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When the US pot market became saturated through legalization the cartels just shifted to other drugs. If you legalize those they will shift to something else. W

When the US pot market became saturated through legalization the cartels just shifted to other drugs. If you legalize those they will shift to something else. With the money, power and guns they have I don't think expecting them to take legal jobs is realistic. If you legalize drugs in Mexico though and they can start legitimate companies that might end the violence, but would be a huge blow to the rule of law.

felix_nagaand 8y ago
Right. The cartels shifted heavily to ecstasy and methamphetamine. Some heroin too, though they can't beat the Chinese on price per dose compared to fentanyl and carfentanil. Sure many members of these cartels will be loathe to take mundane jobs but what other choice will they have? The profit margin of legal recreational drugs will be driven down somewhere to the area of alcohol and tobacco. I disagree with your perceived loss of justice should drug use be legalized. Laws exist to protect people. Drug laws have only served to hurt nearly every person on earth when considering supply chain and tangential effects. By opening up the law to allow people to self medicate we are actually reducing harm at every step from the companies producing raw materials to the end users. To only consider a solution that outlaws the existence of an addict is inhumane, immoral, impossible, and outright delusional. To learn more about these topics and hopefully gain some empathy for addicts I suggest reading Gabor Matès "In the realm of hungry ghosts." https://barnesandnoble.com/w/in-the-realm-of-hungry-ghosts-gabor-mate-md/1102166619?ean=9781556438806 https://barnesandnoble.com/w/in-the-realm-of-hungry-ghosts-g...
- everdev 8y ago
  I'd be afraid that they'd turn to other illegal activities like kidnapping and bribery before entertaining a legal job. If the cartels are allowed to operate legally, I'm worried about them having committed crimes for decades and being rewarded with first moved advantage into the new market. I think that would be a slap in the face to the rule of law. I'm not worried about the consumer as typically people should be able to self medicate and experiment as you suggest.
  - Uberphallus 8y ago
    They can't if they've commited crimes and are in search and capture, like most of the heads are. If you're a mid scale weed producer that didn't use violence, sure, you have a headstart. If you're a meth producer that killed (suspected) competitors and snitches, you're in for a lot of problems if you want to make your business legal. "Oh, hi. I'd like to register a new LLC, these are my papers..."

felix_nagaand 8y ago

Right. The cartels shifted heavily to ecstasy and methamphetamine. Some heroin too, though they can't beat the Chinese on price per dose compared to fentanyl and carfentanil. Sure many members of these cartels will be loathe to take mundane jobs but what other choice will they have? The profit margin of legal recreational drugs will be driven down somewhere to the area of alcohol and tobacco. I disagree with your perceived loss of justice should drug use be legalized. Laws exist to protect people. Drug laws have only served to hurt nearly every person on earth when considering supply chain and tangential effects. By opening up the law to allow people to self medicate we are actually reducing harm at every step from the companies producing raw materials to the end users. To only consider a solution that outlaws the existence of an addict is inhumane, immoral, impossible, and outright delusional. To learn more about these topics and hopefully gain some empathy for addicts I suggest reading Gabor Matès "In the realm of hungry ghosts." https://barnesandnoble.com/w/in-the-realm-of-hungry-ghosts-gabor-mate-md/1102166619?ean=9781556438806 https://barnesandnoble.com/w/in-the-realm-of-hungry-ghosts-g...

everdev 8y ago
I'd be afraid that they'd turn to other illegal activities like kidnapping and bribery before entertaining a legal job. If the cartels are allowed to operate legally, I'm worried about them having committed crimes for decades and being rewarded with first moved advantage into the new market. I think that would be a slap in the face to the rule of law. I'm not worried about the consumer as typically people should be able to self medicate and experiment as you suggest.
- Uberphallus 8y ago
  They can't if they've commited crimes and are in search and capture, like most of the heads are. If you're a mid scale weed producer that didn't use violence, sure, you have a headstart. If you're a meth producer that killed (suspected) competitors and snitches, you're in for a lot of problems if you want to make your business legal. "Oh, hi. I'd like to register a new LLC, these are my papers..."