Legalizing Marijuana in the U.S. to Reduce Mexico's Drug War
This essay argues that legalizing marijuana in the United States — particularly in California — would significantly reduce the violence fueling Mexico's ongoing drug war. Drawing on polling data, economic estimates, and statements from former heads of state and policy experts, the paper contends that drug cartel revenues depend heavily on marijuana sales, and that prohibition drives disputes into violent black markets. The essay also draws a historical parallel to U.S. alcohol Prohibition and examines how legalization could curb corruption, reduce government spending on enforcement, and ultimately give both Mexico and the United States a path toward lasting peace and public safety.
- Introduction: The Human Cost of Mexico's Drug War: Deaths, costs, and failure of Mexico's drug offensive
- Voices Calling for Marijuana Legalization: Officials and experts advocate marijuana legalization
- How Legalization Would Defund the Cartels: Marijuana profits fund cartel arms, bribes, and recruitment
- Prohibition as the Root Cause of Violence: Black markets created by prohibition breed violence
- Corruption, Harsh Policies, and Contempt for Law: Drug prohibition corrupts officials and erodes legal respect
- California's Special Role in Ending the Drug War: California legalization could pressure Mexico to follow
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- Uses concrete statistics — 28,000 deaths, $10 billion spent, and $36 billion black-market industry estimate — to ground its policy argument in measurable stakes.
- Marshals a credible range of sources: former heads of state, a Nobel Prize winner, a former U.S. governor, and a CNN policy commentator, lending the argument cross-national authority.
- Deploys the historical analogy of U.S. alcohol Prohibition effectively to show that black-market violence is a product of policy, not of the substance itself.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates causal policy argumentation — it does not merely claim legalization is good, but traces a specific causal chain: prohibition → black market → cartel revenue → violence. By isolating the economic mechanism (60% of cartel profits from marijuana), the essay gives its central claim measurable, falsifiable grounding, which strengthens its persuasive force considerably.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens with the humanitarian crisis context, then surveys expert voices, then advances the core economic argument against cartels, then pivots to a theoretical claim (prohibition causes violence by design), then examines secondary harms (corruption, legal contempt), and closes with a geographically specific argument about California's outsized influence. This funnel-then-zoom structure moves from broad context to targeted policy recommendation.
Introduction: The Human Cost of Mexico's Drug War
In 2006, Mexican President Felipe Calderón unleashed a military offensive against the country's drug cartels, partly to stop the flow of illegal drugs to the United States. The campaign, also known as the "Mexican Drug War," has since taken a heavy death toll — not to mention enormous financial and social costs. In the eyes of both the Mexican government and the public, the costs of the war have reached startling proportions. Since 2006, approximately 28,000 people have been killed and around $10 billion spent by the Mexican government. Additionally, Mexico's international image has been damaged, crime rates have skyrocketed, and government security forces have joined in egregious human rights violations.
In a poll conducted by the Mexico City daily Reforma, 67% of Mexican citizens said that the drug war's costs were unacceptably high, and 59% said that the drug war was being lost to the cartels (Camin and Castenada). Meanwhile, the flow of illegal drugs from Mexico to the United States has not abated. Given these negative consequences for both nations, the most viable path to easing the conflict is to legalize marijuana in the United States — especially in California — which would strike a severe blow to the business of underground drug cartels.
Works Cited
Camin, Hector Aguilar, and Jorge G. Castenada. "California's Prop 19, on Legalizing Marijuana, Could End Mexico's Drug War." Washington Post. 5 September 2010. Web. 3 May 2011.
Forsyth, Jim. "U.S. Should Legalize Drugs, Says Former Mexican President Fox." Reuters. 3 May 2011. Web. 3 May 2011.
Johnson, Gary. "Legalize Marijuana to Stop the Drug Cartels." Huffington Post. 26 August 2010. Web. 3 May 2011.
Miron, Jeffrey A. "Commentary: Legalize Drugs to Stop Violence." CNN Online. 24 March 2009. Web. 3 May 2011.
Already a member? Log in
Unlock the rest of this paper
135,000+ research papers · AI writing tools · Plagiarism & AI detection
7-Day Pass
Does not renew
Get 7-Day PassMonthly
Renews at $12.99/month until canceled
Start MonthlyAnnual
Renews at $99/year until canceled
Start Annual- Unlimited AI writing tools
- Plagiarism and AI text detection tool
Plan details
Unlimited AI writing tools are for individual, non-automated use and are subject to our Terms of Service and abuse-prevention measures.
TextChecker scans: 3 during the 7-Day Pass, or 5 per month with Monthly and Annual.
Prices exclude applicable tax.
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.