Mexico's Big Move
After a week off in my Series 7 class, I am back at work and have the time to blog again. In the meantime, Kevin Mench realized that he wears a size 12.5 shoe and hit homers in 7 straight games after getting a pair of shoes that fit...this guy has the biggest head in the majors (size 8 hat) but probably the smallest brain. Who knows how good he could have been if he knew his own shoe size when he was 20 and not 28!
And now to the blog...
Over the past week the Mexican government made a huge decision to legalize basically all drugs for personal use. Conservatives are outraged about this saying that it "undermines the war on drugs"...but isn't that what it is supposed to do? Mexico has shown that the United States is no longer able to dictate the policy of other nations and that the war on drugs may be finally coming to a well-deserved end. I am just incredibly surprised that Mexico was the nation to do this. Being a conservative catholic nation with a history of authoritarian governance, Mexico seemed an unlikely candidate to perform a liberal action that hasn't even happened in The Netherlands or Germany.
Opponents of this landmark bill have claimed that it will cause the number of addicts to explode and will somehow increase crime. Isn't the main source of crime related to drugs the fact that they've been made illegal? Legalizing for personal use frees up the police to focus their attention and time on actual criminals and not people just looking to alter their consciousness, kill pain (physical or psychological), or even have a good time. After all, we have legalized alcohol, and that's a major source of violence, crime, accidents and addiction. The other claim here in San Diego made by our mayor Jerry Sanders (a former Police Chief) was that we'd see all kinds of crime and drugs coming over our borders...but isn't that what happens now?
The way I see it is instead of all of that cocaine coming over the border, we'll see more people going down to TJ to snort some blow and party till sunrise. This will actually help the crime here because people will be able to find the drugs a lot easier in Tijuana without fear of prosecution for the possession as long as they keep under the legal limit. This way the drug traffic will be shifted partially from the Cartels to the individual users. Not only that, but when people are partying while all coked up they are violent and aggressive. I honestly believe that those who love partying while coking up will be more likely to stay in TJ if they don't have to be concerned with arrest.
The other reason why I think this is a good law to be passed for the safety of Americans is the shakedowns the corrupt cops are known for. This is taking away a major weapon of corruption, because they will no longer be able to extort bribes from people partying in Tijuana with a little cocaine, marijuana or MDMA. Personal habits are impossible to regulate and the war on drugs has failed miserably while costing us billions. Mexico will prove to be a pioneer and the drug war will not be supported by too many countries within a couple of years. The European Union has already had a number of regions decriminalize some drugs, and this move by Mexico will give their liberalization movement wings. Our government has already seen efforts in a number of states to legalize, and cities such as Denver, Oakland and Santa Cruz have essentially decriminalized marijuana. It's obvious that the world has grown tired of America's hegemony and we no longer have the complete economic dominance to continue to be the world's dictator.
When we see that Mexico doesn't slip into anarchy and chaos from the legalization, maybe our voting populace will actually realize how stupid they've been for 70 years. But then again, most of the American people still think that legalizing marijuana will cause more problems when they've completely neglected to take a look at what happened in the Netherlands when they passed their legalization bill. Wouldn't you rather we earn 25 cents on every dollar spent on drugs (by taxing them) than spending it? Wouldn't we rather our policemen spend their time booking criminals guilty of assault or robbery instead of frat boys with a gram of coke and joint? It's the regulation of personal behavior that needs to stop if we are to continue to be a factor in the 21st century.
And now to the blog...
Over the past week the Mexican government made a huge decision to legalize basically all drugs for personal use. Conservatives are outraged about this saying that it "undermines the war on drugs"...but isn't that what it is supposed to do? Mexico has shown that the United States is no longer able to dictate the policy of other nations and that the war on drugs may be finally coming to a well-deserved end. I am just incredibly surprised that Mexico was the nation to do this. Being a conservative catholic nation with a history of authoritarian governance, Mexico seemed an unlikely candidate to perform a liberal action that hasn't even happened in The Netherlands or Germany.
Opponents of this landmark bill have claimed that it will cause the number of addicts to explode and will somehow increase crime. Isn't the main source of crime related to drugs the fact that they've been made illegal? Legalizing for personal use frees up the police to focus their attention and time on actual criminals and not people just looking to alter their consciousness, kill pain (physical or psychological), or even have a good time. After all, we have legalized alcohol, and that's a major source of violence, crime, accidents and addiction. The other claim here in San Diego made by our mayor Jerry Sanders (a former Police Chief) was that we'd see all kinds of crime and drugs coming over our borders...but isn't that what happens now?
The way I see it is instead of all of that cocaine coming over the border, we'll see more people going down to TJ to snort some blow and party till sunrise. This will actually help the crime here because people will be able to find the drugs a lot easier in Tijuana without fear of prosecution for the possession as long as they keep under the legal limit. This way the drug traffic will be shifted partially from the Cartels to the individual users. Not only that, but when people are partying while all coked up they are violent and aggressive. I honestly believe that those who love partying while coking up will be more likely to stay in TJ if they don't have to be concerned with arrest.
The other reason why I think this is a good law to be passed for the safety of Americans is the shakedowns the corrupt cops are known for. This is taking away a major weapon of corruption, because they will no longer be able to extort bribes from people partying in Tijuana with a little cocaine, marijuana or MDMA. Personal habits are impossible to regulate and the war on drugs has failed miserably while costing us billions. Mexico will prove to be a pioneer and the drug war will not be supported by too many countries within a couple of years. The European Union has already had a number of regions decriminalize some drugs, and this move by Mexico will give their liberalization movement wings. Our government has already seen efforts in a number of states to legalize, and cities such as Denver, Oakland and Santa Cruz have essentially decriminalized marijuana. It's obvious that the world has grown tired of America's hegemony and we no longer have the complete economic dominance to continue to be the world's dictator.
When we see that Mexico doesn't slip into anarchy and chaos from the legalization, maybe our voting populace will actually realize how stupid they've been for 70 years. But then again, most of the American people still think that legalizing marijuana will cause more problems when they've completely neglected to take a look at what happened in the Netherlands when they passed their legalization bill. Wouldn't you rather we earn 25 cents on every dollar spent on drugs (by taxing them) than spending it? Wouldn't we rather our policemen spend their time booking criminals guilty of assault or robbery instead of frat boys with a gram of coke and joint? It's the regulation of personal behavior that needs to stop if we are to continue to be a factor in the 21st century.
posted by Dan Pasternack at 1:00 PM
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