Drug warriors set up bases in states, despite declared endless U.S. War

Below is a map of Mexican drug cartel presence throughout the United States, courtesy of NPR. The Obama administration--Attorney General Eric Holder, in fact--has said it won't pursue raiding and closing clinics that distribute marijuana for medicinal purposes to clients with legal prescriptions--obviously, compliance with individual state laws, the two being Maine and California, is expected. And fortunately (FINALLY), someone from our government, Secretary of State Clinton, has actually admitted that we are in part responsible for the influence, power, financial success, and most certainly the violence of the cartels due to our country's fiending for drugs and nauseating abundance of fire-arms that are smuggled to Mexico every year. Holder said of these cartels back in February, "They are lucrative. They are violent. And they are operated with stunning planning and precision." So a lot of it is our fault.

OK, now take into account the already sweeping infiltration of these drug slingers who, says the NPR map, "deal only in wholesale distribution in the U.S. -- and farm out street sales to various U.S. gangs." Also consider the billions of dollars the government spends on its "drug war." Clearly demand hasn't abated, and the money disbursed to try and stop narcotic imports isn't working as well as an investment of that magnitude should work. So, if the cartels' business and violent reach is so broad, and the demand for drugs is thriving and lucrative, and billions of taxpayer dollars go towards yet another failed "war" pursued by the few at the expense and disapproval of the many, then why do we, the citizenry, allow it to go on?

Visit the NPR report for a state-by-state breakdown of cartel locations.

(Note: I support the legalization of marijuana ONLY. However, given the considerable number of side-effects caused by pharmaceutical products and the violence, destruction, death, and endless embarrassment induced by alcohol, I'm not convinced that either are much worse than hard drugs like meth, cocaine, herione, ecstasy, etc. And, really, if a prescription antidepressant can actually cause suicide in some cases--which is hastily mentioned in ads--then what is the big difference between Zoloft and LSD? (Lobbyists, that's what!))