# If Mexico legalizes drugs, how does that affect the U.S.?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-mexico-legalizes-drugs-how-does-that-affect-the-u-s/550775>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [August 19, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-mexico-legalizes-drugs-how-does-that-affect-the-u-s/550775 "2010-08-19T19:06:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-mexico-legalizes-drugs-how-does-that-affect-the-u-s/550775/1 "2010-08-19T19:06:20Z")

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Apparently [Mexico is taking a hard look at drug legalization,](http://www.democracynow.org/2010/8/19/as_deaths_mount_to_28_000) hoping that will put an end to all the drug-cartel-related violence, murder and corruption in Mexico. Well and good, but most drugs now illegal in the U.S. almost certainly will remain illegal for some time to come, and will remain in demand, and drug smuggling from or through Mexico will continue, with all the violence, murder and corruption attendant on **that** – so how, if at all, would this affect the U.S.?

Maybe marijuana will be legalized here in the next decade – but that’s only marginal to the cross-border trafficking problem, since it is a drug that can be (and is) grown in large quantities in the U.S. Cocaine, OTOH, can be grown only in South America.

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**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-mexico-legalizes-drugs-how-does-that-affect-the-u-s/550775/2 "2010-08-19T19:28:57Z")

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I would predict a huge increase in travel to Mexico.

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**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-mexico-legalizes-drugs-how-does-that-affect-the-u-s/550775/3 "2010-08-19T19:46:02Z")

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See also [previous thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=574073).