Charlie Rose

prominix  07/22/2012 03:42 PM Report

Randal Archibold says Mexico is a "funny country"; it sure is, it follows a failed war from the US and hasn't had the guts to reconsider and legalize to end the violence.

There are several mistakes most analysts make:

a) Corruption is not a cause, its an effect, it is caused by a faulty system and a failed policy.

b) There is no way Mexico can work on improving police and the judiciary with a profitable drug black market pressing in the opposite direction.

c) Corruption affects both Mexican and US authorities. This is never acknowledged by US analysts.

d) In Mexico, while 80% of the profits come from the export market, 80% of the violence is generated by the domestic market. This is good news for Mexico since it can solve most of its violence without the US.

e) The US keeps on using Mexico as a comfortable scapegoat for its own failed drug policy.

f) 80% of the guns in Mexico come from the US's illegal and legal gun market and corrupt authorities. No one seems to take this into account.

g) Can any american analyst explain to the world how the US illegal drug market works? Blaming mexican, or caribbean, or russian, or vatican mafias is really not gullible anymore.

The US can do a lot for Mexico: It can stop bullying drug policy debates and legalization initiatives in Latin America, like the one in Central America, Bolivia, Perú, Colombia and Uruguay.

Calderón has confessed in private that this stupid war -that has cost Mexico more the 50,000 deaths- was mistake, that he should have legalized.

Peña Nieto on the other hand, has said he will follow Mexico's interests, not the DEA's. He is on the right track, let's see if he has the power and guts to withstand all the pressure from the US government.

Richard_DeBiase  07/20/2012 11:56 AM Report

The real problem is that the U.S. Government has been lying about marijuana for 80 years. Marijuana does not cause "reefer madness". The truth is, marijuana is great, and too many Americans know it. If you ever try marijuana yourself, you will be shocked that it is illegal.

Nearly half of all American teenagers have used marijuana by the time they graduate high school. And according to a recent Gallup poll, 50% of Americans think marijuana should be legalized. So if anyone is expecting Americans to stop using marijuana, forget about it. At Gallup.com, search for marijuana; or click this link:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/150149/Record-High-Americans-Favor-Legalizing-Marijuana.aspx

If marijuana is so popular in the U.S., then why is it illegal? The biggest obvious reason is that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) use the full weight of federal taxpayer money to disrupt and campaign against legalization efforts. So don't be surprised if the states are not allowed to individually legalize marijuana until the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) is repealed, and these groups are abolished.

Another big problem is that the news media has historically been a big supporter of the Drug War, for its sensational and salacious value, especially when some celebrity is caught with drugs. The news media has rarely reported on the horrible effects of the Drug War, which has resulted in a shocking level of ignorance in the American public.

It is not surprising that the tens of millions of Americans who love marijuana find it easier to break this law, than to change it; and view the carnage in Latin America as an unfortunate problem created by the government, especially Drug War profiteers. It's not surprising that tens of millions more Americans, who know marijuana should be legalized, are afraid to speak out.

And let's not forget about the age old problem of politicians saying one thing during the campaign, and then doing the exact opposite when in office. I voted for Barack Obama too; I won't make that mistake again. I will protest the marijuana war by voting for former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, who says unequivocally: "marijuana should be legalized". Marijuana will not be legalized until pro-marijuana voters make this a litmus test for politicians.