More Dead in Juárez: The Effect of Drug Policy on Texas-Mexico Border Violence

The recent killing of three U.S. consulate members in Juárez has brought the escalating nature of drug violence on the Texas-Mexico border to the forefront once again. It is indeed a serious issue for Mexicans and Americans alike.
The U.S. State Department includes Mexico in its list of travel warnings for countries which are "dangerous or unstable." due to "long-term, protracted conditions" (along with such travel destinations as iraq and pakistan). The city of Juárez is a posterchild for the problem; in 2009 the town had 2,600 murders and is now "the most violent zone in the world outside of declared war zones." The crime naturally brings up the debate surrounding border control, but there are other aspects of the issue to discuss as well. The crime brought about by massive drug cartels is not a uniquely Mexican problem that is spilling over into Texas; The cartels heavily profit off U.S. demand for narcotics, and control approximately 70% of the narcotics that flow into the United States. Prohibition policies (such as those in U.S. and Mexican drug policy) that make markets illegal create distribution-related violence because, in the words of Harvard economics professor Jeffery Miron, underground markets mean "buyers and sellers cannot resolve their disputes with lawsuits, arbitration or advertising, so they resort to violence instead." This concept is reinforced by examples such as gambling, prostitution, and alcohol in the prohibition era. Although there are many potential advantages and disadvantages to the legalization of drugs, it would significantly reduce the amount of distribution-related violence, and I simply offer this as something that should be discussed in context of the drug violence along the Texas-Mexico border and throughout the world.