"Stop the death in Mexico: A drug war's raging, so drop that joint"

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Beacon oped, 10/15/09

Though it is illegal, smoking marijuana has few, if any, enduring ill effects for the smoker. The drug's supporters claim that the green, dried bud has never directly killed a soul, and that could be true.

The more than 10 percent of Americans (aged 12 and older) who smoked pot in the last year could be contributing wonderfully to society, unlike, say, Cheech and Chong or James Franco and Seth Rogen in "Pineapple Express." Unless you're arrested on a felonious charge, a joint here or there won't ruin your relationships, your health or your life.

But in Mexico, marijuana not only ruins, but ends many thousands of lives.

According to the Mexican government, 10,000 people have been killed in a brutal drug war since December 2006-thousands more than coalition fatalities in Afghanistan and Iraq combined. Marijuana is not the only drug involved, but it accounts for the lion's share of Mexican drug cartels' profits: 60 to 70 percent, according to Arizona's attorney general, Terry Goddard.

The reason the violence is concentrated near the US border is obvious: Mexico is the top marijuana producer in the world, according to the United Nations, and its bloody black market thrives on Americans' desire for grass.

Mexico produced 7,400 metric tons of the plant in 2006, according to a 2008 United Nations report. Extrapolating from the US Drug Enforcement Agency's usual $1,000 per pound appraisal of the drug, that's $16.3 billion.

American consumption of Mexican marijuana
plays a major role in the country's war. This trumps the fact that weed is non-toxic. Unless smokers know their pot is not hecho en Mexico and is otherwise death-free, the only ethical course of action is to kick the habit. Just like we should avoid patronizing poor corporate citizens like Wal Mart and Hershey's, we should avoid buying Mexican narcotics, which are tainted by the murder of thousands.

It might seem unfair to place this burden on citizens, who, after a long day, are simply craving a few puffs-similar to how others partake in alcohol or tobacco, both of which are considered more harmful. Pot should be legalized, many argue. It is not the fault of smokers that the government has banned something so benign.

Okay, it probably should be legalized. But for now, it is illegal, and smoking in stubborn, selfish defiance will only help continue the wave of Mexican death. If you want pot legalized, organize and lobby the government. But in the interim, don't smoke thinking you're entitled to it. You're not. Mexicans are entitled to their lives.

"When shoppers buy a product, they encourage its continued production and the conditions in which laborers and farmers work," wrote Darylle Sheehan, a senior print and multimedia journalism major, in a Feb. 12 Beacon op-ed about being a responsible consumer. "The goods and companies patrons choose help determine whether or not those conditions are humane."

Sheehan is right. It is our responsibility to keep up on world events so we can make responsible consumer choices. Lives are at stake.

If marijuana were legalized and regulated, consumers could know from whence their herb came, making it easier to pinpoint and boycott Mexican drugs, or perhaps, in an ideal situation, eliminate the black market thug tactics that kill thousands every year. Such a policy shift would bring the supply chain into the light, possibly resulting in less violence.

But that's a long-term solution. In spite of an open-minded public (a 2009 Zogby poll found 52 percent of Americans support marijuana legalization), that probably won't happen for at least five years. Most American politicians wouldn't touch drug reform with a 10-foot pole, and President Obama can't take the risk until after his potential reelection in 2012, if he takes it at all. To this point, there's no sign he will.

Marijuana's propulsion of the war to our south may come as a shock, and it is understandable that many of us haven't heard much about it. The presidential campaign, the financial crisis and the health care debate have dominated our domestic-obsessed news media for almost two years, and, as a result, Mexico's struggle has been bumped to the blurbs.

But in the age of the Internet, this information is at our fingertips. There is no excuse for not knowing about the conflict that looms just over the Rio Grande. And now that you know, there is no excuse not to change how you look at and play with Mary Jane.

So next time you're at a party and someone wants to toast a joint to world peace, fill them in on the irony and don't let them smoke you up.

Chris Girard is a senior political communication major and a managing editor for The Beacon.