Mexico's Drug War

2010, Drugs  -   79 Comments
6.69
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Ratings: 6.69/10 from 74 users.

Mexico's Drug WarViolence is running out of control in Mexico as rival drug cartels battle over the smuggling routes to America. Mexico's president has declared war on the gangsters but the only result appears to be an escalation of the killings.

More than 7000 people were killed in drug-related violence in Mexico in 2009 and 2010 has already got off to a gruesome and bloody start. The man who runs Mexico’s most powerful drugs cartel, Chapo Guzman, continues to elude capture.

Ranked as one of the world’s richest and most powerful men, Guzman’s exploits are glorified in folk songs and his recent wedding was allegedly attended by senior Mexican officials.

Katya Adler journeys deep into the heart of a shocking conflict, uncovering the human stories behind the seemingly random and disturbing violence. She asks whether the continuing freedom of the world's most powerful drug runner, Joaquin Chapo Guzman, is evidence that the Government's war is toothless.

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79 Comments / User Reviews

  1. John

    I think humanity is insane. End of story

  2. John

    The trouble with pot growers is they are destroying the environment at an astronomical rate.

  3. Dominik Simin

    Poor, Poor Mexico.

  4. Don

    Looking through the comments just laughing out loud. First of all Chapo Guzman is actually the most powerful drug lord he is the most wanted by the US FBI and in the documentary (1:00) they show an image of a guy saying that is Chapo Guzman when actually that is another drug lord Chapo Guzman partner Mayo Zambada and I personally think this documentary does a good job showing the violence that is occurring in Mexico but I think before that lady even decided to publish the documentary she should of gotten her facts right. I just hate the fact that all these people talking about drug lords and their lives when they do not know anything. Many people think that if they get their shit together they will find Chapo Guzman but I personally think they won't he does not hide in SInaloa he is a smart man who hides in different places he is always moving from place to place and many Mexican citizens do not even turn him because his cartel helps the needed people and he tries to do no harm until they get into his bad side. All of you guys should just do your re-search on this topic and will see that this documentary has many errors.

    1. yeahsure

      Hm. Guzman was arrested in Mazatlan, which is in Sinaloa province. Perhaps you shouldn't make declarative statements when you aren't so informed yourself...

    2. Sara Emami

      His original comment was dated a month ago -- well before Chapo's arrest.

  5. RIGHTS TO PPL

    best comment of the movie...taking away guns and adding gun laws only hurts the people who obtain the guns LEGALLY. The people committing the crimes still have the guns because they get the guns ILLEGALLY. So let's disarm the law abiding citizens so we get slayed by the thugs who have guns? Sounds legit.......

  6. Victor Vonzell

    Are any of these people telepathic that have been killed and are any of the killers telepathic? Next question does the US or the Mexciain Goverment know? And just what are they doing about besides let these people kill each other or assisting in the killing of these people? There are those that know what I'm asking and they are to afraid to ask these questions.

    1. Molly

      I know what your talking about. I battle this question everyday. I believe they have abilities that are beyond what logic reveals to us. I have good reasons to ask this question. Glad there is someone out there willing to put the words telepathic and cartel in the same sentence. They go together more than what society would think.

    2. Shannon

      I currently have Cartel in my mind trying to find me and kill me. They most certainly are capable of telepathically targeting their victims. Seemingly for no reasons beyond isolating them and kidnappping them and attacking their families as well. My “voices” aka the Sinoloa Cartel (is who they tell me they are) are very real. And I am in great danger. I’m somewhat relieved that somebody else connects these two things together. Government knows of this , but there is nothing they can do about it. Trust me, I know, because they are in my head too and tell me to kill myself before they find me.

  7. charlesparkinson

    Katya Adler speaks Spanish. Why does she talk at some people in English when they only speak Spanish?

    1. qusdis

      Judgment calls? I heard her speaking Spanish in parts of the documentary. That's my best guess. In some cases it seems like the people she's talking to understand English so they can understand her questions, but it does seem odd. Normally I would expect that behavior (speaking English in those cases) would happen where someone was not fluent, or comfortable, in the other language.

