History Repeats Itself: Prohibition and Mexico
People say that history repeats itself, the current drug wars going on in Mexico is a fantastic example of that. From 1920 until 1933 the United States Government made the manufacturing, distribution, and consumption of alcohol illegal. People love their booze, and so they still found a way to get their fix, despite the illegal nature of their habits. As a result, some of the most violent crimes ever committed were, well, committed. Gangs materialized in order to illegally sell people liquor. This seems strikingly similar to what is happening in Mexico today. Mexico controls about 70% of foreign narcotics that come into the U.S. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Drug_War). As a result, many drug producing and trafficking cartels have shown up in Mexico. Given the illegal nature of their source of income, violence is widely used in order to instill a certain sense of fear into anyone who gets in their way. This violence has also been between rival cartels, and innocent bystanders often get in the way. The solution to all of the violence in the 1920s was the legalization of booze. To me, it seems that having certain drugs legalized could be a potential solution. It worked with prohibition. The evils of the immediate effects of drugs are far less than murdering people because of them. I am not advocating the use of drugs, but it is something to think about. Prohibition was a major blow for the alcohol industry and repeal was therefore a step towards the amelioration of one sector of the economy.
--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition_in_the_United_States#Repeal
Comments
Sam- First off, I'm very
Sam-
First off, I'm very impressed you are aware of what is going on in Mexico. It saddens me that such a beautfiul country is on the brink of destruction. I recently read an article in the New York Times entitled "Fleeing Drug Violence, Mexicans Pour into U.S. It shed a lot of light on the just the type of violence going on in cities such as ciudad Juarez. My uncle is a federal judge down in El Centro, CA and after receiving a death threat from one of the head drug cartels, he can no longer go to Mexico. You're comparison to the prohibition era in the U.S was interesting, however I am not sure it really holds true. The violence in Mexico is far worse than the violence in prohibition era. During the prohibition, the mobs had certain 'rules'. They were aware of who they were killing and basically just wanted to run a business. The drug cartels in Mexico (and really all other South American countries) have no sense and no caution towards the innocent members of their towns. Thousands of deaths have occurred and the majority of them being completely innocent bystanders. The article I mentioned earlier discusses the impact of school children and how drug cartels particularly go after kids becuase if they want to make a point to someone, the best way to do that is by killing his child.
I really appreciate your post Sam becuase I think many in our generation overlook this incredible problem facing Mexico today and a lot do not realize how much we are a part of the problem. Good Work!
-Cricket