Mexico's President Felipe Calderon, seen here during
a visit to Uraguay, signed a new law decrominalizing
personal drug use. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Last week, Mexico's government did something that ought to be emulated far and wide -- it stopped worrying about America's draconian preferences on drug policy and decriminalized the personal use of not just marijuana, but a wide variety of officially disfavored intoxicants. In a country ravaged by violence and corruption spawned by drug prohibition, the new policy promises less reason for conflict between people and officials, and fewer opportunities for crooked cops to extract bribes from people enjoying an after-work toke or sniff. But as much as decriminalization is a step in the right direction, it doesn't go far enough; Mexico should making drugs perfectly legal to produce and sell in any quantity.
Under the new law, Mexicans are free to privately possess and consume up to five grams of marijuana, a half gram of cocaine, 50 milligrams of heroin, 40 milligrams of methamphetamine and 0.015 milligrams for LSD. That's just about a enough to get a small party started, but not enough to keep it going.
It's also not enough to defuse the violence and corruption engulfing Mexico, which revolves around the criminal syndicates that produce and ship drugs in massive quantities, primarily for the underground market in the United States. As the United States State Department warned in a Travel Alert issued on August 20 of this year:
Mexican drug cartels are engaged in violent conflict - both among themselves and with Mexican security services - for control of narcotics trafficking routes along the U.S.-Mexico border. In order to combat violence, the government of Mexico has deployed military troops in various parts of the country. U.S. citizens should cooperate fully with official checkpoints when traveling on Mexican highways.
Some recent Mexican army and police confrontations with drug cartels have resembled small-unit combat, with cartels employing automatic weapons and grenades. Large firefights have taken place in towns and cities across Mexico, but occur mostly in northern Mexico, including Tijuana, Chihuahua City, Monterrey and Ciudad Juarez.
The spur for this violence isn't the desire of the average Mexican to smoke a joint on a Saturday night; it's the fortunes to be made by supplying the illicit drug market in the United States of America. While nobody knows precisely how big the drug trade is, we do know that 90% of all U.S. bills contain traces of cocaine, suggesting just how often money and the drug cross paths. No matter what the law says, somebody is going to get a piece of that action.
Since the production and distribution of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine and the like remain illegal in Mexico, the industry will continue to be run by people willing to violate the law. Like Al Capone and the other gangsters who supplied booze during America's misfired experiment with Prohibition, Mexico's drug suppliers are criminals who settle their disputes with violence instead of lawsuits. Decriminalization may reduce risks for the average Mexican, but it won't address the country's larger problems so long as there's money to be made to the north and servicing that market requires underground activity.
To get at the root of the problem, Mexico should just legalize the trade. Let legitimate businesses grow and package poppies and cannabis. Big companies and small operations alike, operating in a legal environment, could easily drive the criminals off. By depriving them of huge profits in the shadows, legalization would render the gangs less dangerous and powerful, just the way the repeal of Prohibition stemmed the flow of blood in the U.S.
If a Cuervo brand heroin truck side-swipes a van loaded with Corona pre-rolled joints, the matter can be settled in the courts, not the street.
And if the U.S. still doesn't want the stuff crossing the border? Well, that's the problem of the neighbor to the north, isn't it?
Full legalization might not gain Mexico any friends in D.C., but that would be offset by peace and prosperity at home.
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email J.D.: civilliberties (at) tuccille.com
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Comments
Finally a writer for the Examiner who puts his opinion out there about drugs but doesn't inappropriately cut and paste prohibitionist or pro-legalization articles into it.
It's a frustrating and mostly fruitless task to try to teach a pig to sing, especially when the pig doesn't have to listen to you (especially when it's someone else's pig). Often the best you can achieve is some small gratification when the pig, all on his own, unexpectedly learns how to hum.
You're nuts, Mr. J.D. Tuccille.
We need to help our neighbors to the south and cut off the flow of money and weapons to the cartels. The best way to fight prohibition is to get one state to vote on it, pass it and watch the dominos fall. This is our opportunity to put our money where our mouth is. Join us in California by donating or volunteering for the California Cannabis Initiative who is working hard at bringing us the Tax, Regulate, and Control Cannabis Act of 2010 to the ballot box. Lets end this senseless war that has drained our local, state and federal treasuries and has destroyed more families and lives than any drug itself could have ever done.
To join or help the fight go to www.californiacannabisinitiative.org
Oscar Chavez
California Cannabis Initiative
San Bernardino County Coordinator
Good read. I sure what willie meant to say was you have nuts for writing something like this. Good job and hope that you continue to stand up for what is right and common sense. People will come around when they realise that this has cost us way to much money and needs to be rethought.
reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE57O5DC20090825
reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSTRE57O62M20090825
from today..
