Letter: United States & Mexican Pursuing Futile Strategy Against "War on Drugs"

The expressed opinions or views of this letter does not necessarily represent the opinion of the MiddletownMike blog:


Dear Editor,

As a qualified expert in criminal law and international relations, it is quite clear to me that the "War on Drugs" has not worked.

The United States and Mexican authorities are pursuing a futile strategy in (likely temporarily) re-capturing Joaquin Guzman (aka El Chapo), the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.

The "War on Drugs" strategy has caused far more harm than the substances themselves would have, had they been sold in a legal way, similar to alcohol or cigarettes.

We have lost the War on Drugs. When a war has been lost, it is irrational to behave as if it has been won. Defeat must be accepted, graciously, even if it may go against other principals that we hold dear.

The United States and Mexican governments should negotiate with Mr. Guzman, in the same way as with U.S. banks that have been caught laundering drug money such as Wachovia (now Wells Fargo) (source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/03/us-bank-mexico-drug-gangs):

Like Wachovia (now Wells Fargo) let Mr. Guzman pay fines, and agree to setup a charitable trust fund to help addicts recover, in exchange for a deferred prosecution agreement, that ends this bloody conflict.

Under the terms of such an agreement, the United States, Mexico, and the Sinaloa Cartel should come to an agreement to end the illegal sale and trafficking of drugs in the United States, in exchange for the Sinaloa Cartel and Mr. Guzman personally being given an ownership share and director position, in a new lawful enterprise that can distribute psychoactive substances under government license.

Sinaloa Cartel "hitmen" and others who have served as the armed wing of the cartel should be given the option to work as U.S. military contractors fighting against ISIS and other terrorist groups in the Middle East.

Americans have voted for illegal drugs to be available, by continuously purchasing them. We can no longer ignore the truth, at the expense of public health and safety.

Such an agreement must be pursued quickly, lest there be any powershift that could fragment the Sinaloa Cartel's empire, into smaller, less predictable organizations.



Eric Hafner
Ocean Grove, NJ