  8. mexico_dentist

    The trade will not end just as any other crime for money will not. Legalization will probably drive prices even higher as regulation increases cost. Violence is on the decline for now and hope it continues.

  9. Kevin Cotroneo

    Video's been removed.

  10. terry howard

    Read Fast & Furious....the U.S. and their part of the phony war on drugs....

  11. kiraak miabhai

    For those who blame US govt they are 100% correct; look at opium growth around american embassy in Afghanistan, worlds largest producer of opium, with annual opium growth rate 600% since US invasion. You cannot deny the facts or cause-relationship.

    1. Noles

      Maybe because the offence was punishable by death with the Taliban, all the Americans can do is lock you up. Let me see... grow drugs and feed my family, or starve...hmmm...

  12. Miguel Pereira

    Like the chief of Rio's police said once: "Without weapons, there's no trafficking in Rio! Why build weapons in the 21st century, are there any borders to determine? No! hasn't the wall come down? Yes. So why build weapons? The dealers use AR-15's, that's Colt made! If US want to shut down the cocaine farms in Colombia, i want to close the Colt factory in America!! Is that too much to ask?"

    Errrr... Yeah!
    El Chapo marries a young woman and has government officials as guests. That tells me those weapons don't arrive to the cartel via that little gun market in EL Paso...

  13. Octopus

    Chapo Guzman is not the most powerful drug Lord. it is the US govt.

  14. Alain Rosebush

    It really drives me up the wall what the American homeland security guy says circa 40 min in here:
    "...marijuana is the chief revenue generator (for the cartels)...Legalization is not, for us, an answer. It amounts to throwing up our hands and conceding that nothing can be done about that."
    It's like there are some mis-wired connections in this guy's brain (along with so many others who still think prohibition can work after all this time).
    In other words the guy is basically saying 'the solution is painfully obvious, but if we choose to go ahead and solve the problem, that would be like admitting that we hadn't already solved it, which we haven't.'
    Really, what is it about prohibition that is so attractive to people? It's going to get people to stop smoking marijuana?

  15. Gilbert

    The exact same days in which Mex Press Felipe Calderon Declares war on drugs, the Cartel Of Sinaloa starts to want to take the whole norther territory for drug dominance, does not sound too much of a coincidence? of course it would be, Joaquin Loera ( aka El chapo Guzman ) is in an aliance with the Fed Gov to control the entire continent for drug selling to mainly the U.S. and Central America, Felipe Calderon is not trying to stop Drug Lords, he is just trying to give the territories to his brother-in-law, too much money in stake, wake up people, things are not the way they look like they are.

  16. BLueHaiL

    Mexico needs to use their brains on this one. What would it take to actually capture this guy alive? Wouldn't they have to get some sort of brand new aerial photography cameras or some up to date equipment so they can use it on top of helicopters sent into the Sinaloa valley to find El Chapo and quit dicking around? If we have satellites with lasers that can read the newspaper you're holding in front of your face -from space....and see it as clear as day....don't you think Mexico's president would have the recognizance it requires to purchase one of these satellites and use it to find this drug kingpin? Just a suggestion.

    1. Omri Henry

      This is a complex social and political problem with poverty and corruption rampant everywhere. High tech equipment doesn't solve these problems. When people in high places benefit from anything (such as the drug trade) it is almost impossible to stop. There is a whole culture where poor people see drugs as a way of escaping poverty as they believe they have no alternative. I'm sure you probably know most of this already. I'm just reminding you that it is very difficult to stop such a trade in any country with so many forces pulling in the wrong direction.

  17. BLueHaiL

    They won't be able to abolish our 2nd Amendment right without having to abolish the entire US Constitution first. With that being said, they probably will sometime in the near future do just that, as Obama keeps pushing for a global alliance, aka: a One World Government or New World Order, like many others in powerful positions are doing right along with him all over the world now. And yes, the US should get rid of the whole "War on Drugs" campaign; seeing that it's not working. It's a fact that more Americans are using and benefiting from marijuana use than ever before and more Americans are using legally prescribed pain medication and other pills as much as -if not more than most people use drugs that have been deemed "illegal" by our gov't today. We need to establish small amounts of various illegal drugs and decriminalize them (which is different than making the drugs in question legal entirely) that way we could get out of debt and the problems at the borders we're experiencing would go away. I say borders, because we have the same problems at the Canadian border that we do in Mexico, but the drugs in question coming in from Canada are in another form....in pill form....which makes it tricky seeing that most Americans not only consume legally prescribed pills in record amounts, but they are also dying from the addiction and many other various problems stemming from legal pain pill usage....including impurities found in the drugs made by the labs. We then would need to find out a way to mix the two drug enterprises, making both illegal and legal drugs available to the masses, taxed (because you know we're not gonna get anything without it being processed and taxed by our gov't) and handed out by prescription from doctors who are not only taught well but who are also a part of a government mandated program.

  18. joey77

    It's unbelievable that the ATF got caught red handed and nothing's being done. This operation goes all the way to the president, Obama, and he should be kicked out of the presidency immediatly. They are using this to get all our guns and abolish the 2nd ammendment. I say come and get them. It's a war at the border and more people are dying than in Vietnam, yet we don't see it being covered by mainstream media, just covered up.

  19. Jason Carter

    Look up Operation "Fast and Furious" they got the guns from the american government. The government has probably been giving them
    guns for a long time to keep those drugs
    coming across the boarder to kill their own citizens.

  20. toy

    Where do the guns come from? Where is America? Oh yeh they in Middle east killing kids... why dont america take care of their neighbours.. thats why it comes to this.. supply and demand.. maxi maize proffits.. they simply adapted the American kapitalism.. as all gangsters done.. Kill every competition..

    1. Jason Carter

      They got the guns from the American Governments. Look up "Operation Fast and Furious"

  21. kangeroo89

    U.S.A. is the biggest consumer of drugs on the planet ..why dont they grow some balls and grow and supply thier own habit ? give america back to the indians at least they grew thier own crops ...

  22. EKreuz

    Gun control works... for the cartels. For commoners, they have to live in fear as they cannot defend themselves or their family.

    1. toy

      its works if you dont stay next to USA the largest gun supplyer in the world and who also happens to have no heart at all.. as proven in history many times..

  23. opiumblogger

    Why is the reporter, Katya Adler, wearing the same shirt throughout the entire documentary?

    The war on drugs is not unlike the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. A lot of people have a vested interest in the continuance of the war on drugs in the same way that Halliburton, Carlyle Group, and the whole Military-Industrial Complex has a vested interest in keeping the "war on terrorism" going.

    1. STINKFIST2012

      Either she is a dirty girl or this was filmed in a day. I think the former.

  24. StillRV

    The decriminalization of marijuana is key to all of this. On the plus side it appears that may become true sooner than later. Some states have already decriminalized possession and these things tend to have a domino effect. I don't support total free drug mentality though. Crack, Meth, heroine.. those drugs are horrible. They are a death sentence to all addicts. It is only a question of how many innocent people they hurt before the die. However cutting out the starter drug would help to control the others. The everyday drug dealer sells weed until they have made enough money to graduate to the bigger stuff. So eliminating that could well help the situation greatly.

    1. Earthwinger

      "The everyday drug dealer sells weed until they have made enough money to graduate to the bigger stuff. So eliminating that could well help the situation greatly."

      I don't buy that argument at all. Pretty much all of the dealers that I knew that sold weed, had very negative opinions on harder drugs, and really didn't see dealing as an opportunity to progress to dealing in harder drugs at all. Rather, they were people who enjoyed smoking cannabis as part of a social scene. They were just networks of friends with a common interest. In fact, I was actually shunned by them when I moved on to harder drugs.

      The only thing that the majority of cannabis dealers have in common with heroin dealers and the like, is their criminal status, and that only exists because governments foist it on them to try and create a link which doesn't really exist, as part of their fear/disinformation campaign.

      As an interesting aside, a couple of years ago, the British governments senior scientific advisor on drugs, concluded that cannabis should have it's legal classification downgraded, as it really didn't warrant being in the same category as things like amphetamines. They didn't like what he was saying, so they sacked him. For me that sends out a clear message that good science takes a back seat when it doesn't say what politicians want it to say.

    2. StillRV

      There are many different types of dealer. I have also known the type you speak of and you are right on the money. I was speaking about the career criminal gang-bangers. They gather enough cash from weed to purchase guns and their first bulk purchase of heroin, coke, crack, meth what ever and go from there. Legalizing weed will destroy that black market and undercut the gangs.

    3. Earthwinger

      "I was speaking about the career criminal gang-bangers"

      Ah ok, it was your use of the term "The everyday drug dealer" that kinda threw me.

      Ultimately though, I guess our positions aren't that far apart. I would suggest decriminalization though rather than making it legal. My view, it's a herb that grows wild, and has been used by mankind for thousands of years. It only became a problem when the law made it a problem.

      As for the criminals gangs, well they would probably move on to some other form of criminal activity, but I consider that to be a whole other issue. I just balk at the whole, cannabis being a "gateway drug" type argument, as it's really only government meddling that has created the problems associated with cannabis.

    4. StillRV

      @earthwinger; Yea we are on the same page. Decriminalize, The state of Connecticut just decriminalized, I hope it is the first domino.

    5. Julio Alvarez

      Make drugs free and let evolution do his job and you will see.

  25. Ron Pal

    Makes me sick, and as we know CIA is the one giving the cartells their weapons.. f*** these laws and f*** the war on drugs.

  26. Irishkev

    Katya kicks Danny Dyer's butt btw!

    1. Greg_Mc

      As far as I can tell from what I have seen and discussed with others I know who live in the U.K. (which may not really be a lot) Danny Dyer has done one pretty decent football movie and while i have to say I did like his series on hooligan's (be it sensationalism or not he did seem to go meet up with some scary people) but i have been told he is considered a bit of a joke over there (I am in Canada) who will do any kind of show even if it is a dumb concept (A guy does have to work and make money though) and try to make it seem like the height of journalism. Maybe you can give me your views on him and his shows etc, going by your name I am going to guess you live in the U.K. or more specifically Ireland. Canadian TV (same goes with the controlled and biased American TV to some extent although they do make some great sitcoms) with the exception of Hockey and a few shows is crap and I am lucky I came across this site and get to watch docs made by the BBC (ok there are some good Canadian docs too) which I like because not only are they well done but I get to see a point of view that is not the same old same old North American style and at times narrow perspective.

      I also do enjoy the Ross Kemp docs too.

    2. Irishkev

      Danny Dyer is hilarious, with his little " I'm a bit 'ard meself", head on him. He looks terrified most of the time especially when he met up with the Gypsy bare knuckle boxer. Have you seen "Carts of Darkness", a really good Canadian docu. I think it's on this site somewhere (What happened to the search box we used to have?) If you want a good docu. on hooligans try "Hooligans-Kicking Off", don't think it's on this site though. I know you Canadians love your Ice Hockey but check out "What is Hurling?" on utube.

    3. Gregory Kerr

      Danny Dyer is a joke mate. I'm from South London and believe me that ain't hard. He's an actor so he acts. Ross Kemp shits all over him with the hard man act and his documentaries are much better and much more dangerous to produce. He's a real Londoner.

    4. Irishkev

      @ Gregory Kerr, did you see Ross Kemp with Vinnie Jones in Extras? Brilliant!

    5. Greg_Mc

      I remember seeing Hurling (I always thought it was called Hurley for some reason lol) on Tv when I was a kid once and me and my buddies loved it and would have played it had it been available to us. We called it full contact field hockey with most of the rules taken out. I will definetly check out the vid you mentioned on you tube. Never seen Carts of Darkness before but it is next on my list after the Hurling one. I have seen a small part of Hooligans Kicking off and want to see the rest of it, I like the hooligan docs but have to admit I just dont get the whole point of it all. At the top right of each page on this site there is a google search that from my limited experience with it seems to take your search entry and direct you to a page with all the SeeUat Videos vids under whatever topic you typed.

