I know a lot has been said/discussed/posted on the drug wars in Mexico and the role of the US but I could not resist making one more post about it. This is an interesting article that appeared on the BBC website - it is an interview of the Mexican president Felipe Calderon. In the interview, he has essentially placed the onus of the escalating drug war on the US. Ironically, the article talks about how Californians will vote this week on Proposition 19 - a measure that will legalise marijuana use in California.
I thought it was so wrong that while on the surface the US seems to be playing the role of peacemaker, underneath it all, it's busy making sure that there remains a market for drugs in the US and thus by extension, it's engaged in this constant conflict with Mexico. Unless of course, policy makers have a skewed logic where they believe that legalising marijuana will help the drug war in Mexico.
It is rightly so, that Mexicans are outraged. To me, it's a simple equation of supply and demand. If the US can make getting those drugs difficult, the demand may eventually wind down. But maybe they don't want to do that. However, here there is huge money involved and the stakes are very very high - it's just easier to be part of this war than do something to stop it.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11633914
I think it will be very interesting to see the voting results this week especially the controversial Proposition 19 because if it passes in CA I think it will only be a few years until Colorado sees something similar up for vote.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of the Mexican drug wars, I think it is interesting to question whether the wars will continue or get worse if California legalizes marijuana. Violent encounters are currently the result of Mexican government trying to stop the drug flow into California. The argument of two Mexican men in the article I posted below says these efforts will no longer be necessary if marijuana is widely and legally available across the border.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/03/AR2010090302205.html
This article also draws on talk of legalizing marijuana in Mexico, this would allocate resources for Mexico to fight other crime. Without the demands of the war on drugs, Mexico could focus on reducing violent crime. I think the results of the vote on Tuesday will be very interesting, while I don't believe marijuana should be legal, I see that there are financial benefits and worse drugs/crime that officials could fight.