Edit: I do want to say that decriminalization is probably the most hopeful option of them all, I just think it's going to take forever, generations probably. This is really a public health issue in my opinion, it's just not treated as one :/
Edit: I do want to say that decriminalization is probably the most hopeful option of them all, I just think it's going to take forever, generations probably. This is really a public health issue in my opinion, it's just not treated as one :/
But that's just it, they wouldn't be criminal organizations if you didn't criminalize it in the first place.
To me, the war on drugs is a proxy for unpopular geopolitical actions or even domestic race wars that the US wants to fight.
But that's not the case anymore. Cartels don't really deal in drugs, they deal in violence that rivalizes that of a state in terms of reach and often legitimacy. That's the source of their power, not the production/trade of drugs. If "soft" illegal drugs are legalized (and I think they should be) actors in the current trade will simply move their efforts to other sectors in which a violent actor can profit from combating state efforts: sex trafficking, racketeering, counterfeit products... politics...
I'm sure there will be a change but I agree with the previous poster -it will take generations.