      @Gregory Kerr. I much prefer Ross kemp too, while part of what they are doing in certain situations is acting like they are in a more dangerous situation than they really are because it makes better TV. But Ross Kemp actually goes to dangerous places and talks to some scary looking people. There is no way when he is in Afghanistan with bullets and RPG's flying overhead that he is in a controlled environment where he can ham it up a bit for the camera's. The man has some balls that is for damned sure, and the bravery of the soldiers and what they are doing everyday is something they are not given near enough credit or thanks for.

    6. Irishkev

      Oh that search box, riight. I think the hooligan thing was a rebellion against the crap hairdos in the '80's. The hurling video on the link is better quality. Proper hard lads and all amateur(unpaid) sportsmen.

    7. Greg_Mc

      Ahh I understand (having sadly been a part of it, all pictures have been well hidden lol) it now, those hairstyles were certainly reason enough to piss people off to the extent of rioting and beating on one another. Toss in the various types of clothes ie the tight jeans with buttons for zippers that did up somewhere around the top of your belly button and those lovely multi colured sweaters and it is amazing riots were not going on non stop worldwide.
      Havent had the chance to watch the Hurling vids yet but I am working on it, got to the page the first one was on but then s*** came up and I havent gotten back to it yet.

    8. Greg_Mc

      Didnt see your comment with the link on it Kev till just now so I will watch that one. Ok I understand now, you are in Ireland and not the U.K. excuse my Canadian ignorance on the subject I took to many hockey pucks and punches to the head when I was younger lol

    9. Greg_Mc

      Watched the Hurling link you posted for me, the basic concept of the game seemed clear enough but I had no idea of how the scoring system worked. I can now see if I can find any clips or parts of games on you tube knowing some of the basic rules ie running with the ball in your hand or on the stick (if it is called a stick). Being a big sports guy I could easily appreciate the skill level involved by these guys, the control of the ball they had while holding or especially bouncing it on their sticks as they ran was amazing. I doubt I will ever fully understand the intricacies of the game to the level you do but it is a game I can watch, understand the basics, appreciate the high skills and follow with some enthusiasm. Even the short demo vid I saw showed some absolutely amazing plays and individual efforts. Definitely a game I could really get into if it was shown on TV here

    10. Irishkev

      Glad you liked it. If the ball goes in the net it's a goal(3 points), if you send it over the crossbar it's one point. Looks like they got some long steep hills in B.C. , I reckon you could get some speed up. I'd love to get my hands on some BC bud. p.s. You were right though, The stick is a hurl or hurley stick and the lads call it a "shtick". The Irish word for it is a "camán".

    11. Greg_Mc

      Hey Kev I watched half of Carts of Darkness before my computer froze up for some reason. That was filmed in British Columbia which is a beautiful place even if it does get a lot of rain. Grown men (albeit homeless) riding shopping carts down long steep hills for a rush is a rather odd hobby. I can't believe they go as fast as the one dude said he does, up to 70 Kilometers per hour seems a little faster than a shopping cart would be able to go. Hell when I go to the grocery store I can rarely find a cart that has 4 wheels that actually all turn and doesn't squeal and veer off to the side let alone one that can go speeding down a big ass hill. BC as I said it a beautiful Province but the people there are a little different, there are a lot of wealthy people living there but it is also known (mostly in the city of Vancouver I believe) as having far more than it's share of people who have heavy drug habits and are pretty mellow. BC is also known for growing it's own particular brand of mushrooms and a little thing called BC Bud. All in all it was a semi interesting doc, well the first half was anyway. I may watch the rest tomorrow and see if the guy they are following wipes out while whizzing down a big hill.

