Yes I graduated, 3.4 GPA, and worked in the banking industry for 17 1/2 years (4 1/2 as President) before becoming self employed in 1993.

As a "non doper" have you ever given any thought as to WHY those cartels exist? Are you "non dopers" aware that alcohol prohibition gave rise to the gangster criminal element?

Have you "non dopers" ever given any thought as to how not only US drug policy but policy in general, like NAFTA, gave rise to the "drug cartels"? Bilateral agreements on agriculture under NAFTA made it nearly impossible for small Mexican farmers to compete with subsidized food stuffs imported from the US. These destitute farmers found the burgeoning market for marijuana and poppies their only avenue to surviving on the land, thereby increasing the drug supply available to cartels. Not only the corruption that exists in Mexico, but also Mexico's acquiescence to flawed US security policies are major reasons for the growth of cartels.

When you establish a policy of prohibition, you also create a black market. And Mexico, being next door, did its best to respond to that market. According to the book, “A Narco History: How the United States and Mexico Jointly Created the Mexican Drug War", "the United States sent discreet shipments of high-caliber weapons to a founder of the Guadalajara cartel, Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, during the early 1980s. These guns were later passed on to the US-proxy, the Contras in Nicaragua, to assist in their attempt to topple the left-wing Sandinista regime (something InSight Crime has chronicled as well). In return for this “humanitarian aid” the cartel provided, the US turned a blind eye to the huge quantities of crack cocaine processed in Mexico that were arriving on street corners throughout the United States, the authors say."

So, before you sanctimoniously and hypocritically lecture me on how I raised my boys, maybe YOU need to "educate" yourself as to the truth behind the failed "war on drugs" and how it gave rise to the drug cartels in the first place and maybe a little bit about pot that you obviously know nothing but what you've been brainwashed with. Oh, and learn a little bit about raising children. As my father said, I'm not going to tell you not to do it, just don't get caught. I would rather my boys been honest with me (which they were) and mature enough to discuss the issues.

PROHIBITION DID NOT WORK FOR ALCOHOL, NOR HAS IT WORKED FOR DRUGS!!!

One simple move and the drug cartels and all the nasty things that come with them go away once and for all: End this moronic 'war on drugs'. The illicit nature of the drug trade is what makes it so profitable and so tempting to criminal gangs in the first place. Same with alcohol prohibition. Al Capone and his buddies would never have been anything more than street corner thugs if not for prohibition.

Once the drug trade comes out of the darkness, there will be many benefits and very few downsides:

Drug users will be able to buy their drugs from pharmacists instead of some back alley hoodlum, making the trade safer for all concerned.

The price of drugs will plummet, since the inherent dangers of illegal activity will no longer apply; making drugs more affordable. This will reduce drug related crime as users will be more able to fund their habit without resorting to robbery, burglary, theft and the like.

The quality of each drug will be known and predictable, reducing the risk and incidence of overdose.

Drug cartels and crime syndicates will no longer be able to command such high prices for the drugs they supply and will be forced out of the game. The accompanying incidence of related crime will be significantly reduced as the drug lords cease to operate.

The prison population would be significantly reduced, and drug users would no longer be subjected to the stigma of criminality for their use.

Police forces will be freed to focus on true criminal activity and so improve enforcement overall. Fewer officers will be needed, freeing some to pursue more productive avenues. The same can be said for the federal DEA.

The billions of dollars spent on drug prohibition every year would no longer be needed. Sales taxes on recreational drugs would be a bonanza for local and State governments, reducing the overall tax burden on the general population.

This is just a short list off the top of my head, so what's not to like?