Increased demand for drugs in the U.S. increases drug cartel activity in Mexico

The high demand for drugs in the U.S., as well as the proliferation of weapons on Mexican territory is causing an increase in drug cartel activity on its territory.

The insatiable demand for drugs in the U.S., along with the widespread availability of weapons, largely explains the cartels’ ability to wreak havoc. We need effective anti-drug policies, and the illegal flow of guns into Mexico must be stopped.

A comprehensive, long-term approach to security cooperation based on mutual trust and respect for each country’s sovereignty solves the problem. Cooperation is the best way forward, not an irrational strategy that will impose huge costs on Mexico and the United States.

Earlier, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador condemned calls by U.S. lawmakers to use the U.S. military to fight drug cartels on Mexican soil. According to the head of state, they could use the situation “for their propaganda, electoral and political purposes.”

In early March, Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham advocated for legislation that would equate some Mexican drug cartels with “foreign terrorist groups.” And Republican member of the House of Representatives Dan Crenshaw recalled that back in January he had proposed authorizing the use of military force against drug cartels in Mexico.

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