Current Event 2 for the 4th Quarter

• The drug wars that are getting more and more violent by the day are starting to really spill over the border into the United States now as the Mexican drug cartels are trying to take control of the border trade of these drugs. If nothing is done in the near future, we could see these cartel wars, which are now predominantly in Mexico, spilling into our own country, having battles break out in our big cities, such as the growing violence in cities close to the border like Phoenix, Arizona. Right now, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, the 54-year-old leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel, is the most wanted man in Mexico and one of the most wanted in the US. He has also recently upped the stakes of the cartel wars by ordering that his associates use lethal force on any law enforcer if necessary, to get their goods to their proper destination. This move is considered very brazen, as the cartels have usually avoided confrontation with US forces.
  
• This article, featured on CNN.com, is fairly informative and well-written, serving as a good update on the current situation of the drug wars on the border. I believe this article to be important not because of its direct impact on my life, but due to the fact that these cartel wars could become a very serious issue in the areas in direct contact with the cartels, especially the border lands. Major cities are another area where these cartels may have great influence. These battles with the cartels are also important because they have and will continue to raise the issue of marijuana and its legality. Due to the fact that marijuana is illegal in the US, these cartels make a big profit from taking over the drug trade and monopolizing the sale of marijuana over a large area. If the government legalizes marijuana, taxes it, and thus allows the free sale of it, these cartels would lose much of their business, while making a few bucks on the side. Though the money made from the taxation of marijuana may not make much of a dent on the national debt, if it ends the violence it may be well worth the harmful effects of legalization.