Friday, April 3, 2009

Mexican Drug War

The most pressing drug policy issue at the moment is probably the drug-related violence in Mexico. If you are unfamiliar with what's going on down there, I suggest you check out this wikipedia entry. In short, this violence in Mexico began shortly after an American drug war "victory" in 1984. That year, the George H.W. Bush organized a drug task force that successfully closed off the main Colombian cocaine supply route in South Florida. This victory, however, was relatively short lived. Soon after, Colombian cartels found new routes through Latin American countries, through Mexico, and across the border to the United States. Additionally, new cartels began to spring up in Mexico to capitalize on their positions along the new supply route. A few years back, Mexico's President Felipe Calderon decided to "crackdown" on drug cartel violence. But, as history shows, cracking down on black market activity usually only leads to more violence as cartels struggle to maintain their hold of the market. President Obama pointed this out in an interview the other day, comparing it to Elliot Ness's attempt to break the Mafia's hold on the illegal alcohol trade during prohibition. Yet, even while he sees the connection, his administration is taking the same ill-fated actions; instead of pointing to the inevitability of violent black markets, attributable solely to drug prohibition, his administration simply sends law enforcement aid to the border.

I just wanted to give you guys a clear overview of what's going on so I can post news stories as they come.

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