in an opportunity for others to take up the profession. Resources going towards offenses of robbery, rape and murder are limited because most resources are going towards drug crimes. Getting tough with drug crime creates a soft approach to other more serious crimes.
Even Republican Ron Paul describes the situation “The drug war encourages violence. Government violence against nonviolent users is notorious and has led to the unnecessary prison overpopulation. Innocent taxpayers are forced to pay for all this so-called justice. Our drug eradication project (using spraying) around the world, from Colombia to Afghanistan, breeds resentment because normal crops and good land can be severely damaged. Local populations perceive that the efforts and the profiteering remain somehow beneficial to our own agenda in these various countries.”
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/mexico/drug_trafficking/index.html
5 comments:
Second to the long lasting wars in iraq and afganistan the war on drugs is the biggest waste of money our government proudly hangs their hat on. It amazes me that it is taboo to say this stance on drug trafficking is wrong. You are absolutely right spending those billions on the social infrastructure of Mexico would be a much better alternative than this current policy. This won't work and anyone who things a wall will stop these people has never met a desperate person with nothing to lose.
When i think of this i think of the secure fense act and operation hold the line. Regardless of what the United States does these drugs and the issues that come with them are going to follow.
Solving the problem of drugs entering the United States would first require solving the social, political, and economic problems in Mexico. It is an entire possible proposition; all that is necessary is someone who is willing to begin such an endeavor.
With our country already having economic issues, should we really be spending billions of dollars on "fixing" the drug problem in Mexico? I can think of much better ways to spend the money. I agree there is something that needs to be done; I agree that the social infrastructure is the first thing that needs "fixing." However, I do not feel this should take billions of our own money, when we are doing so poorly in the economic department.
I would have to agree with the OP. To those that think spending the money on helping rebuild Mexico is a waste I would counter that the US is quite a large reason Mexico is so bad off right now. The drugs are going to American users, NAFTA destroyed their economy leaving drug running as one of the few viable options to those in the country, and we continue to add to the violence by criminalizing what in all respects should be defined as a medical issue in that of using drugs.
Post a Comment