Colorado's legalized marijuana: Mexican cartels take a dive, but drug trafficking in other US states rises

The controversy surrounding the legalization of the manufacture and distribution of marijuana in Colorado has intensified with aired concerns from federal drug officials that the state has become a launching pad for drug traffickers to ply their trade to other locations. In the meantime, the Mexican government, which had seen a 70% decrease in the buisness of drug cartels based in Mexico, is contemplating to follow Colorado's lead and legalize marijuana.

Marijuana was legalized in Colorado for medicinal purposes. However, it did seem to help solve Mexico's drug problem. The Weed Blog posts an observation that 70% of Mexican drug cartels had seen a "weed drop" since "the legalization of recreational marijuana in America."  Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera, who is running for the forthcoming presidential elections in the next couple of years, enthused that he would implement cannabis legal reforms if he wins the highest office in the land. He bases his statement in the confidence that national legalization of marijuana would dampen the illegal activity being propagated by the cartels.

An report by CNBC News advises a more cautious approach. It suggests that the drop in Mexcian-trafficed marijuana south of the border can be traced to two factors. First is the perception that U.S. legalized marijuana is of better quality. Second, the legalization of U.S marijuana makes it much easier to buy than the smuggled products. CNBC also quotes Jonathan Caulkins, Carnegie Mellon University professor on public policy, saying that there is no "real data" yet that ties in the decline of the sale of Mexican cannabis with the growth of American legalized marijuana. All the reports that tie in the two developments are anecdotal in nature.

Federal authorities, though, argue that the Colorado has provided a 'safe haven' tor drug traffickers who buy or grow marijuana in the state and then sell them elsewhere. According to ABC News, these lawbreakers are not all from Mexico; some come from Cuba or the neighboring states. The transfer of pot can range from ingenious to sophisticated; A few examples are weed stuffed in trick-and-treat bags on the way to Wyoming; marijuana tucked inside stuffed animals being shipped to Florida; a skydiving company owner literally flying bags of marijuana in his planes to other locations where it can be sold for millions of dollars; and FedEx packages full of the drug sent to New York.  

ABC News continues to say that, although there are no exact figures yet as to how much drug and its related monies leave Colorado, estimates can be made based on the drug busts made by the authorities. In one case, a 32-man organization fabricated papers to appear as licensed medical practitiioners to fly drugs to Minnesota. The group made $12 million in over four years.

While the Mexican government may see legalization of marijuana to curb illegal drug trafficking on their side of the pond, U.S. federal authorities feel differently about the situation in Colorado. They have labelled the state as a "safe haven" for drug traffickers who "hide in it in plain sight."

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