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How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

nytimes.com

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Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#71

Post by mrtron »

debacle wrote: post #58
vibrunazo wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They make most of their money from cocaine and methamphetamine (which can be legally acquired, but that didn't stop traffic). 90% of all cocaine in the US come from mexico. [1] Do you mean cocaine should be legalized? Alcohol is a bad analogy to legalizing cocaine, you should probably be comparing to the Opium Wars instead, which didn't really end well. [2] [1] http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL34215.pdf [2] http://en…

Why isn't cocaine legalized? Honest question - I've never done it nor have a I done a ton of research.

Should any substance be illegal?

If we start banning substances rationally, wouldn't cigarettes top the list.

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#72

Post by earl »

paulhauggis wrote: post #36
guelo wrote: post #31

The only way to stop these large criminal enterprises is to legalize the stuff. Just like alcohol prohibition created some of the most notorious American criminals, South American drug prohibitions produce powerful criminals down there. There isn't any large crime related to South American cocoa or coffee imports. Legalize it and then spend money and make laws regulating consumption, it would greatly reduce the miser…

At this point, I doubt it will help. Why? The cartels thrive in countries where you can essentially buy off any official. When you legalize drugs, they aren't going to suddenly stop selling it. They will now have a legal business which will continue to fund their criminal empires. We most likely will see an increase in other crimes, like extortion and kidnapping. Drugs are still illegal in the US and we don't really…

If you read the article, it points out that the price premium is for all the risk various actors bear in the cocaine supply chain. If you derisk it, you kill most of the profits and suddenly the cartels will have to compete with industrialized agriculture. This will not do wonders for the cartels' profits, and once the profits disappear, the ability to pay enormous bribes follows.

Also, without making any judgement about whether people should or should not do certain things, banning private, consensual transactions rarely works well or inexpensively. My politics do not trend libertarian, but this is a well established fact at this point, whether it's prostitution, drug use, etc.

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#73

Post by btilly »

jlarocco wrote: post #46
guelo wrote: post #31

The only way to stop these large criminal enterprises is to legalize the stuff. Just like alcohol prohibition created some of the most notorious American criminals, South American drug prohibitions produce powerful criminals down there. There isn't any large crime related to South American cocoa or coffee imports. Legalize it and then spend money and make laws regulating consumption, it would greatly reduce the miser…

I'm in favor of drug legalization, but it's not going to happen any time soon, and I don't think it would reduce crime even if it did It's hard enough to get pot legalized in most states - the "harder" drugs don't stand a chance. And even if they were legalized, it's not even possible for a big illegal drug operation to "go legit". All of the drug cartels will still have long histories of violence, piles of cash, boa…

The fact that bad people will be bad people does not change the fact that taking away a major revenue source of theirs will lessen how much bad they will do.

For a historical analog, look at the Mafia. When Prohibition ended, the Mafia didn't become nice people. They continued a life of crime. However they had diminished power, and we had fewer open gun battles in the streets. On the whole this was a good thing.

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#74

Post by blazingice »

vlisivka wrote: post #49
dsrguru wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People who have lived in big cities in the U.S. would strongly disagree with you. There are entire areas that are dangerous to walk in thanks to drug gangs. Legalize the stuff and dealers can't continue forcing out the competition with guns, since that competition will be the local supermarket.

Alcohol is already legal, so why gangs are not gone?

It looks like you're being downvoted, so I'll provide a reason.

Alcohol is legal. The gangs that formed around producing, smuggling, and selling alcohol (e.g. Capone) are gone.

The hope is that once other drugs are legal, the same thing happens to their producers.

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#75

Post by astrodust »

mrtron wrote: post #71
debacle wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why isn't cocaine legalized? Honest question - I've never done it nor have a I done a ton of research.

Should any substance be illegal? If we start banning substances rationally, wouldn't cigarettes top the list.

Cigarettes, while harmful, don't result in instant death. Banning cigarettes would result in the same problem banning other drugs has created.

The only things that should be "banned" are those that are so intrinsically harmful they cause severe, immediate, measurable harm to both the abuser and society.

There aren't many drugs that people consume that qualify for this standard since to be able to continuously abuse something it can't kill you the first try.

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#76

Post by mrbgty »

paulhauggis wrote: post #36
guelo wrote: post #31

The only way to stop these large criminal enterprises is to legalize the stuff. Just like alcohol prohibition created some of the most notorious American criminals, South American drug prohibitions produce powerful criminals down there. There isn't any large crime related to South American cocoa or coffee imports. Legalize it and then spend money and make laws regulating consumption, it would greatly reduce the miser…

At this point, I doubt it will help. Why? The cartels thrive in countries where you can essentially buy off any official. When you legalize drugs, they aren't going to suddenly stop selling it. They will now have a legal business which will continue to fund their criminal empires. We most likely will see an increase in other crimes, like extortion and kidnapping. Drugs are still illegal in the US and we don't really…

Why would the largest consumer (US) purchase drugs from the drug cartels if it were legal in the US and could be sold at every 7-11?

The drug cartels would lose a lot of the revenue which makes them powerful.

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#77

Post by debacle »

mrtron wrote: post #71
debacle wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why isn't cocaine legalized? Honest question - I've never done it nor have a I done a ton of research.

Should any substance be illegal? If we start banning substances rationally, wouldn't cigarettes top the list.

I'd rather not be driving around on the same road as someone tripping on LSD.

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#79

Post by chrischen »

vibrunazo wrote: post #45
guelo wrote: post #31

The only way to stop these large criminal enterprises is to legalize the stuff. Just like alcohol prohibition created some of the most notorious American criminals, South American drug prohibitions produce powerful criminals down there. There isn't any large crime related to South American cocoa or coffee imports. Legalize it and then spend money and make laws regulating consumption, it would greatly reduce the miser…

They make most of their money from cocaine and methamphetamine (which can be legally acquired, but that didn't stop traffic). 90% of all cocaine in the US come from mexico. [1] Do you mean cocaine should be legalized? Alcohol is a bad analogy to legalizing cocaine, you should probably be comparing to the Opium Wars instead, which didn't really end well. [2] [1] http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL34215.pdf [2] http://en…

Do you have a source on your claim that most of their money comes from cocaine and meth?

The first link provided actually says they are the largest foreign supplier of marijuana.

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#80

Post by randomdata »

debacle wrote: post #77
mrtron wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Should any substance be illegal? If we start banning substances rationally, wouldn't cigarettes top the list.

I'd rather not be driving around on the same road as someone tripping on LSD.

Even if LSD were legal, it would remain illegal to drive while under the influence of it. But more importantly, do the laws prevent someone who wants to drive while consuming LSD stop anyone from doing it now?

I'm not sure about the USA, but in Canada, the number of people who use marijuana and the number of people who use tobacco are almost equal, despite only one of those substances being legal. That seems to indicate to me that the laws have no impact on consumption or the limitation thereof.

If you are worried about the effects of people using drugs, you are already witnessing them.

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