Don't drug cartels want drugs illegal?

[originalpckelly]

I mean after all, who's going to get their fix from a shady street corner dealer, risking their life, when they could go to a Walgreens?

No, it makes sense that they want drugs illegal. They don't want law enforcement to really have the ability to fight them, but they want the drugs illegal so they can continue to make money without having to worry about taxes/etc. that a normal company would have to pay if drugs were legalized and administered through drug treatment programs.

The people of America may hate drugs, but we are easily manipulated by the politicians.

And that brings me to the pols. Isn't it odd that Allen Stanford is accused of laundering money for drug cartels and just happens to give lots of money to American politicians? :-)

Hmmm...

[midnight]

1. That is odd??? Let's legalize them.....

[originalpckelly]

2. Never gonna happen...

perhaps the pols are on the take from drug runners?

[Jamastiene]

9. The only good answer is to legalize them.

I am FIRMLY convinced that the answer to most questions about drugs is legalization.

[lurky]

3. So does the prison industry.

You know, the private companies that make money by operating our prisons. The drug war keeps them in business.

[Baikonour]

4. Yep. Very good point.

Also the cultivation of hemp would also threaten the cotton industry.

[stillcool]

5. Everytime I hear the term "Drug War...

I think of Danny Casalaro, and Gary Webb...oh yeah..and Steve Kangas.

[John Q. Citizen]

6. Americans love drugs.

[Oldenuff]

7. Not to mention that

the CIA wouldn't be able to fund their covert ops if drugs were legalized.

[nebenaube]

8. well...

there is no point in creating a black market unless you intend to exploit it.

[Ghost in the Machine]

10. No, not really... not from a business standpoint..

When you look at a major smuggling operation you'll realize a little more about the costs involved...

A *LOT* of product never makes it to its intended destination. Suppliers/smugglers *know* this. They lose a lot of money because of it. Other times, they'll "sacrifice" a load just to get more through somewhere else. I've seen a ton of cocaine "sacrificed" this way. It was tipped off to the police, but while the cops were busy dealing with the ton in the motorhome, 5 TRUCKLOADS were brought in... right past the busy cops...

They have to pay pilots and ship crews... they have to pay the pickup people and the drivers... they have to give a cut to the large distributors here... Legalization would benefit the cartels, as they could get ALL of their product through... for a lesser amount of money and much better profits

These cartels *already* have large growing/distributing operations going. Do you think *everyone* is suddenly going to start growing their own pot? What about the 6 to 8 weeks, or longer, that it takes for their plants to start producing? They'll *still* want their weed to smoke... For me personally, I'd rather just go down to the corner and buy some (legally) than have to fool around with growing. Sure, I'd experiment with a couple of plants, but I don't have much of a green thumb. Hell, I'm lucky if I can grow mold on bread.. :wink: