No to drugs

Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries for media in the western hemisphere, says the website of Reporters without Borders.


I stare at the statistics. 71 journalists murdered in Mexico after 2000. Many disappeared. None of the murders or disappearances has ever been solved, no one has even been arrested or tried.


Mexico seems to be a dangerous country for journalists - matching even for Columbia and Libya. And that is where I'm going to be tomorrow. Chilling.


The reason for all the danger is obvious: drug cartels. Cartels fight against each other and against the government; even though corruption is high, Mexico's official policy is to tackle the drug problem. Unfortunately it seems like a lost cause.


More than 36 000 people have been killed in the drug wars since 2006. Cartels especially target police officers: either work for us or die. Juarez, city on the northern border, is one of the most dangerous places in the world. Children grow up with violence: it's rare to find an eight-year-old who hasn't witnessed murder. 

It's a tragic world with no end in sight. It is definitely not a problem Mexico can solve by themselves: United States is hugely involved since the guns the cartels use are bought from the States and most of the drugs end up in the American market. A random guy in California buying weed for weekend might think he is not harming anyone, but that is not the whole truth. Buying any kind of illegal drug, even weed, supports drug cartels and violence involved in the business. Mexican cartels have long dominated marijuana market in the States and it serves huge junk of their profits.


Back in the 70s and 80s Columbia used to be the biggest cocaine producer and smuggler in the Americas: now they have lost the competition to Mexicans. Mexican cartels have gained power and have started to smuggle drugs also to Europe and Australia.


While countries all over the world continue to fight drugs domestically, it's not nearly enough. The problems lie much deeper. Wider international co-operation is needed. Countries like Mexico, Columbia and Afghanistan can not overcome this by themselves: it is just not going to happen, because while the roots of the problems are there, the money comes elsewhere.


Solving the drug problem is international responsibility.


Everyone can make a difference. Lighting up marijuana joint supports drug violence. Say no to drugs.


"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
-Martin Luther King Jr.