Followup - Zetas

I hope you don't mind me quoting you Rachael, but after reading your comment, I figgered I would just do another post. After all, you said 'What do you think?' :)

Anyway, regarding this post, As always... Rachael said:

"Wow - i agree this is a dangerous and immediate threat to law enforcement, which I don't like. But I can't sign on that the solution lies in "everyone quittng illegal drugs..." That sounds so naive to me. "
[...]

"I think legalizing is the only wy to go. Alcoholics are plenty dangerous, and that's a legal drugs which is busy ruining the lives of the drinkers, their families, and innocents."
[...]

First of all, I was only being silly. There ain't no way people are just going to stop using drugs any more than people are going to abandon cigarettes, alocohol and Big Macs.

But I don't think anyone really has the answer.

Just like alcohol, cigarettes and Big Macs, drugs are going to be abused and misused until the planet stops spinning, whether they're illegal or not. There are just too many irresponsible people in the world.

But I have to disagree with your thought of since they're illegal, people become desparate and make their own. While that is a big factor, I don't think it's the only one.
I think there are several factors involved. Yes, the illegality of the drug, therefore causing a manufactured shortage, causes people to acquire or make them legally.
But people will abuse a drug whether it's illegal or not, and depending on the drug, people will do things to get it that they would not normally do.
On the other hand, if they were legal would people all of a sudden be more resposible with their use? Nah. They would still be abused.

There would still be a market, and the cartel would move from Mexico to the local neighborhoods, growers, producers, distributors, whoever. There would still be a lot of money to be made, and people would be getting rid of the competition one way or the other.
If drugs were legal, they would still cost money. They may even be taxed, which would or could still place them out of reach for people who don't make enough to afford them. The drug related crimes like robbery or prostitution to get money would still be there, as well as the carelessness from being under the influence of drugs.

Oxycontin is legal. Albeit by prescription only, as are many other narcotics. They're still abused, both by people who have prescriptions and those who don't.
The market for prescrition drugs is huge.

What set of guidelines could be set up for legal drugs?
No restrictions at all? Nah. There would be nothing but dead people laying around from O.D.s. That won't work.
Age limits? There's underage booze abuse. That won't fix it.
Strict dispensation limits? Because of prescriptions, there is a shortage, so that creates another demand. Nope.

I don't have an answer. Looking at alcohol, prohibition never worked. Legalizing it has its woes too though. It did cut down on some of the distribution related crimes, but since more people have access to it, more crimes are committed because of people doing things in a drunken stupor, rage, haze or what have you.

I dunno. This one is not going to fixed any time soon.

But my thoughts remain on the issue of the Zetas. That is a problem that needs to be fixed post-haste. We can't wait until we decide on what we're going to do about drugs, about a war overseas, or how to keep bombs off airplanes.

Our borders need better security right now.