    12. Greg_Mc

      So they call it a shtick eh? I believe it was Teddy Roosevelt who said "walk softly and carry a big Schtick" , it was a misspoken part of an old West African proverb (speak softly and carry a big stick, and you will go far). Lol it kind of kills a joke when you have to explain it. Yes there are some long steep hills in BC, not sure but it may have something to do with the fact the Rocky Mountains go up through BC. Just one more thing to add to the beauty of BC, you get the mountains, excellent forrests (or is it Forests, never know if it is one or two R's, which I hear is a good place to grow that famous BC Bud) for hiking and biking and then they have the Pacific ocean. You can go skiing there in the mountains in the morning and go to the beach in the afternoon then go downtown Vancouver and while it isnt legal I think there are shops/Cafes you can smoke weed in.

    13. Irishkev

      Sounds cool man, can't beat bikes, bud and booze .

    14. qusdis

      True, Katya Adler rocks. She speaks 7 languages and has some serious guts. It's a shame the topic is so gruesome. But she's up to the task.

  27. Irishkev

    Man, and they still wont legalize the weed, ridiculous ,isn't it?

  28. Jarris Macias Jrmx

    Also miss reporter what you did right there riding with the military convoy is really stupid because they do not know how to drive.. did you at leaste researched how many accidents they cause and have been causing?

  29. Jarris Macias Jrmx

    Also he claims he cleansed the police but nowadays the active cops are kidnappers and work for the drug cartels..

  30. Jarris Macias Jrmx

    On Minute 29 Reyez Ferris is Lying because the police chief was not stopped on the border, he was caught in a house in Horizon Texas with 1 Ton of Marihuana..

    You just came to hear lies from that RAT he took more money from the city and left it in ruins also... you wasted your time on this documentary because you dont even have the slightest idea of what is going on here...

    A Juarez Citizen.

  31. 1WonkyFunkfart69

    End the "war on drugs" begun by Nixon in 1972 and you solve the problem of prohibition having made plants like marijuana, coca and the poppy SO expensive. This naturally causes corruption due to human greed. Sell 'drugs' like we do tobacco and alcohol, and use the revenue for saving this planet!

  32. 1WonkyFunkfart69

    End the "War on Drugs" started by Nixon in 1972 and you solve the problem of prohibition making worthless plants like marijuana, coca and the poppy so expensive. The inflated value of these plants is what creates corruption as a natural consequence of human greed.

  33. Benji Prize

    I live in El Paso TX and have lived in Juarez!! I love El Paso TX it's soooo fun and safe here!!! Great people with great vibes!!! I am a local underground dance music dj/producer...enjoying every second of it!!!

  34. am153

    the guys killed in the silver car near the border fence were prob killed by US

    1. StillRV

      Really? And you base that assumption on what? Is it your in depth research into the rampant killings that the US border control engages in on a daily basis? Or just you spouting off BS? If you had even the slightest idea of how regulated the border patrol (just like all military and police in the US) is you would ..no you would still say this stupid junk. But I will explain to you. Every single round of ammunition that is given out to law enforcement including border patrol is cataloged and kept account of. Every weapon carried is checked daily. If a weapon is fired and the appropriate paperwork involving a complete account of the situation and reason for the weapons discharge, the officer who fired it faces suspension, loss of job, or even criminal charges. All of the weapons carried have an on file ballistics fingerprint which could easily have been used in this case to determine just who pulled the trigger if it was an officer. So yea try research. Education is your friend.

  35. leonardobdas

    I can imagine El Chapo talking about god to his comrades, prepping and wrapping his scheme of the destruction of self preservation. I can imagine Santa Maria de Guadalupe believing drug goons getting their blessings from a priest as they go on the killing spree dujour.

    Imagine getting the feeling in your gut that you are automatically forgiven for what you are about to do, confirmed by your drug family and your gun: yep, regular people the go ahead to become monsters overtime. That is made more sinister when we think that those involved in the drug war don't want to die, just like cops don't: they all have families. they make little money, the bad apples outnumber the goods ones 10 to 1, and the population silences themselves because they have no self preservation left or guns. The mexican economy does't help either, since I am sure dissolving bodies surely beats brick laying, specially if one is peer pressured to enter the trade as proof of their manhood. Now, with the advantage of a poor american economy, traffickers are double winnerswith the higher demand caused by people wanting to be numb. There is no end to it and demand it not to blame, rather it just used as subterfuge to the bigger problem: nobody wants to stop milking this cash cow, and who would?