Agreed, the current policy creates far more harm and destruction than legalization would, it just makes sense to finally start regulating what has been the cause of underage smoking and cartels taking billions in profits that could be going toward our own economy and all the trouble its in. People already smoke pot, a lot of them, and the world hasn't fallen, there isn't a million traffic accidents and people are not dieing, so if alcohol can be managed and legally and responsibly enjoyed by us American citizens, then why are we wasting so much money to make sure that a safer substance is not used instead?
I personally tell my kids that marijuana is safer and that we prefer them to use it over alcohol if they are ever going to go against our rules. And to think our country condones alcohol and cigarettes which are responsible for over 600,000 deaths EACH YEAR while we punish people for using a safer substance that kills ZERO people each year?
If Mexico legalized drugs it wouldn't do much harm to Mexican cartels. They make most all of their money selling drugs within the U.S.
What would help the most is if we legalize marijuana. Our former drug czar, John Walters, said that marijuana is the "bread and butter," the "center of gravity" for Mexican cartels. The ONDCP estimates that cartels make about 62% of their income from marijuana bound for the U.S. Other government estimates have put the percentage of cartel income from marijuana sales even higher. It is the most commonly used drug in this country by a long shot. The black market for illegal drugs is mostly just a black market for marijuana. If we legalize it and run it through legal channels it would deprive these organizations of most of their income and make it harder for them to sell their other drugs because they'll lose most of the participants in the black market.
I think it would be stupid to legalize other drugs like meth or cocaine though.
Denise Hunnell is DC Catholic examiner. She is a coward that tends to censor those who express views that she does not like. For example, she apparently finds the following too offensive to remain on her page:
"What do the bishops have to say about the death penalty? Have the bishops expressed an opinion as to what role the government should play in alleviating poverty? What are their thoughts on immigration reform? What did the bishops have to say about the pre-emptive war that the United States launched in Iraq? What does the Church teach on the subject of torturing prisoners? Why is it that you so often quote the bishops when doing so advances your own right-wing political agenda, but ignore what they have to say when their opinions aren't politically conservative?"
Tell Denise Hunnell that censorship has no place on these boards.
I agree with a number of posts that Drug Prohibition does more harm to society than good. The violence, crime, corruption and loss of civil liberties are examples of harm. And yet, the illegal drugs are more available than when the War on Drugs started. Drug Prohibition does not work!
What we need is a public debate on the pros and cons of Drug Prohibition, with suggestions for improvement. It is a sad state of affairs when government uses fear rather than logic to resolve issues.
Jim Hilsenteger
www.crackonomics.com
Legalize Weed, nothing less or more is needed. I believe Leglaizing other drugs is a dangerous idea because they don't hold a candle to the relatively harmless effects of marijuana. But I think the one best question we should all ask ourselves is " When has anyone who smoked pot EVER bothered me?"
I predict a big increase in Mexican tourism industry. Also the creation of many small shops where people can buy and use the small legal amounts.
While I agree with your article 100%, we're going to have to sneak up on the Prohibitionists in order to get things legalized here. I think the Marijuana Genie IS out of the bottle, but it will take time. Which I hate, but I have no choice but to accept and continue to be hopeful that things will continue to change, and that ignorant people like John English can become more, er, "educated".
I have a joke for you... how do you know a Prohibitionist is lying? His lips are moving! (inspired by John English)
Mexico, Argentina, Canada, Holland....all making small amount possessions a non-offense. All favoring decriminalization. When is the USA going to be next ??
I see hundreds of comments about how now is the time and it needs to be legalized, Alcohol is worse and all the other pro marijuana people but I have one question what are you doing to help. Talk is cheap get involved write people your legislators even if they don't listen if enough people would then they would at least begin to realize we are here and not going away. If you are hiding and we often do because of the bulls$%t you'll catch if found out then join and support an advocacy project like NORML or the Marijuana policy project every one says it should be legal well lets get involved and fix this travesty and if all else fails use your vote ask their position and vote accordingly
Marijuana has never killed anyone in all of recorded history!
It's time We The People end the failed drug war and replace it with regulation and honest education.
Why not change the useless drug laws? Can't we all just get abong?
The only reason marijuana is illegal is because it's competition for many lower quality and often far more environmentally harmful products promoted by large corporations that lobby.
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It is not legalization we want - it is decriminalization. There is a very big difference between the two.
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