Effects of the Drug War on Mexico

You don't have to be a news junkie to have heard about the violence in Mexico, and how it is beginning to affect America. Drugs, guns and people are being smuggled into and out of the US-Mexico border, and violence is increasing as smuggler get stopped. However, One must wonder how much of this reporting is sensationalism, and how much is accurate. Laura Calrsen's blog entry, "Drug War Doublespeak" has some interesting things to say.

Laura is the Director of the Americas Policy Program in Mexico City, so her opinion comes from the other side of the border, something we don't see very often in our media. Obviously, her goal is to reach an American audience that only hears the US side of the story.

Laura claims that we are being misled by 1984 style doublespeak, and that false statistics are being thrown around to create fear in the Americas, ensuring that we won't hesitate to pony up more troops and money to continue our failed War on Drugs (See: Rick Perry asking for $135 million and 1,000 troops to secure our border). One of the best points she makes is the contradictory nature of the government's coverage of this "War." They spin the stats whichever way benefits the most at the current time. One day they tell us that Mexico is a failing state: deaths as a result of the Mexican drug war exceed deaths in Iraq, violence is spilling into Arizona resulting in high kidnapping rates, and 70% of Mexican civilians are scared to leave their homes. Laura says these stats are wrong, and are creations of fuzzy math and outright lies.

Ironically enough, as we are told of these alarming statistics, we are also told the opposite: Mexico is winning its War on Drugs, we need to support them so we can slay the demon known as drugs. When we take a look at the actual facts, we see that this is a lie. Cultivation of pot and opium in Mexico has risen since 2007, and so has production of heroin. Eradication of poppies and marijuana plants has decreased since Mexico began its War on Drugs in 2006. Drug use among Mexican youth has risen, and seizures of all types of drugs has decreased. Still, the US government says this moral crusade is going well.

Laura makes a call to action in her blog, one that is finally beginning to get national press coverage: we need to end the War on Drugs. Prohibition is a failed policy that costs billions of dollars and has not benefited either country. Legalization of marijuana alone would slice cartel profits by over 60%. We could cripple gangs and cartels overnight by allowing one harmless substance to be purchased legally. People with drug problems should be viewed as a public health concern, not a criminal one.

All in all, Laura wrote an excellent article that I have no argument against. She's not alone in her thinking, as the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy also advocates changing our stance and legalizing marijuana (At the least). As fear and the unemployment rate rises, we sit idly by continuing to support this gigantic waste of taxpayer money, instead of creating a new industry worth tens of billions of dollars a year.