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The Mexican Drug War: Is It Their War or Ours?

A common news headline in any newspaper or on any news channel these days mentions the “Mexican drug war”. It has become common along the U. S./Mexico border to hear people talking about it at schools, work places and in their own neighborhoods - coworkers, classmates and neighbors whom are involved in some way or know someone that is. Violence is seen and heard of on the U.S. side of the border quite frequently, which raises the questions, is it their war or ours? This war may have started on Mexican soil; however, it is, most definitely, the United States’ war as well. How did this all begin? What does the U.S. have to do with it? “For years, Mexico’s domestic supply of psychoactive …show more content…
citizens that have not witnessed nor been affected at all by the violence and the Mexican war on drugs it might be easy for them to think, “The border is 1,700 miles away. This isn’t our problem” stated Jack Riley of the Drug Enforcement Administration. His view is that “it is probably the most serious threat the United States has faced from organized crime” (Press). Contrary to popular opinion, the drug war isn’t only within the Mexican borders. Drug traffickers are embedded in “at least 270 American cities” according to federal authorities (Potter). With the increased security and regulations, drug traffickers have had to get more savvy in an effort to get their goods across the border. With profits to be had, drug cartels have begun doing away with the “middlemen”, the American drug traffickers, and have planted actual Mexican cartel members right here in the United States (Press). They are infiltrating the Mexican police and army and even corrupting the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. Officials have stepped up their hiring of law enforcement on both sides of the border; however, that has allowed for even more corruption. With so many applicants, quality screening cannot be done. “Only a fraction, 10% or so, of Customs and Border Protection recruits are given a polygraph screening” which helps to identify individuals that may have a questionable background and a possible relation to someone in a drug cartel. To someone needing the money, the temptation …show more content…
citizen or official to think that the Mexican drug war is Mexico’s problem or only their war would be an ignorant assumption that could have direct and tragic consequences. The drug dependency problem in America is what started it to begin with. Americans cannot close their eyes to things they don’t want to see or hear and think it won’t affect them. The Mexican drug war is in the neighborhoods in the U.S. now and it is an American war as well as a Mexican war. Jose Reyes Ferriz, former mayor the Ciudad Juarez along the Texas-Mexico border, states that, “the United States must fully understand that the current drug war deeply affects both sides of the border”. “The same gangs in Mexico are the same gangs that distribute drugs in the U.S.”. To stop the flow of drugs, and ultimately stop the war on drugs, it is crucial to stop the demand for them. There is also a thought that “legalizing” drugs would help, however, “such measures are unlikely to be implemented on a national scale”. Tony Pagan, a drug cartel expert who teaches at the University of Texas at El Paso states, “I don’t think it’s a winnable war”. His reasoning being that “the United States is addressing the consumption part. It’s not doing its part to reduce the market itself” (Potter).
The United States should not just continue to treat the symptoms of this epidemic but rather the cause. Reduce demand and the suppliers will suffer. The U.S. and Mexico, both, need to stop this war by putting

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