The drug violence is fueled by the USA's demand for drugs. We also lack the political will to try things that have worked elsewhere, like decriminalization, even on a small scale.
Not saying the USA is responsible for solving Mexico's problems, but we do have a lot of national soul-searching to do if we want to get serious about drug violence in both countries.
> The drug violence is fueled by the USA's demand for drugs.
So goes the conventional group think. Thing is Mexico isn't the only nation that shares a long border with the US. Yet somehow Canada isn't yet another murder capital of the world, busily feeding the relentless US appetite for drugs.
But analyzing the difference between Mexico and Canada isn't something you're allow to do; it rapidly produces extremely uncomfortable results that contemporary good-thinkers don't ever dare entertain.
Nitpicking (sorry), but decriminialization of use doesn't fix the supply side of the equation — production, distribution, and sale would still be black market. To erode the cartels' profits we would also have to legalize (or decriminialize, but at that point, might as well just legalize) production and sale.
Not saying the USA is responsible for solving Mexico's problems, but we do have a lot of national soul-searching to do if we want to get serious about drug violence in both countries.