Gun Violence. One More Unintended Negative Consequence of U.S. Drug Policy
- David Bearman, M.D.
Over the past several months numerous articles have been printed about the ease with which Mexico's most violent drug cartels are exploiting weak U.S. guns laws to acquire massive quantities of assault rifles and other firearms for use in their war against the Mexico government and rival cartels.
Mexican cartels are taking advantage of U.S. gun laws to buy weapons by the thousands. These are being used by thugs in an escalating war for illicit drug profits. This war has claimed more than 31,000 lives in Mexico since late 2006. According to NBC News, experts and law enforcement officials have said that cartel leaders are hiring Americans to make the gun purchases for them. These guns are used not because recreational drugs are inherently evil, but because of drug prohibition. There is money to be made and when it comes to prohibited drugs like alcohol (1914-1932), cocaine and opiates, guns are just tools of the trade.
U.S. firearms agents estimate that around 80 percent of the weapons used by Mexican illicit drug merchants come from the United States. Cartel leaders are allegedly hiring Americans with clean records to make the purchases for them. In the past four years, Mexican authorities say they have seized 90,000 weapons from their nation's drug war.
These guns have been used to kill over 30,000 Mexican nationals in Mexico, many of them innocent bystanders. Is this a result of the drugs themselves or of the drugs being illegal? Well, we know that the highest incidence of opiate habituation in the U.S. was at the turn of the 19th to the twentieth century. It was largely from consumption of over-the-counter preparations such as Lydia Pinkham's Vegetable Compound (tincture of opium laudanum) which was advertised "For the treatment of women's unmentionable ills." It was available at every pharmacy and general store in the land.
Was there a lot of crime around the sale or obtaining of opiates then? No. When did these criminal enterprises start? The crime came with the onset of heavy regulation of opiates starting in 1919 with a critical U.S. Supreme Court decision. Now with the huge American demand for cocaine, cannabis as well as opiates, there is an enormous amount of money to be made in the illicit market. This has generated the money to buy semi-automatic and automatic weapons and the motivation to use them.
By taking the sale of these substances out of the hands of legitimate commercial channels and making them a criminal enterprise, our laws are responsible for not only lining the pockets of criminals, generating bribes to law enforcement and politicians, but also being the direct and indirect cause of over 20,000 drug cartel related deaths in Mexico.
We could change all that, as they have in Portugal, where psychotropic drugs are legal. Portugal has seen a decrease in drug-related crime, decreased cost to the government, increased access to treatment and no increase in the use of these formerly illicit substances.
The potential benefits of drug policy reform are substantial. Not only could we decrease the number of people incarcerated, decrease deaths in Mexico related to the illicit drug trade, decrease money flowing into criminal coffers, but also we might finally get rid of the real insanity and legalize hemp. Hemp you may recall is an industrial raw material. It is NOT psychoactive. Regardless of what you think of marijuana, hemp is a valuable commodity legally grown in over 35 countries worldwide. Allowing hemp to be grown in the U.S. (it is already legal to use hemp here) would be a real stimulus to the economy.
There are several ways to approach the problem of too many high powered weapons ending up in the hands of a criminal element. The most expeditious strategy is to cut off the demand for the guns and to decrease funds to purchase them. The Mexican government has consequently pointed to U.S. drug policy as the cause for this violence in Mexico. If the U.S. were to return to the policies which stood in this country from 1492 to 1919 we would eliminate most of the illicit market. The competition for the much smaller illicit drug market would not be so great, demand for guns and violence would be less, and the Constitution, particularly the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 9th, and 10th Amendments would not be under such relentless attack.
Drug Policy reform is consistent with the position of the Global Commission on Drug Policy (which included Nixon and Reagan cabinet member George Schultz, former UN Secretary General Kofli Annen, and former Fed Chief Paul Volcher) whose report this June on the 40th anniversary of the War on Drugs proclaimed the drug war a failure and recommended scrapping our current failed approach in favor of treatment and regulation.
Who's Who in Medical Cannabis - Tonya Davis
Tonya Davis was born in Erwin, Tennessee. Lived in Charlotte and Ashville, North Carolina in her early years and was raised in Ohio from age 9 till present.
She graduated from Carousel Beauty College in 1981, attended
Miami Jacobs Business College,
took Creative writing classes and
Legal Assisting (associates degree)
She works in Property Management (2003 - present) and is a
freelance published writer and journalist for Treating Yourself Alternative Medicine Journal (2005 - present).
