Mexican Cartels Bringing the Thunderdome

There are 2 reasons why Prohibition gangsters brought about less death than the Los Zetas. Firstly, weapons technology back then was more primitive than it is now. Guns were far less efficient at killing large numbers of people than they are today. Secondly most of the warfare between bootleggers and cops took place in an urban environment that was easy to control. The Zetas have the the luxury of being able to hide along the rural border and avoid retaliation. Also, add into this analysis that many of the Zetas have military training (the Capone gangs were largely working class stiffs providing muscle for risktaking entrepreneurs) and you have a decent explanation for the difference in death rates that doesn’t require pot.

As for my opinion, I say legalize the stuff. I think it is very selfish for kids to want to purchase a product that funds the death of civilians and officers alike, but it’s a grim reality that will not go away because it is the suffering of strangers they don’t know. The very least we can do as a society is wrest control of this demand from violent sociopaths and maybe even make some tax dollars as a society. Also I don’t buy into this medical marijuana bullshit nor do I think weed is good for you, but if you look at the effects side by side, a day of smoking weed is not that different from a day of drinking. Why is it legal for a man to buy a 30 rack of beer and down it all in 8 hours but it’s not legal for someone to smoke marijuana? Not only that, but marijuana isn’t connected to violence in the same way alcohol and other drugs are. People are less violent when they are high.

And before you say anything Dr. Jones, I do not smoke weed. I prefer a fresh cigar and stiff beer any day of the week, and I personally think weed is stupid. I have just done my research and I think legalizing marijuana for consumption by adults is ultimately the best choice once all the pros and cons are weighted.

“Yep, no violence with weed except for all the cartel killings. And I think legalization will only put those same criminals in charge of the operation.”

The drug cartels are killing because they will protect their profit margins at all costs. They are not personally high on weed when they do it. I have never seen a news story where individuals who are high on solely marijuana and nothing else have committed violence. I mean, damn Mr. Jones, if ice cream were made illegal these guys would start producing and smuggling ice cream into the US to feed people’s “IC” fixes (MJ is marijuana, IC is ice cream, geddit? ). Soon we would hear about the “ice cream” wars and Ann Coulter would get on Fox News and condemn “creamheads” and…I think you get my point here.

As for whether legalization puts the criminals in charge of marijuana operations, I have 2 observations on this. Firstly, for any illegal trade, it takes a lot of brutal and ruthless violence against a variety of targets to survive and thrive. This attracts the darkest and most evil of society to undertake the work for major profit. Once this trade is dragged out into the light, they scattered like the cowards and roaches they are. Now not all trades can be dragged into the light like this, but marijuana is relatively harmless and there is a huge demand for it which is part of the reason these groups are so big. If we legalized marijuana, I think we would see massive “layoffs” from these cartels (the idea of some thug getting a pink slip makes me laugh )

“Keep pot illegal, but only if someone intends to make a profit on it. The only way to break the backs of the drug lords is to make the drug free and readily available. As long as there is a demand for it and it is hard to come by, people will try to profit and kill for it.”

Now I have 2 observations on that. Firstly, marijuana in and of itself is not hard to come by. It got the nickname “weed” for a reason. Once it is legalized legitimate grow operations will take off. It will not be hard to come by. THe only reason it is hard to come by is that the risk of making enemies with the DEA is driving many people away from being growers. Secondly, I agree that we have to have some restrictions (like minors, etc), but if we legalize it, the black market will now consist of older kids buying for younger kids, just like booze. No guns, no guts, just someone’s older brother hooking up a bunch of slack jawed idiots, just like with booze.

“But pot is only a small part of the larger problem. Lots of meth, coke and heroin also in that drug trade. That needs to be fought, and legalization of those drugs is a bad idea.”

I 100% agree and don’t want to see coke, meth, or heroin legalized. But in terms of market power, only a slim minority of people consume these drugs. If we legalize marijuana I guarantee we will see a shrinkage in the cartels power, and would make these bastards so much easier to fight. If we unplug their bong-water life support, and eventually we could grind them into powder.

I apologize for my long-windedness. I was a competitive debater all throughout high school and college and picked it up from there. Thank you for reading and responding, I love a good debate!

I wasn’t equating pot and ice cream, they are 2 very different substances I agree. I was pointing out how any product, made illegal, can “cause” violence. Violence in this case is caused by greed, not by any one paticular food or drug. Pot isn’t “causing” violence, it’s connection to violence comes from it being illegal.

As for your link, I looked it over. You gave me 2 unbalanced and lonely individuals who happened to use pot and committed violence, as well as a study that shows that pot exacerbates the symptoms of schizophrenia. Could it be that their mental illness and social isolation is what caused their violence? Not the marijuana? To me that feels like a more likely explanation. Severe mental illness has been a proven cause of violence throughout history. Marijuana doesn’t have the same definite connection to violence that mental illness does. I woudn’t be surprised also if they did other drugs as a way of escaping their pain and confusion. They also probably consumed violent media, such as action movies and first person shooter video games. Do we blame those media choices for their actions?

As for the study, I’m sure that many substances can mess with the already delicate balance of chemicals in a schizophrenics brain. I’m sure if one who is schizophrenic started drinking we would see an exacerbation of their symptoms. Hell, some medications are known to send them over the edge. I am a libertarian conservative and therefore a HUGE proponent of accountability. If you know something is going to mess up your health, don’t use it. When you screw your life up, it is no one’s fault but your own. If you commit violence because of this, prepare to either be arrested or have violence committed against you. But it’s not the fault of (insert scapegoat here). It is YOU, the individual, who messed up your life. We need to hold people accountable, not drugs, not guns, not video games.

On a personal/fun note, are you a cigar man Dr. Jones? I love a good Fuentes at the end of a tough week, so much better than weed.