A study released Wednesday by a respected Mexican think tank concludes that if current ballot measures in certain American states to legalize the recreational use of marijuana pass, it could cut the earnings of Mexican drug cartels by as much as 30 percent.
The study by the Mexican Competitiveness Institute, “If Our Neighbors Legalize,” argues that legalization north of the border would allow more production of marijuana in the domestic US, imposing competition on the marijuana grown and distributed by the cartels.
The draconian prohibitionist policies in the US have contributed to record drug profits on the part of the cartels, which benefit from limited competition in the black market.
Furthermore, the militaristic approach the US has historically taken towards the drug war throughout Central America has boosted the ferocity of the drug cartels, who have built up virtual armies in various territories in Mexico in order to police their own market and battle the prohibitionist state.
Ballot measures on marijuana legalization are set to be voted on in Colorado, Oregon, and Washington, but they are being met with stiff opposition. Many of those opposed criticized the validity of the Mexican study, but another study by the RAND Corp on legalization in California in 2010 found that it would cut cartel income by 20 percent.
Some are concerned about domestic issues when it comes to drug legalization, but Portugal’s experience with across the board drug decriminalization starting ten years ago has resulted in a plummeting of drug abuse nation-wide, plus a much healthier, less costly approach to drug use overall.
The ongoing prohibitionist policies by the US also end up justifying harsh, brutal interventionist foreign policies from Washington. The US maintains military bases throughout Central America, trains security forces throughout the region, and bolsters militaristic governments all with the justification of the drug war.
Great article! Gives me some hope.
BTW, typo: "plus a much healthier, more costly approach to drug use overall." I think you meant "less costly".
Jeez, if it will hit the cartels by 30% just think how it will hit the American Congress and certain members of the executive and judicial branches!
Which is why it will never happen. Too many government officials in Mexico and the US are making too much bank by keeping drugs illegal.
The propaganda wizards have reduced the amount of profits from marijuana by half,,July,2011 the FBI and the ONDCP reported to congress that profits for the cartels from marijuana were 60% of their income.
They also reported the cartels made appx(conservative est sccording to them) 40 billion dollars per year,however just 2 months later Rand(ONDCP’s goto statistics source boarded by a pharmaceutical executive) researched for the ONDCP and lowered it to under 3 billion a year,,,amazing what a pencil can accomplish.
This election is a HUGE opportunity for marijuana reform. And common ground is growing, check out the efforts of MarijuanaMajority.com…
Here is perhaps the one thing we at PaisleyCircus.com and Sarah Palin agree with (her quote): "We need to prioritize our law enforcement efforts, and if somebody’s gonna smoke a joint in their house and not do anybody else any harm, then perhaps there are other things that our cops should be looking at to engage in and try to clean up some of the other problems that we have in society that are appropriate for law enforcement to do."
http://paisleycircus.com/
Hell… It may cut the cartels profit, and thus violence quotient, but it would actually benefit the local economy more than can be imagined. Just as people "vote with their wallet" for fair-trade coffee we could then purchase freely and ethically produced goods. Now if only the DC "cartel" would allow it.
In other news, sky is blue, water wet etc. etc.
War On Drugs — Class warfare
The richest man in each county in America, he is the drug lord that decides the amount of drugs needed to keep pacified all the impoverished laboring men in his county.
For the drug war is class war, as our 51% most wealthy have established a voter monopoly on the election process, now own all of Empire USA plundered wealth and need such corruption to keep it that way.