As cartels rapidly expand in U.S. cities, authorities confront futility of drug arrests

[Playinghardball]

Source: Raw Story
By Stephen C. Webster

America's war on drugs is virtually lost on all fronts: illicit drug use is increasing, drug cartels are growing stronger and enforcement is becoming less effective -- and the government is well aware of all this, according to documents released this week.

In three separate releases this week -- a drug threat assessment (PDF) by the Department of Justice (DOJ), a national survey of drug use patterns and a leaked U.S. Customs memo (PDF) -- a bleak picture is painted of the nation's longest war.

The DOJ assessment is perhaps the most striking: it claims that brutally violent Mexican drug cartels have now set up shop in over 1,000 U.S. cities, up from just 230 cities mentioned in a 2009 DOJ assessment. They've effectively set themselves up as the dominant suppliers of illegal drugs in every major U.S. population center, and focus on smuggling through southern California and south Texas.

Fueling their rise is an increased interest in marijuana and methaphetamine among Americans: according to a survey released Thursday by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), 8.9 percent of Americans were users of illegal drugs, up from 8.7 percent a year earlier and 8 percent in 2008. Marijuana use was up more than any other drug, going from 5.8 percent of the population regularly using it in 2007 to 6.9 percent in 2010.

More: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/09/08/as-cartels-expand-to-1000-u-s-cities-authorities-confront-futility-of-drug-arrests/

[roamer65]

1. Mexico is a failed state.

..and we destroyed that country with our drug usage.

[Fumesucker]

3. No, we destroyed it with our drug *war*..

I used to be surprised at how many people get cause and effect turned around backward when it comes to the drug war.

When was the last time you heard of a shootout between alcohol distributors?

[roamer65]

4. When alcohol was illegal in the United States...

The St Valentine's Day massacre in Chicago comes to mind immediately...the 1920's equivalent to now.

There are two solutions here, either we stop our drug usage (lol that will never happen), or we start controlled legalization across the board.

It's just that simple...two choices.

We either stop using them, or absolutely destroy any profit margin in them.

[pscot]

2. Legalize pot. Let folks grow their own

No more profit for the cartels.

[Odin2005]

5. The PTB are fine with that, more prison slave labor.