The drug war devastation in Mexico is being directly linked to gun dealers in the United States. Those fun gun dealers are located in gun-friendly states like Virginia.
While drug addiction may be costing Mexicans their lives and Americans their families, we need to keep in mind that more than just drugs dealers are making money. Gun dealers are, too.
The Administration's proposal to search vehicles going into Mexico as well as coming from Mexico is a good one. Depriving the Mexican cartels of guns will take away much of its power and certainly reduce the harm to innocent bystanders. The drug wars themselves will not stop, just the form they take right now.
Aside from all that, if Americans stopped using drugs, there would be no drug war at all. Another idea is to decriminalize drug addiction and treat it instead. It's a good thought, especially since arresting people and putting them in prison hasn't worked since we started doing that in the 1950s. Treating addiction would do at least something towards addressing American demand for drugs. Not much, but at least something.
My idea is that everyone who is arrested for buying illegal drugs more than once has everything they own confiscated. Yes, that would unfairly burden the more affluent. But wouldn't that be a nice change for once?
2 comments:
We do need to implement better border security. The problem is, a lot of people in America think that means installing a wall with a one way door.
A lot of people also think that pointing out the problem existing on both sides of the border is "blaming America". The problem is all Mexico's problem and Mexico has to solve it.
So lets have real border security - both coming in and going out. Vehicles found with excessive cash or guns are impounded, the occupants are charged with a federal crime (or turned over to Mexican officials so they can to go Mexican prison) and the money becomes the property of CBP.
Likewise, illegal shit going from Mexico to the USA also needs to be seriously cracked down on.
This will take a real partnership between the USA and Mexico. If Mexico is serious about doing this, I think it can be done.
I think decriminalization is not a real solution. Sure, we can decriminalize pot. But do you really think that allowing meth to be sold at 7-11 is a good idea? How about legalized crack? Legalized heroin?
Legalizing pot will reduce pot smuggling - but honestly I think the gangs and cartels would be fine with that. Pot is bulky, easy to detect, and cheap. There is a lot of risk and a lower reward. A ton of pot is worth a lot less than a ton on cocaine.
The gangs would just move to more profitable products. And the problem would continue, or get worse. Then people would declare legalization does not work.
You would have to legalize ALL drugs. The gangs would then have to compete with corporations and legal enterprise, or become legal businesses themselves.
There are no easy answers here. The USA IS part of the problem here. And that is NOT "America hating" or "blaming America" or whatever bullshit the right wants to spew. It is reality. This is not all America's problem, and it is not all Mexico's problem. This is OUR problem. The two nations share a common problem - and both need to work together to solve it.
I don't think you would have to legalize all drugs. Most drug trafficking is pot because pot is the most common of all the drugs people use.
Call me a protectionist, but we should only allow pot grown the in U.S. to be sold legally.
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