Massive Marijuana Seizure in Mexico No Threat to Availability
Two days ago, Mexican authorities seized 134 tons of marijuana in Tijuana, just across the border from California. The value of the seizure was estimated at $340 million.
According to the logic of prohibitionist economics, such a huge bust should have quite a damaging effect on the marijuana market in the United States, right?
Wrong. Mexico confiscated more than 1,300 tons of marijuana in 2009 alone, and before that the average was more than 2,000 tons per year. Yet each year, production goes up and street prices in the U.S. remain relatively static.
In California, the efforts to make an impact on the availability and price of marijuana result in similarly impressive seizures, but they too fail to have any effect whatsoever. Each year during the late summer and early fall, eradication programs such as CAMP take to the hills and skies, destroying millions of budding marijuana plants. Yet each year, production goes up and street prices remain relatively static.
The lesson to be learned here is that no matter how much marijuana law enforcement takes off the street, it will still be equally and readily available. And it will cost about the same at the consumer level as it did before the governments of these two countries spent millions of dollars on their fruitless efforts.
The solution is simple, and follows the very basic laws of supply and demand: tax and regulate marijuana in California (and the rest of the U.S. for that matter). Less risk for American growers and distributors translates to lower consumer prices, and undercuts the Mexican suppliers. With a large source of income gone and decreased incentive to take the risks that do not hinder legitimate American marijuana businesses, we will soon see cross-border shipments into California dwindle down to nothing. And as the cartels’ influence in California declines, so too will the environmental damage from illegal grows on public land and the violence that exists in an industry without legal recourse for settling disputes.
But then, what else would these guys do for fun?
23 comments
And that cost how much money for them to seize that marijuana??? The money spent to eradicate marijuana could be used in so many other ways that are so much more efficient for out economies. Stop wasting time on fruitless efforts and start spending time learning to effectively dispense the herb.
Wonder what it cost tax payers to pluck that one plant? They can do that at any amusement park for 50$. Time to stop playing on our dime.
One hundred and five tons. For what? There is still just as much to buy as before. The money the drug gangs lost is already made up elsewhere. The only way to stop this is to legalize. It is time to put the biggest drug gang in history to bed. Fire the D.E.A. and legalize cannabis and America would save tens of billions of dollers and thousands of lives every year from now on. And as for the idiots in the photo with a single plant, What a waste of time and money for them to piss away my tax dollers on such stupid shit.
I think they call that move in the picture ‘Scissoring’. FYI
OH yea, and how many of those plants harmed those that killed them?
That’s a lot of seedy schwag. When are they going to learn how to keep the seeds out of their weed or at least how not to compress it so much that they crush the seeds and press all the oil into the bud so it’s like smoking a joint dipped in vegetable oil?
I wonder if the cartels are conducting a “surge” to hedge their bets incase Prop19 Passes. Get as much across the border as they can before the market drops out for imported weed.
Kinda would lend credence to the argument that a legal and regulated market would hurt the cartels.
NO that is NOT seedy schwag! The Marijuana that enters thru Tijuana has to “compete” with the medical grade in Cali. They don’t squish it half as hard as they do the bales that come from El paso & Brownsville that make it to the midwest & east coast…. They also have learned to keep most of the males out so there are few seeds…I mean how would they sell any of it in california if it was traditional “brickweed”?
“According to the logic of prohibitionist economics, such a huge bust should have quite a damaging effect on the marijuana market in the United States, right?
Wrong. Mexico confiscated more than 1,300 tons of marijuana in 2009 alone, and before that the average was more than 2,000 tons per year. Yet each year, production goes up and street prices in the U.S. remain relatively static.”
Well, if production is steadily rising, and yet prices are remaining static, that’s strong evidence that drug seizures are having a major effect. Your logic is flawed.
Truth, Honesty and Compassion…Legalize, Regulate and Tax.
I heard today one guy say “why do not we punish these marijuana users with taxes rather than jail”.
Read more now on candidates for reform in Wisconsin at http://www.jayselthofner.com/wordpress/
@#9 The economics of a black market are a little bit more complicated in that the price is kept at an artificially high level because of the inherent risk that comes with producing and distributing a banned substance. The fact that prices remain static while supply increases is not proof that drug seizures are doing anything to create that, because its illegality does that all by itself.
Dont ya love it ! They can take a masses amount of cannabis off the street and I and everyone else can STILL go down the street and get all we want….humm …interdiction, sounds like something they are doing to each others back side.
I’m waiting for the marijuana prohibitionist Grand Finale. That is when they will try to provoke a “panic attack” during the remaining days before the election and later ended up burning themselves.
Vote YES on Proposition 19
I might be wrong but it looks like the two scums in the picture are having a sexual experience together.
Joel,
You see it the way I see it. They will try and do something to induce fear/panic/mayhem into the public at large in the few days remaining before Nov. 2nd.
Peace bruddahs and sistas.
VOTE YES ON PROP. 19. I donated 250 dollars cause I don’t live there. Help rock the vote in Cali, any way you can. Donate time or money or if ya live there just vote yes on prop. 19
[...] financias de los narcotraficantes. Ellos sabrán cómo ganar dinero (secuestrando y extorsiones). Como lo dice este blog: La lección que se tiene que aprender aquí, es que no importa que tanta marihuana logren las [...]
To those of you oppossing prop 19 and or ending prohibition. You are opposing the end of or the start of the end of lives ruined or ended…Have a look at the link, see what your supporting…
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101025/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_drug_war_mexico
Prohibition will not and can not stop people from consuming cannabis and or hard drugs. It has not and will not. Still you profess the “good” prohibition does. Have a look at that link again…let it sink in real good.
Oh and the 134 tons of cannabis that was seized is a drop in the bucket and does NOTHING ! People can still go down to their street corner dealer and get all the cannabis they want.
NOV 2nd is close..hug and kiss your prohibtion while you can..its going bye bye…so are your lies and ruin.
[...] Morgan Fox om hvorfor krigen mod narko er tåbelig: Two days ago, Mexican authorities seized 134 tons of marijuana in Tijuana, just across the border from California. The value of the seizure was estimated at $340 million. According to the logic of prohibitionist economics, such a huge bust should have quite a damaging effect on the marijuana market in the United States, right? [...]
As Peter Christ of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition put it, “No matter what we do, nothing changes.”
No body smokes mexican weed anymore except for black people and mexican americans. The real money is in the medi grade buds
Drug prohibition in Mexico created and now pays for violent cartels.
Drug prohibition in Afghanistan created and now pays for the Taliban.
Anyone who doesn’t ACTIVELY fight drug prohibition, by calling the White House, both your senators, and your representative, at least once a month, is writing their own name on bullets.
Cartel bullets.
Taliban bullets.
It’s that simple.
[...] the victims were actually involved in the seizure of 134 tons of marijuana destined for the U.S.is unknown, but in the end it makes no difference. It is clear that the tactics of marijuana [...]
Leave a Comment
Note: MPP respects freedom of expression, but any posts deemed inappropriate will be removed. This includes advocating violence or explicit criminal acts, or any statements deemed derogatory or offensive based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or religion. Please be respectful to others.