Legalizing pot could help Juárez, officials say

I'm Not Against the legalization of Marijuana , But Legalizing it will not Curtail the Drug wars !
There is to much money to be made on BOTH sides of the Border , From so many other drugs And Goods coming into this country illegally , that Marijuana really is not that big of a Deal !
It's pretty cheap down here anyway !

El Paso Times
EL PASO -- A new drug war, this one over whether marijuana legalization would help or hinder Juárez, got under way Monday.

City Reps. Beto O'Rourke and Susie Byrd called a news conference to say they believe reforming drug laws and legalizing marijuana would help reduce violence in Mexico.

O'Rourke and Byrd, joined at the Paso del Norte Bridge by fellow city Reps. Steve Ortega and Ann Morgan Lilly, displayed a declaration in support of Juárez.

Oscar J. Martinez, a history professor and border expert at the University of Arizona, read from the group's resolution.

"Those who think they have the moral high ground by supporting prohibition are not giving proper attention to the disastrous consequences of that tragically misguided policy," said Martinez, a native of Juárez.

"The cure has been much more deadly than the disease itself. The price of prohibition - turning cities like Juárez into killing fields of massive proportions - is totally unacceptable and morally repugnant."

Others in public life disagreed with the City Council members, describing their idea as counterproductive.

"Legalizing marijuana in the U.S. will make things worse in Mexico," said Jaime O. Perez, El Paso County chief of staff and the Republican candidate for county judge. "The violence will increase in Juárez. Even the smaller cartels will try to get into the business, and they will try to control the drug-trafficking corridors and kill more people.