How the Plummeting Price of Cocaine Fueled the Nationwide Drop in Violent Crime
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How the Plummeting Price of Cocaine Fueled the Nationwide Drop in Violent Crime
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Re: How the Plummeting Price of Cocaine Fueled the Nationwide Drop in Violent Crime
#2For interesting reads on the politics of cocaine, in addition to the mentioned story in Freakonomics, take a look at:
Dark Alliance by Gary Webb: http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Alliance-Contras-Cocaine-Explosio...
Snowblind: http://www.amazon.com/Snowblind-Brief-Career-Cocaine-Trade/d...
Re: How the Plummeting Price of Cocaine Fueled the Nationwide Drop in Violent Crime
#3In other words, high drug prices give money to gangs. Also, some drugs inherently encourage large gangs - stuff like heroin and cocaine has offshore production, which requires complicated supply chains with large (and therefore violent) gangs. As deplorable as meth cookers are, their small scale and low margins mean they only cause limited damage. Since they work alone, they don't need to shoot disloyal gang members, and they are too small to have real turf wars. And they compete against each other, cutting each others margins, so they don't have the money to hire mercenaries, and it's just not worth getting shot in a gangwar to hold their turf.
I don't like the effect meth seems to have on users though. It would be much better (IMO) to legalise some less damaging drugs. That's the best of both worlds - cheap drugs (so no money goes to gangs, and addicts don't need to steal as much to pay for them), and safer drugs.
Re: How the Plummeting Price of Cocaine Fueled the Nationwide Drop in Violent Crime
#4I remember writing a report on the failure of the war on drugs...and this was 13 some years ago when I was in junior high. Sad to see drug policies still haven't changed much since then.
Re: How the Plummeting Price of Cocaine Fueled the Nationwide Drop in Violent Crime
#5What about the increase in corruption in Mexico? An increase in corruption means more criminals can have drug businesses without being stopped by the cops.
So, when more drug businesses pop-up, there will be less of a monopoly on the supply and the cost will go down over time. It's the same as any normal business.
Even if we legalized all drugs tomorrow, it won't stop the violence. If the Mexican police were actually doing their job, the criminals wouldn't be running the show.
Re: How the Plummeting Price of Cocaine Fueled the Nationwide Drop in Violent Crime
#6What about the increase in corruption in Mexico? An increase in corruption means more criminals can have drug businesses without being stopped by the cops. So, when more drug businesses pop-up, there will be less of a monopoly on the supply and the cost will go down over time. It's the same as any normal business. Even if we legalized all drugs tomorrow, it won't stop the violence. If the Mexican police were actually…
It would stop a significant amount of the violence as explained by the fucking article.
It is impossible to police drugs. Drugs even get into US max security prisons. The most fucking locked down place on Earth. If you can't eradicate it there how do you plan on eradicating it outside?
Re: How the Plummeting Price of Cocaine Fueled the Nationwide Drop in Violent Crime
#7I remember writing a report on the failure of the war on drugs...and this was 13 some years ago when I was in junior high. Sad to see drug policies still haven't changed much since then.
It hasn't changed much because it is working great for a very well connected sub-set of our society.
Re: How the Plummeting Price of Cocaine Fueled the Nationwide Drop in Violent Crime
#8What about the increase in corruption in Mexico? An increase in corruption means more criminals can have drug businesses without being stopped by the cops. So, when more drug businesses pop-up, there will be less of a monopoly on the supply and the cost will go down over time. It's the same as any normal business. Even if we legalized all drugs tomorrow, it won't stop the violence. If the Mexican police were actually…
What do you think would happen to a Mexican police officer and his family if he tried to simply "just do his job"?
There is a reason the police are the ones wearing ski masks down there: http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/WO-AG531_MEXICO_G_...
Re: How the Plummeting Price of Cocaine Fueled the Nationwide Drop in Violent Crime
#9What about the increase in corruption in Mexico? An increase in corruption means more criminals can have drug businesses without being stopped by the cops. So, when more drug businesses pop-up, there will be less of a monopoly on the supply and the cost will go down over time. It's the same as any normal business. Even if we legalized all drugs tomorrow, it won't stop the violence. If the Mexican police were actually…
It would stop a significant amount of the violence as explained by the fucking article. It is impossible to police drugs. Drugs even get into US max security prisons. The most fucking locked down place on Earth. If you can't eradicate it there how do you plan on eradicating it outside?
"It would stop a significant amount of the violence as explained by the fucking article."
I'm sorry, I read the article and I disagree. I'm merely giving a different view and you have to get all angry about it. You should use more logic and less emotion when dealing with issues like this.
"The most fucking locked down place on Earth. If you can't eradicate it there how do you plan on eradicating it outside?"
I never said anything about eradicating it. I'm saying that the decrease in Cocaine prices might have to do with the increase in the corruption of Mexican officials.
Re: How the Plummeting Price of Cocaine Fueled the Nationwide Drop in Violent Crime
#10What about the increase in corruption in Mexico? An increase in corruption means more criminals can have drug businesses without being stopped by the cops. So, when more drug businesses pop-up, there will be less of a monopoly on the supply and the cost will go down over time. It's the same as any normal business. Even if we legalized all drugs tomorrow, it won't stop the violence. If the Mexican police were actually…
What do you think would happen to a Mexican police officer and his family if he tried to simply "just do his job"? There is a reason the police are the ones wearing ski masks down there: http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/WO-AG531_MEXICO_G_...
How did it get to this level?
We have criminal gangs in the US and the police here don't have to worry about that. It's mostly because of our justice system and the fact that you can't buy off any cop with some cash.