MEXICO SEES THE LIGHT ON DRUG BATTLE

Every good military commander knows there comes a time when the best
course of action is to withdraw from the field. It's not easy to make
the decision, but continually attacking the same position and making
no progress is no way to win in the end. It's time for America to
begin to consider if we've reached that point in the decades-long war
on drugs.

Some of our allies in that war have reached that conclusion. Portugal
did it years ago and saw a reduction in the number of addicts; many
users were able to get the help they needed to kick the habit and
return to productive lives. Other users were able to continue their
lives without fear of being locked up for possession of small amounts
of drugs. Mexico, a long-time key ally in our nation's quest to
overrule citizens' personal choices, recently decriminalized
possession of small amounts of many drugs, including marijuana,
methamphetamine and heroin.

Law enforcement officials in U.S. border towns fear the move will
endanger Americans, as people head south of the border to use drugs,
then return to the U.S. still under the influence. Sheriff Bill Gore
of San Diego County said, "It provides an officially sanctioned market
for the consumption of the world's most dangerous drugs." With all due
respect to Gore's concern for the safety of his constituents, he's
apparently forgetting that alcohol is also one of "the world's most
dangerous drugs," responsible for the deaths of thousands every year
in the U.S. alone.

Gore's concerns also don't factor in the negative effects of drug
violence in Mexico as cartels battle over transportation routes into
the U.S. According to retired Drug Enforcement Administration
supervisor Don Thornhill, a 25-year veteran of the drug war, that
violence will keep many Americans from risking a trip to Mexico simply
to get a legal high.

Some U.S. authorities question Mexican President Felipe Calderon's
commitment to eradicating drug cartels after signing the law. That's
where their logic is flawed.

San Diego Police Chief William Lansdowne said in an Associated Press
report, "For a country that has experienced thousands of deaths from
warring drug cartels for many years, it defies logic why they would
pass a law that will clearly encourage drug use." Lansdowne buys into
the common belief that drugs cause violence. Actually, it's drug
prohibition that causes violence.

Prohibition adds a high risk factor to the drug trade. That pushes up
prices while basic production costs remain the same. Although
prohibition raises costs, the drug trade is still incredibly
lucrative. That attracts individuals who are willing to commit
unspeakable acts of violence to protect their profits. Removing
prohibition removes a good deal of the profit. In addition, moving the
trade out of the darkness of black markets would allow legal
proceedings to replace violence as a means of resolving disputes over
drug sales and turf wars.

Thornhill also notes that freed from harassing small-time users,
Mexican police are able to concentrate on "the bigger fish." After
all, they're the ones creating the violence.

Mexico's new law won't solve the ills caused by drug prohibition, but
is a step in the right direction. It's a sign that some officials have
come to the realization that prohibition is the problem, not the
drugs. That's not to say drug use doesn't have its own set of
problems; it does. But those are problems best addressed by
professions other than law enforcement.