2000 Mexican Drug War Casualties

I'm glad this story has made its' way into the mainstream media. While I complain about kids having their backpacks sniffed by drug dogs or handing over their urine to avoid being kicked out of school, people are dying in the drug war. This is supposed to be a blog about blaming the drug war, yet I spend a crazy amount of time complaining about the minor inconveniences that we encounter in our comfortable, well-fed corner of the world.

But make no mistake, the war on drugs is a war, with all the brutal ugliness that war brings. People are killed in public in a hail of bullets. The police become corrupted by the promise of money and abandon their commitment to protect the public. Did I just read that a decapitated head was deposited on the steps of a governemnt building? In Canada and the United States people that choose to use the wrong drugs are locked in jail. If you escape using jail, your use of the wrong drugs can give you an enormous amount of grief. You can lose custody of your children, you can lose your job and you can lose the respect of family, friends and acquaintances. Every time you smoke a joint you are reminded that this simple choice is illegal and comes with a set of potential consequences. This keeps people from speaking out about the harm caused by the war on drugs. After all, everybody knows that it is only drug users and stupid hippies that care about drug law reform. It never fails to amaze me how ignorant the public is about the menace of drug prohibition.

The other day when I was at work I was discussing the Moose Jaw tunnels with a co-worker. We were talking about the rampant corruption of the police, the exploitation of an otherized group (the Chinese coolies that were forced into virtual slavery in the tunnels) and the futility of prohibition. It crossed my mind to mention that not much has changed. After all, we may not keep Mexicans in underground tunnels but developing nations are very much affected by the policies that we have.

But I didn't say anything. Not just because I don't want to be the sort of tireless bore that brings politics into every discussion. I am still uncomfortable mentioning prohibition to potentially non-like minded people.

Maybe I am not yet ready to wear the hippy title.