    The poor mexican people is not to blame with stereotypes or hate of any kind, as bad as some tacos can be. Surely it all seems like their reliability and laziness is their nature, but it is not exclusive to them: people want it easy no matter their country of origin. If telepathically talking to Santa Magdalena is whats left of humanity in them, then lazy corruption will make legends of their criminals at the sound of the accordion.

    Now, personally, I like the death penalty to all drug trafficking and police corruption: enter it face death by hanging. I also think users of meth/crack should face severe punishment.......such as public lashings to serve as example. For drugs such as marijuana I think punishment of some kind is necessary.... such as heavy fines and taking away people's car if they are pulled over while using, for they finance trafficking to a large extent. Now, of course, if marijuana was legalized and taxed, then I think it is subject to similar laws as with alcohol and that would be a lot better for everyone.

    I am not sure if cocaine should be legalized myself... sounds like a bad idea. I suppose if there was a way to control hoe much people could buy a week or something. A far as I understand, it is possible to use coke recreationally without many problems.

    Enlighten me..

    1. Earthwinger

      In my past, I've done a lot of drugs. I won't bore you with the details of it, but suffice to say that my situation wasn't a good one. At the time, I saw little hope for the future, and when a person finds themselves in that sort of position, it's all too easy to fall into a drug habit, and it's very difficult once there, to claw your way back out of it. In the end, I managed to do just that, but it only came to pass because I finally woke up one day and realised that I had a very real chance to better my life.

      I guess that by what most people consider to be standard markers of “success” in this society, I'm regarded as a failure, as I have no job (which doesn't make for a good little consumer), and given my back-story, and the state of the job market right now, I'm unlikely to get one any time soon, but all these things are subjective. I've been free of drugs for fifteen years, and I'm happier, fitter and healthier than I've been in a long time. So from my perspective, I feel that I've turned things around, and for me, that's a success. Not everyone is fortunate enough to catch sight of light at the end of the tunnel though, and society at large seems to me to do little to encourage them to even seek it out.

      Many recent studies have pointed out what should have been patently obvious all along, and it's this – the less equal the distribution of wealth and opportunity in a society, the more criminality of all kinds there will be. Families will be broken up, and this in itself sets up the next generation to follow patterns of criminality, just as their parents did. The incidences of mental illness are also higher in these demographics, which really shouldn't be surprising. So conducting a war on drugs, is not only a complete failure to address the root cause of most of societies ills, it's actually capitalism taken new giddying heights of barbarism, where those lowest down the ladder, are set up to fail, and when they quite predictably do just that, they're turned into a marketable product, aka prisoners.

      I'm not going to suggest that taking drugs is a always a good thing, as I know from bitter experience that's not the case, nor will I suggest that it should be encouraged, although there is good evidence to suggest that cannabis is a very effective form of pain relief for some medical conditions, and is often more effective than a lot of the drugs that the pharmaceutical industry peddles. I will suggest however, that if society sincerely wants to better the quality of life for all it's citizens, and get drug use under any sort of control, first you have to give people hope, and that means all people! Locking people up solves nothing, all it does is force drug use and associated crime, even further underground. It also tends to expose those who have locked up for minor drug offences, to even worse excesses of criminality, which does nothing but reduce their chances of proper rehabilitation upon release.

      The whole thing is a particularly vicious cycle, which is propped up by corrupt government agencies who profit from this phony war on drugs that they've instigated. Then, as if that weren't bad enough, privately run prisons also profit from the criminalization and incarceration of the most unfortunate in society.

      The solution to all this should be glaringly obvious, but I fear there's no profit to be had from it. Unless of course, you believe that “profit” should be marked by a greater degree of equity and mutual respect for all levels of society.

