The Only Answer That Will Work

Drug-War-Caused Violence: The Only Answer That Will Work

by D. M. Mitchell

                  Prohibitions based on the personal moral and/or religious beliefs of some, that violate the rights of non-violent, consenting adults to use whatever has been prohibited can, and quite often does, lead to violence.  That is what happened with the prohibition of alcohol in the early part of the last century, where gangsters found out that they could make millions of dollars providing the prohibited substance, and were willing to kill competitors and innocent people to grow their businesses.  The prohibition of the presently illegal drugs has caused an equal rise in violence, for the same reason: money.  Only now it is billions of dollars.

                  Drug-related violence is always lurking about in the news somewhere.  Here are some examples from the first part of 2008.  On March 2, 2008, I read “Bloody drug war engulfs border towns.” [1].  At that time in the City of Juarez, Mexico—across the Rio Grande River from El Paso, Texas—there had been 72 drug-related killings, six policemen among them.  (In the first four months of 2008, there were over 200 murders in Juarez.)  The Mexican Army is now policing that city trying to stop the slaughter.

                  In the same article, it was reported that in the town of Nuevo Laredo—across the Rio Grande River from Laredo, Texas—the drug gangs have killed politicians and reporters, as well as other drug traffickers.  They don’t like people who oppose them or who report about how evil they are.

                  Then, on March 30th I read an article about military-type training camps in Mexico.  “Cartels operating training camps,” [2] read the headline.  The drug gangs—or, cartels, if you wish—“go to great lengths to prepare themselves for battle.” [2]  Some of these camps are “located along the 1,000-mile-long Texas-Mexico border.” [2]

                  On April 27th, it was reported that there had been several gun battles between drug gangs in Tijuana, Mexico. “13 dead in Tijuana street shootout,” [3] was on the front page of my Sunday paper.  One witness to one of the battles stated that “the ground appeared to be ‘paved’ with spent shells after the shooting ended.” [3]