Currently, there is social unrest in Mexico as its government is fighting the very powerful drug cartels. When the current president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, took office in 2006, he was pressured by the United States to take a more aggressive stance on the “war on drugs.” With this intent, Calderon dispatched thousands of troops throughout the nation to fight these cartels, particularly in regions closer to the U.S.-Mexican border. Since then, there have been nearly 4,000 deaths due to drug-related violence. The fighting is very nasty as narcotráficantes (drug-runners), armed with sophisticated weapons and equipment, openly attack the Mexican army, police and other cartels. Sadly, innocent bystanders are often caught in the crossfire.
Furthermore, the United States government has become involved in a manner that we’ve seen fail in the past. This year our government created the Merida Initiative, which is a $500 million aid package for Mexico to help its government purchase weapons and provide training. As long as the cartels have a means of making money, they will be able to buy weapons and equipment, and the fighting will continue. So instead, why not focus on narcotics control within our own country? If we are able to stifle the narcotics market, as opposed to trying to control the actual drug sources, then that would obviously hurt the cartels’ main means of income. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Drug Policy Alliance Network, 90percent of the cocaine, as well as 82 percent of the heroin, in the United States comes from Latin America.
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