About 42,000 people have died in drug-related killings in Mexico since President Felipe Calderon went to war on the cartels shortly after taking office at the end of 2006.
Disrupting the Borg is expensive and time consuming!
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I gather from the scare quotes around “victimless crime” that you believe drugs lead to violent crime with plenty of victims, many of whom no longer have a say in their involvement as a result. And, of course, given the current state of affairs you are correct. Consider, though, that the crime is caused by the lucrative black market in iilegal drugs. The black market exists not because drugs are inherently evil (although those who take drugs will often suffer negative personal consequences), but because drugs are illegal and black marketeers can make lots of money. Black markets are always evil. Because so much money can be made, they create crime, mayhem death and destruction. Eliminate the black markets, and the vast majoirty of the crime, and its victims, disappear, just like the black market in alcohol disappeared after the US repealed Prohibition. The solution? Legalize the now illegal drugs over the next decade. Regulate and tax their production and sale, just like most countries do with alcohol. Use the tax proceeds to build and fund treatment centers for those who want treatment for their habit. Prosecute only those who violate public safety laws (like DWI) because they are high. I think the numbers of victims of drug sale and use would go way down in a world of legal drugs, and precious law enforcement and other resources (such as those now used to build prisons and fund criminal courts) could be put to more beneficial use.
“Rather than reducing crime it seemed prohibition had transformed the cities into battlegrounds between opposing bootlegging gangs. In a study of over 30 major U.S cities during the prohibition years of 1920 and 1921, the number of crimes increased by 24%. Additionally, theft and burglaries increased by 9%, homicide by 12.7%, assaults and battery rose by 13%, drug addiction by 44.6% and police department costs rose by 11.4%. It has been speculated that this was largely the result of “black-market violence” as well as law enforcing resources having been diverted elsewhere. Despite the beliefs of the prohibitionist movement that by outlawing alcohol crime would surely be reduced, the reality was that the Volstead Act led to worse social conditions than were experienced prior to prohibition as demonstrated by more lethal forms of alcohol, increased crime rates, and the establishment of a black market dominated by criminal organizations… As many as 10,000 people died from drinking denatured alcohol before Prohibition ended”
“At the end of Prohibition, some supporters openly admitted its failure. A quote from a letter, written in 1932 by wealthy industrialist John D. Rockefeller, Jr., states:
“When Prohibition was introduced, I hoped that it would be widely supported by public opinion and the day would soon come when the evil effects of alcohol would be recognized. I have slowly and reluctantly come to believe that this has not been the result. Instead, drinking has generally increased; the speakeasy has replaced the saloon; a vast army of lawbreakers has appeared; many of our best citizens have openly ignored Prohibition; respect for the law has been greatly lessened; and crime has increased to a level never seen before.”
We’ve been here before.
Indeed we have. But will we ever learn from our mistakes?
people will still kill just by taking drugs…and commit crimes due to the mental state associated with drugs…drugs in the brain makes people crazy and violent I am tired of arguing with sheltered people who dont see the effects but you wouldnt want someone you care about to be hurt by someone on drugs people rape on drugs and it leads to all kinds of bad problems with or without gangs DRUG FREE FOR LIFE
People will kill when they drink alcohol…and commit crimes due to the mental state associated with alcohol….alcohol in the brain makes people crazy and violent. So what’s your point?
People abuse alcohol and drugs, but not all users commit violent crimes.
If anything, you sound like the sheltered one. This is a big country, and within its borders, responsible drug users do exist. Perhaps you have some personal vendetta due to a family member being affected by a drug user.
Let’s not forget that this country was founded and built into an economic superpower during a time when drugs were not illegal. So history is not on your side.
I am so sick of this tired argument. One could have used the same argument with alcohol during prohibition. Demand for alcohol did not go away during prohibition. Anyone who drank alcohol during that time could have also been blamed for the violence and murder that was being caused by the black market suppliers. The consumers demand for alcohol was responsible for fueling the turf wars amoungst the mafia, because without demand, the suppliers would be out of business. But the real responsibility falls onto the politicians that drove alcohol into the black market in the first place. Don’t believe me? How many gangs are currently killing people over alcohol turf in America? None.
Alcohol, like drugs, is generally a victimless crime. Without our current drug policies, the cartels would not exist and would not be killing to compete with other suppliers.
Drugs have only victims on the users themselves and if the users kill under the influence of drugs. But that is mainly it. Same applies for alcohol. Drug cartels, border violence or any of these would have been replaced by something else if drugs had ceased to exist. So the drugs are not the problem. And you are right Phil Nizialek, the way to get rid of the high numbers of victims INVOLVED in drugs is to legalize them and regulate them.
Check out this post with this perspective on the victimeless matter and share your view: http://ethicalblabbing.wordpress.com/2012/11/20/drug-use-and-abuse-a-victimless-harm/