kuipo

Long post, with a lot of information from Mexico for all of you who would like to read...

I, live in Northeast Mexico, specifically Monterrey, Mexico.

Prohibition is causing us HUGE troubles over here, right now, almost ALL bars and restaurants and some other businesses (such as car dealers, or any other "big" personal business) are forced to pay money each month for "protection" from the cartels. "Protection" meaning that if for any reason, you refuse to pay, they either destroy your business (tearing it apart, literally) or kidnap someone from your family, or steal your car, or anything to cause you harm/damage/loss of income.

Going with the police would be pointless, since A LOT of police officers are working for the cartels, the Army is still kind of free of cartel people, but they have caught some working for them too. Police work for the cartels giving them protection, information, and by helping them with the crimes (kidnapping mostly).

Public killings as well as battles with the army or other cartels happen EVERY SINGLE DAY, sometimes just a couple of dead cartel workers, sometimes huge battles (with grenade launchers, machine guns, etc)on some cities causing HUGE physical and economic damage to the city and their families.

Corruption with the government is OBVIOUS and HUGE.

With drug use at its peak in many years, and with the HUGE spendings of money towards this endless battle, along the side that the global crisis is hitting Mexico REALLY HARD (3rd place in leading economy shrinkage).

You would think by now, a lot of people would've thought: HEY! is prohibition really working? Is it helping us have a safer country? Is it helping reduce drug use/abuse?

The sad true is, almost NO ONE is thinking that, you'll hear ALMOST everyone saying: great!! the government is finally fighting the cartels!! wooohooo!!!

With the new elections (5th of July) also came a new political party, Partido Social Democrata, which has GREAT ideas, and they're actually showing proof of what they are proposing (You'll hear all political parties saying: we'll do this, and that, bla bla bla, yet they show very little, if any, law reforms already written and ready to be sent to the senate).
Yet the PSD has all their law reforms proposals already made and ready to be sent to senate. One of their proposals, is to COMPLETLY stop the Drug War (along other really nice ideas they have), showing proof that it'd be the best (showing for example, the situation in Portugal, Netherlands, also this last findings of the UN, as well as medical information and the alcohol prohibition from 1920 as an example of cartel sparked violence), yet, all the comments I've heard people make about this political party is: what?!?!?! are they fucking out of their minds?!?!?!?! how can we even think of doing that?!?!?!?!. They are labeled as gay drug addicts (because one of their candidates for mayor, is gay).

So, it's really sad that even with the current situation, people are so close minded, and continue to believe the lies they're being told, and REFUSE to even hear the scientific and factual side of the story. They just completely IGNORE it (I myself have tried to talk to people and show them the good they're trying to do, just to be labeled as a crazy drug addict myself, even told I should be punished by God by not being able to have any children of my own, because I would pass them this "immoral" points of view).

It really makes me sad, to know that I am really UNSAFE in my city, not even being able to completely trust police, just a couple of weeks ago, I had a problem with them regarding MJ, and it wasn't pretty I'll tell you...

So for now, I've totally stopped smoking and having a lot of contact with people who are around it, because it really scares me that if you're caught with a "big" (1 oz for example...) amount by the police, you may be taken with the cartels, instead of the police station. It's just not worth the risk at this point in my life (or any I guess).

Hopefully that'll be enough for me to stay out of trouble, while I finish my career, and then I hope I'll be able to emigrate to another country, Canada being my top priority, closely followed by USA.

Sorry for the huge post, but I had to write this down, since I'm still really sad since the police incident, and really needed to talk all this with intelligent people.

Kuipo

[/rant]