The devil is in Mexico.

[Dr. Shades]

The US won't legalize all drugs anytime soon. What else can the US legally do?

"Else?" It can't legally invade Mexico.

Mexican cartels don't kill innocent people?

So if Mexican cartels kill people, we should too?

[doubtingthomas]

"Else?" It can't legally invade Mexico.

I was talking about legalizing all drugs. The US is capable of legalizing all drugs but won't do it anytime soon, probably never.

So, what is your legal solution to end the opioid epidemic and the violence in Mexico?

So if Mexican cartels kill people, we should too?

Jesus Christ! So, who is going to defend the innocent people?

Dr. Shades, it's easy to criticize, but not so easy to come up with a solution. What's the solution?

[Dr. Shades]

I was talking about legalizing all drugs. The US is capable of legalizing all drugs but won't do it anytime soon, probably never.

So, what is your legal solution to end the opioid epidemic and the violence in Mexico?

Legalize drugs.

Jesus Christ! So, who is going to defend the innocent people?

Probably no one.

Dr. Shades, it's easy to criticize, but not so easy to come up with a solution. What's the solution?

Legalize drugs.

[doubtingthomas]

Legalize drugs.

What solution would be accepted US congress?

[Dr. Shades]

What solution would be accepted US congress?

Well, I pretty much know what WON’T: Armed invasion.

[doubtingthomas]

Well, I pretty much know what WON’T: Armed invasion.

It would be easier to convince the government to send US troops to Mexico. The legalization of all drugs is not a bad idea, but you know damn well it's not going to happen anytime soon.

And I'm not sure why you are ignoring these points.

1. Legalization of all drugs won't end human and sex trafficking.
2. Legalizing all drugs in the US, "would have only a limited adverse impact on [drug] trafficking organizations. There is more than enough demand globally to attract and sustain traffickers who are willing to take the risks to satisfy that demand. "
https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep0498 ... b_contents

So, let me try again. What solution would be accepted by US Congress?

[Chap]

2. Legalizing all drugs in the US, "would have only a limited adverse impact on [drug] trafficking organizations. There is more than enough demand globally to attract and sustain traffickers who are willing to take the risks to satisfy that demand. "
https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep0498 ... b_contents

Are we reading the same paper? On the one I can see, the Executive Summary reads as follows - see particularly the bolded text.

Since President Felipe Calderón launched a military-led offensive against Mexico’s power- ful drug cartels in December 2006, some 42,000 people have perished. The situation is so bad that the Mexican government’s authority in several portions of the country, especially along the border with the United States, is shaky, and the growing turbulence creates concerns that Mexico is in danger of becoming a failed state. Although such fears are excessive at this point, even that dire scenario can no longer be ruled out.
U.S. political leaders and the American peo- ple also worry that Mexico’s corruption and violence is seeping across the border into the United States. That danger is still fairly limited, but the trend is ominous. Both the number and severity of incidents along the border are rising.

Experts propose several strategies for dealing with Mexico’s drug violence. One suggestion is to apply the model used earlier to defeat the Co- lombian drug cartels. But the victory in Colom- bia is not as complete as proponents contend,and the situation in Mexico is far less favorable to using that strategy. Another suggested ap- proach is to try to restore Mexico’s status quo ante, in which the government largely looked the other way while drug traffickers sent their product to the United States. But too much has changed politically in Mexico for that approach, which would be only a temporary Band-Aid solution in any case.

The only lasting, effective strategy is to defund the Mexican drug cartels. Reducing their billions of dollars in revenue requires the United States, as the principal consumer market for illegal drugs, to abandon its failed prohibition policy. That move would eliminate the lucrative black-market premium and greatly reduce the financial resources the cartels have available to bribe officials or hire enforcers to kill competi- tors and law enforcement personnel and intimidate the Mexican people. A refusal to abandon prohibition means that Mexico’s agony will likely worsen and pose a significant security problem for the United States.

Sure, there will continue to be markets for illegal drugs in other countries that continue try to eliminate the illegal narcotics by proscriptions. But if the US ceased to be a market for illegal drugs, the effect on Mexico would be significant.

[doubtingthomas]

Are we reading the same paper?

Yes, we are sir. I'm glad you are reading it. Try to find what I quoted.

The only lasting, effective strategy is to defund the Mexican drug cartels. Reducing their billions of dollars in revenue requires the United States, as the principal consumer market for illegal drugs, to abandon its failed prohibition policy. That move would eliminate the lucrative black-market premium and greatly reduce the financial resources the cartels have available to bribe officials or hire enforcers to kill competi- tors and law enforcement personnel and intimidate the Mexican people.

Yes, that's assuming other countries follow the US as the paper later explains. But what are the odds the US legalizes all drugs in the foreseeable future? And if that ever happens, what would the cartels do for revenge?

[Chap]

But what are the odds the US legalizes all drugs in the foreseeable future?

Very low. It would require politicians to exercise leadership sufficient to persuade their supporters to advance beyond knee-jerk responses.

So meanwhile, enjoy! What's your favourite narcotic?