Danger in Mexico - Who's to Blame?
The post The Danger of Traveling to Mexico listed the states of Mexico ranked by the number of homicides in the state. A significant amount of the violence in Mexico comes from the drug cartels.
Unfortunately, many of these more violent areas are states that include some beautiful vacation resorts. The most popular would probably be Quintana Roo (murder rate 41.4/100,000) which includes the resort areas from Cancun through Playa Del Carmen down to Tulum with Cozumel being off the coast.
On the west coast is the same thing. Acapulco is in the state of Guerrero with a murder rate of 68.9 per 100,000 people, higher than any where in the United States. Puerto Vallarta, remember the Love Boat always docked there, is in the state of Jalisco. It's no more dangerous than going to Baton Rouge, LA, neither are safe. Further up the coast is Mazatlan in the state of Sinaloa. It's safer than going to St. Louis or Baltimore but not as safe as going to New Orleans or Detroit.
As the violence deters tourists, from the U.S. or Europe, from visiting these places the government will crack down. When the leader of a cartel is taken out, the cartel splits into several fractions each vying for the territory of the original cartel. This only results in more violence. Things will get worse before they get better.
But if you take a step or two back and look at what drives these cartels, it's money. The money comes from drug users in the U.S. These drug cartels are making so much money off addicts in the U.S. they will kill anyone that gets in there way. In the U.S. we need to address our drug problem because it is impacting not only violence in other countries but also their economies.
Currently there is no test to see if someone is high on marijuana but state after state legalizes recreational use of the drug. There are test to see if someone has used marijuana recently but not if they are currently high from it. This poses an enormous problem for manufacturing companies, most of which have 5000 to 10,000 pound forklifts roaming around the factory. These forklifts will eventually be in an accident, how do they judge if the driver was high or not at the time? Why would a company take the risk of putting a user on a vehicle in close quarters that could potentially kill someone?
Several members of my family have made careers being truck drivers. To be a truck driver with a CDL you have to be able to pass a drug test showing you don't use marijuana, along with anything else. Sooner or later there will be a challenge before the Supreme Court for someone that wants to drive with a CDL and smoke pot. I certainly don't want to drive down the interstate with a 40,000 pound truck and a driver that could be toking.
Bottom line, the drug use in the U.S. is costing lives in other countries. Sooner or later it will be costing lives here. When should we start to address it?
Drugs are the principal problem arround the world.
Yes it is. Drug dealers are the worst form of capitalist. If there are users out there, they will find them. Our governments need to focus not on the suppliers but on the users. Take away the market and the suppliers go away.
Very informative hope the crimes rates goes down soon...
Posted using Partiko Android
Unfortunately, I am afraid it will get worse, much worse, before it gets better. We spend a couple of months a year in the Yucatan and there are always rumors of development that will only bring more violence.
Every state has problem but a problem with drugs is sad. Lets hope someone or somebody reads your report and take up steps and bring changes in near future.
Posted using Partiko Android
We can only hope.
Touchy. I suppose we are already on the road with 40,000 trucks with drivers doing worse than pot. Unfortunate but I suspect, true.
Currently I have not decided about legalizing pot.
My issue is personal. My mom was an alcoholic. From experience with mom and my younger years I find alcohol to be more mind altering.
I am not arguing but one example I debate is someone working if high on pot versus the guy who comes stumbling in for his 6:00 a.m. shift after closing the bar down and can't remember getting home. Fairly sure he isn't going to be the safest co-worker that day either.
Is the US the only country supporting Mexican Cartels or are we just the larger percentage due to proximity?
Did I hear something about building a wall?
For me the difference between pot and alcohol is the testing that is available. I have had friends that smoke for the last 40 years or so and I don't really have a problem with it, just not at my house.
We can test someone and determine if they are high on alcohol, not pot. With pot we can only determine if they have smoked in recent history. How long depends on the test done.
If I am a business owner, the diligent thing to do to ensure the safety of my other employees is to require that people be able to pass a drug test before they are hired. On the business side, if I do not require new employees to pass a drug test my insurance rates go up. When my insurance rates go up I have to raise my prices to cover that extra cost.
If my prices go up I may not be competitive with my competition and I loose business. Without business I have to fire people. Now we have people out of work because I allow drug users to work at my place of employment. It would never happen at a company I owned!
There is an angle I hadn't thought of. Like I said, still making up my mind.
I am sure WI will be voting on it someday. I will be an informed voter.
P.S. I had found a little more on Lucas M. Miller, United States of Earth. Posted a few days ago.
To listen to the audio version of this article click on the play image.
Brought to you by @tts. If you find it useful please consider upvoting this reply.