Pubdate: Mon, 22 Mar 2010
Source: Chronicle Herald (CN NS)
Copyright: 2010 The Halifax Herald Limited
Contact:  http://thechronicleherald.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/180

MEXICAN DRUG WARS

A Deadly Dilemma

THE level of extreme violence in northern Mexico was  off the charts
long before Ottawa issued a travel  advisory, after daylight
executions of two U.S.  consular officials on the streets of Ciudad
Juarez a  week ago, warning Canadians to avoid trips to that  troubled
region.

Ever since Mexican President Felipe Calderon's  controversial war on
the powerful Mexican drug cartels  that ship their illicit goods
across the U.S. border  began in 2006, as many as 18,000 people are
estimated  to have died in the resulting bloodbath. Many were  cartel
foot soldiers involved in turf battles, but  others were police
officers, journalists and innocent  civilians caught in crossfires or
killed as a result of  mistaken identity.

Despite the headlines, however, travel agency officials  say they have
not noticed any decline in the number of  Canadians heading to
established tourist centres in  Mexico. That's likely because most
tourist meccas, like  Cancun, are indeed far from the Mexico-U.S.
border and  mostly free of violence, though even Acapulco has had
spates of drug-related killings over the years.

The bigger question remains: Just how effective has Mr.  Calderon's
war on the drug cartels been?

Supporters say, with justification, that the old  situation - in which
the government allowed the cartels  to do business - amplified
corruption and undermined  the legitimacy of the state. Under Mr.
Calderon's  assault, carried out by some 45,000 troops and police
officers, the authorities have captured or killed some  of the top
crime figures running the cartels.

To back away, say proponents, would also mean more  drugs flowing
north, to Canada as well as the U.S.,  ruining more lives.

The cost in human lives due to the crackdown, however,  has reportedly
shaken Mexicans' support for Mr.  Calderon's once-popular drug war.

There is also already evidence that the Mexican cartels  have merely
moved some of their operations south to  countries in Central America,
corrupting public  officials there with part of the proceeds of up to
perhaps $48 billion US a year in illicit profits.

The cartels themselves only rose to prominence after  successful U.S.
efforts to shut down the routes of  Colombian drug traffickers into
Florida pushed the  South Americans to turn to Mexico.

Demand for illicit drugs in the U.S., the world's  biggest market for
illegal narcotics, is what drives  the black market, of course.

Many critics have called for more emphasis on  harm-reduction
programs, through efforts like clean  needle exchange clinics, which
studies say lead to more  drug addicts seeking treatment.

Meanwhile, while harder drugs such as cocaine and  heroin continue to
rightly be seen as scourges, a  growing number of U.S. states have
legalized medical  marijuana and decriminalized simple possession of
recreational pot. California is debating being the  first to legalize
recreational use.

Finding the right balance between prohibition,  interdiction, harm
reduction and, in some cases,  limited decriminalization, however,
remains a daunting  challenge. 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D