The policy of targeting the leadership of Mexico’s drug cartels resulted in the cartels battling within and among themselves to reestablish supremacy. More than 180,000 have been killed in the cartel fighting (many of them civilians, police, politicians, and media) over the past twelve years. Is it more appropriate to address the drug problem of the United States from a public health perspective than from a law enforcement perspective?
Should we simply end the war on drugs, recognize we have a problem with drug abuse, treat it as a disease, and allow the Mexican supply system to stabilize under new leadership— thereby bringing to an end the major war (hidden from public view by American media) on our southern border?