CALIFORNIA COULD MAKE MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS BOLDER

The war, as they say, is going badly.

This week's massive marijuana raid in the Mendocino National Forest is
a clear indicator we're in deep trouble.

Legalizing marijuana isn't going to do the trick and reduce
crime.

Fifty massive grow gardens raided were clearly not for medicinal
purposes.

There is strong evidence tying them into the Mexican drug
cartels.

California National Guard troops joined federal and local enforcement
agencies as well as the Forest Service. The heavily armed presence was
in response to the fact many of these grow gardens have armed guards.
And they are confronting anyone who comes near them including hikers.

In essence, Mendocino National Forest is occupied by enemy
forces.

One of the pitches is that if you legalize pot you will somehow
eliminate much of the crime its use triggers.

Does anyone think that the drug cartels are going to go quietly into
the night? They will not concede a multi-billion dollar cash cow to
Mom and Pops or some Walmart-style corporate pot growing operation
without a fight.

Just look at meth production and distribution in the San Joaquin
Valley. A large chunk of the "jobs" it created have been lost to
Mexico. The loss of American meth, manufacturing, if you will, means
the distribution is more and more under the control of the Mexican
drug cartels that make the Hells Angels look like Boy Scouts in comparison.

The reason why the cartels are as far north as the Mendocino National
Forest is fairly clear. And it has a lot more than the fact it is a
relatively isolated area given the forest is the size of Rhode Island.
Marijuana grown in California's North Coast forest tends to be of
higher quality and fetches more money per ounce.

It would be Pollyanna to think that legalizing marijuana would do the
same thing that legalizing alcohol did to illegal moonshine
operations. Most moonshiners disappeared as big business moved to cash
in.

Moonshiners didn't execute police, kill innocent people, and terrify
entire towns as the drug cartels do in Mexico.

Even so, how could the cartels hold onto their control of a large
chunk of the marijuana market or event expand it if California
legalizes recreation use of pot? The answer is rather obvious. If
California legalizes pot for recreational purposes, there are 49 other
states where it still would not be legal.

States rights are an important - and sacred - part of the
constitution.

But in this case Californians may want to think twice about trying to
thumb their noses up at Uncle Sam at the ballot box.

The drug cartels are getting more brazen with each passing day in
Mexico. Should the door open a bit more in California, not much will
stop the cartels from kicking it wide open.

When it comes to organized crime, the Mexican drug cartels are
rewriting the book.

Legalize recreational pot in the Golden State and you could turn
California into a drug cartel war zone.