The American public seems to negatively view American drug addition, personified by America’s celebrity drug use, as a minor morality issue but negatively view Mexico’s problem of Drug Lords’ violence, as a major international issue in which Mexico threatens the safety of the American democratic Republic. Congress idiotically responds by building a higher border fence and declaring war on drugs while at the same time, the States’ prisons are full, all government is broke, and the great border fence is porous.
Truth is, there can be no ‘war’ on drugs anymore than there can be a ‘war’ on poverty (or terror); war is armed conflict between sovereign nations. So, a war on drugs is inconsequential, it is ineffective, and the States can no longer afford to incarcerate more prisoners.
The source of the Mexico’s problem of drug lords are of course, the customers most of whom are admittedly American drug addicts. For Mexico to eliminate drug lords, it would be necessary for someone to eliminate illegal drug use in America or make drugs legal, taxed, and regulated.
For the sake of clarity, to resolve the drug problem it is first necessary to realize that the drug problem is not a stupid war. Like any problem, to find a resolution it is necessary to first find the CAUSE and then find a means of eliminating the cause; in this case, drug addicts are the cause.
Unfortunately, the addicts (customers) causing this immediate problem are primarily American addicts. That being the case, is the Mexican drug lord violence really, totally a “Mexican Problem”? What then is the proper American response?
Is America’s proper response to build an even higher fence along the border? Should America incarcerate all drug users or should America legalize, tax, and regulate drugs? Legalizing drugs creates many other problems but the current drug problem is severe.
Why can’t Americans and Congress be prudent about resolving these drug related issues. Just what is Mexico’s problem and how can America best assist Mexico rather than blame her?