She is the Medical Cannabis Director for North Ohio NORML (2006 - present) and is an author of the
Ohio Compassionate Act bill as well as an
Ohio Medical Cannabis Activist and Patient Advocate
Personal:
I am happily divorced and have two little men in my life my Miniature Doberman pincher (Scooter) and my Maltese (Palmer)
Shhhh ... Don't tell them they are dogs!
I have a daughter age 27 (Angie) who is an inspiration. She is so strong and I know she will move mountains out of her way to get where she needs to and to over come all she has. Just makes me proud to be her mom.
I enjoy just being in the moment. I believe in the "law of attraction" so I try to send out positive energy always. I am a domestic violence survivor, who because of the abuse, suffer from spinal and back injury and damage. I also have a crippling, debilitating disease called pseudohypoparathyroidism. Among other serious conditions.
What's New
Alabama: Considering a medical marijuana law.
HB642 - The Michael Phillips Compassionate Care Act of Alabama
Arkansas: Considering a medical marijuana law.
Connecticut: Considering a medical marijuana law.
Florida: Medical marijuana petition drive underway.
Idaho: Considering a medical marijuana law.
Illinois: Considering a medical marijuana law.
Bill Status of SB1381
Indiana: Considering a medical marijuana law.
Iowa: Considering a medical marijuana law.
Kansas: Medical marijuana petition drive underway.
Marijuana Bill Reaches House
Cannabis Compassion and Care Act
Maryland: Considering a medical marijuana law.
Bill Status of SB 627
Massachusetts: Considering a medical marijuana law.
Minnesota: Considering a medical marijuana law.
Missouri: Considering a medical marijuana law.
HOUSE BILL NO. 1670 - An Act relating to the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes
Cottleville Mayor Don Yarber hopes Missouri legislature passes medical marijuana law
New Hampshire: Considering a medical marijuana law.
New York: Considering a medical marijuana law.
North Carolina: Considering a medical marijuana law.
North Carolina Medical Cannabis Act
Ohio: Considering a medical marijuana law.
HB 214
Pennsylvania: Considering a medical marijuana law.
HB 1393
South Carolina: Considering a medical marijuana law.
South Dakota: Medical marijuana petition drive underway.
Tennessee: Considering a medical marijuana law.
Texas: Considering a medical marijuana law.
Wisconsin: Considering a medical marijuana law.
The Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act
Featured Recipe - Patty Pot Pesto Sauce by Jay R. Cavanaugh, PhD
This wonderful, spicy, yummy, and potent green sauce is inspired by a friendly northern caregiver whose food products (butter, oil, and flour) are the best on the planet. Nancy Wife and I have learned a great deal from this cook extraordinaire. In this recipe you'll learn how to make and use a delicious sauce that features dried sativa flowers. Cannabis oil can be substituted for the flowers but the sauce won't taste nearly as good. The sauce is potent and a little goes a long way so stick to flower power if you can. The "Patty Pot" featured in this recipe is also called California Orange. This Sativa strain is not as strong as "Train Wreck" but is quite respectable in the THC category. In addition, it has a citrus like aroma that is great for cooking.
Ingredients:
1\3 Cup pine nuts (roasted for 10 minutes at 325 degrees)
1 bunch fresh basil (washed, dried, and chopped)
6 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1\2 Cup extra virgin olive oil
1\2 Cup Pecorinno Romano cheese (grated)
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1-2 grams freeze dried and chopped California Orange flowers
Directions:
Place all of the ingredients except the cheese into a blender and mix until fairly smooth. A few small lumps are really OK. I think that a couple of lumps add texture to the sauce (remember your author has been called a textural deviate). Hey, I also like lumps in my mashed potatoes.
Once the sauce is fairly smooth add the grated Romano and blend until you have the consistency of a paste (Patty paste?). A dash of salt to taste may be added.
Extras: Some crazy people like to add a teaspoon of dried red New Mexico chili flakes. I recommend that if you like the chili kick go for it but leave the black pepper out in that event.
More extras: Highly Recommended: Add 1\2 Cup of heavy cream to the paste and blend.
Patty Pot Pesto will keep covered tightly in the refrigerator for three days.
Applications:
Artichoke/Ricotta Raviolis (Costco special) or any other pasta
Add to mashed potatoes
Use on fish to be broiled or sautéed
Use as a dipping sauce for breaded or baked chicken
