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There just isn't nearly as much money in any alternatives. At its root money is required to maintain cartel power. Sure they aren't going to disappear overnigh
by xenadu02 6y ago
There just isn't nearly as much money in any alternatives. At its root money is required to maintain cartel power.
Sure they aren't going to disappear overnight. But cutting out their most profitable product lines would make a huge dent without a doubt.
We have a real-world example of that from Prohibition so it isn't entirely theoretical.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- addicted 6y agoIf there isn’t enough money, it only ends up making gangs more ruthless as they now have to compete for a smaller share of money with other gangs. They end up extorting even more money from the local populace, and try and extend their fangs into other activities. I’m not saying that legalizing drugs won’t help at all. But it’s unlikely it will help in places that already have gangs without other actions in addition.
- JamesBarney 6y agoIt took a little while, but why did it help so much when we ended prohibition but wouldn't when we end other drugs?
- tschwimmer 6y agoWhat I'm about to say is a broad generalization, but an important one: Gangs exist as the most promising form of employment for people without other options. If you destroy the gang's single largest source of revenue, then it reduces their relative attracting as an employer. There are alternative to drugs like human trafficking, arms dealing and the wildlife trade but they have much much smaller markets. Perhaps in the short term violence would increase as gangs try to find a replacment for drugs, but even in the medium term I strongly believe that recruitment would plummet and attrition would rise as the money ran out.