    2. Greg_Mc

      Have to say that after reading a few of the comments on here, obviously including yours Earthwinger, I did not know American prison's were privately owned. As for the war on drugs, besides the fact that we all know it is a joke, it will never end or "be won" because as you and others have mentioned there is just to much profit to be made from keeping the farce alive and well.

      Just have to add that while the economy is crap and finding employment is far from easy you do seem smart enough to write down your opinion on here in a well thought out intelligent manner which shows there is something between your ears that is functioning very well. Having been a casualty of the economic downturn as far as the job market goes (and I had to take a job I was way overqualified for and work for far less money than I previously made but it is still better than being paid nothing) all I can say is what I am sure you have heard before, get a big pile of resume's together and spend your days going door to door introducing yourself enquiring on employment opportunities within whatever company you walked into. Eventually you will walk in the right door at the right time. It is not a fun thing to do as there is a lot of negative answers to your "are you hiring" question but it does give you the opportunity to sell yourself and put a face and personality with your resume (which is better than just getting a resume sent to them and all they get is a piece of paper with nothing personal to go with it) which can be an advantage as the person who takes your resume can tell those in charge that "hey this guy seemed friendly, well spoken and by putting the effort into doing the leg work involved in going door to door introducing himself to company after company he is showing a work ethic we don't see from those just emailing resume's". It worked for me (I did the Head Hunter, online job search and sending emails to companies that were a bit further away and a long way to drive for a blind call looking for a job when you didn't know if one was even available) eventually and just remember approx 80% of all job opportunities are not really advertised anywhere so it is up to you to go find them. So I wish you and anyone else looking for a job good luck, it is a horrible situation to be in but be persistant. Also follow up with a phone call or go back in person to any place that showed any interest in you at all, especially the ones who actually took the time to talk to you for a while and did a sort of short pre interview type thing. Sorry to ramble on but I did a lot of research and took many courses on how to find a job and all that it entails and once I start talking about something i (as you can see) have trouble shutting up lol.

  36. Sabin Russell

    it seems that the US doesnt care about mexico

  37. Bill Ches

    this reporter is such a dbag

    1. Earthwinger

      Care to elaborate on that?

      I thought this was an incredibly difficult and painful subject, which she handled very well.

    2. Chris Bird

      i thought she was a tool

    3. Frank

      I imagine you're probably gay. I thought she was kinda hot running around wearin that bullet proof vest in the middle of one of the most dangerous countries in the world attempting to promote awareness of Mexico's corruption and violence.

  38. AGahool

    Operation fast and furious is the answer to resolve these crimes. CIA, FBI, TSA and ATF are sending illigal weopns to the drug cartels in exchange for drugs. They are making tons of money, and they would never legalize the drugs, because then they loose their monopoly on this lucritive criminal money machine.

    1. Christopher Rhudy

      Don't forget the monopoly of force held by the state if they take our freedoms away due to herbs, powder and firearms! What on earth would the poor prison system do... the stocks would plunge. the humanity!

  39. 0zyxcba1

    I have seen this documentary a while back, on YouTube.

    Decriminalize all drugs, as has been done in the Czech Republic!

    oz

    1. Earthwinger

      Yes, you'd think that would be the obvious thing to do, but somehow I can't see that happening. When you have a situation where prisons are floated on the stock exchange, something tells me that decriminalizing drugs wouldn't be very popular, as less criminals would mean less bottom line. All very sad.

    2. 0zyxcba1

      @ Earthwinger
      "...prisons are floated on the stock exchange,..."

      Penal institutions at one time were public institutions, before having been 'out-sourced'. Now corporations in the 'lock-down' trade are lobbying state legislatures and Congress to criminalize ever more petty trespasses. Pretty soon there will be a 3-strikes and you're out for sleeping in doorways!

      0z

    3. Velveli

      "Decriminalize all drugs, as has been done in the Czech Republic!"

      No drugs have been decriminalized in the Czech Republic. Even marihuana is illegal. Same like in most other countries.
      /I know the post is one year old, but I just wanted to correct the nonsense./

      Veli ...from the Czech Republic;)