LEGALIZE IT, END A WAR

The drug violence in Mexico, which has escalated into a full-fledged
war, has caused over 10,000 casualties since January 2007, according
to the LA Times. Others estimate the number of dead at up to 18,000.
What is even more shocking than the death toll is the brutality and
ruthlessness of the drug gang members and their morbid methods.

There are many horror stories, such as that of the murder of the
police chief of Veracruz who was killed by the cartel known as Los
Zetas last year.

Eight or nine gunmen armed with assault rifles and grenade launchers
blasted their way into the police chief's well-protected house, and it
took them less than five minutes to kill the chief, his wife, who was
also a police officer, and their son. The gunmen then set the house on
fire, killing the remaining three children, all girls.

This is one among many such tragedies, and the response by the
government has been to use military forces and federal police to fight
back. Yet this strategy has not been paying off, and every government
victory seems to cause an even harsher backlash by the cartels.

The wars are fueled by huge drug profits amounting to $23 billion a
year, most of which come from sales in the U.S., the world's single
largest purchaser of drugs.

While the U.S. has already given almost $2 billion to the Mexican
government, which has continuously increased efforts to fight the
cartels, no end to the wars is in sight. Violence continues to
escalate and some have even called Mexico a lawless country, as drug
money has permeated every level of society. Officials have to decide
whether to take bribes from the cartels or risk being targeted and
killed, as has been the fate of many who opposed cartels.

The failure of current strategies has opened up discussion for an
alternative solution: legalization. By legalizing the use and
distribution of drugs, these dangerous cartels would quickly be
bankrupt, just like the alcohol mafias during the alcohol prohibition
of the 1920s and 30s.

Of course, not all drugs should be legalized. But legalizing only
marijuana and cocaine could deal a huge blow to cartels and dealers in
the U.S., as these drugs comprise about 90 percent of sales.

Naturally, the use of these drugs should be strictly regulated, even
more so than tobacco and alcohol, and could be subject to similar
sin-taxes, which would help alleviate the huge budget deficits of
federal and state governments.

The fact is that this year the World Health Organization found that
the U.S. has the highest drug usage rates on the planet, despite
having some of the harshest sentences.

Some have even argued that making hard drugs legal could help reduce
the toxic effects of their use, as addicts could be treated openly
without fear of being arrested and prosecuted. Making addiction a
medicinal and not a criminal justice problem has already been tried
and has succeeded in the Netherlands, where current drug use numbers
are lower than in the U.S. despite more lax laws on their use.

It is time to give this option serious consideration and overcome the
misinformed taboos of the past, before thousands more are killed as a
result of keeping the drug industry underground. There is one sure way
to bankrupt the dangerous drug industry, but when will our leaders
talk about it?