The west could eliminate Drug cartels almost overnight.

 ARE WE WILLING TO TRADE FOR DANGERS OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY TO ELIMINATE MASSIVE CORRUPTION

DRUG BUSINESS CORRUPTION PERMEATES ALL LEVELS OF SOCIETY

When we talk about Drug Cartels we immediately think of Mexico or Columbia or some other south of the border country. The reality is that the money associated with drug cartels and the illegal drug business is corrupting cities, politicians, police departments and every aspect of today's world. I suspect the reach of the drug business has infiltrated every corner of American society and has in fact completely taken over some countries in other parts of the world.

The United States is likely the biggest drug market in the world.

The only way to end the corruption created by the illegal use of drugs is to decide if we are willing to replace the failed attempt at regulating illegal drugs with personal responsibility of those who decide to partake in drug use. 

We need to ask, Is the corruption created by illegal drugs a greater evil than the use of illegal drugs?

The simple remedy would be to take the profit out of the illegal drug business. The only way to do that is to legalize all drugs and make drugs so easy and affordable that the profit motive is completely eliminated. 

Farmers and drug companies could be contracted to produce drugs that would be purchased by the government and distributed free or way below the cost of production. The benefit would be the elimination of drug cartels very quickly, they could not compete with a market selling below their cost. The end of the cartels would also end the corruption in our society to a great degree. Mayors and other politicians would no longer be faced with the sticks and carrots offered by the drug cartels. The cost of the drugs to government would be far less than cost of the corruption.

Of course, the down side would be the social problems caused by the drug use, but would it be worse than what we have now? It would end the corruption, theft associated with paying for these bad habits and the primary bad effects of drug use would removed from much of society and placed solely on those who make the decision to partake in drugs.

The only laws would be to deny access to those under 18 and the penalty would be so severe, maybe even the death penalty, that it would never be a good choice.

I also suspect that the allure of illegal drug use  would eventually diminish as it would soon be viewed as a habit of the poorly adjusted and many of the partakers would self eliminate themselves with an unlimited supply of drugs. 

The idea is to make those who make bad decisions to suffer for their bad decisions and free the rest of society from the consequences of the illegal drug business.