United States: Cannabis legalization hurts Mexican cartels

A recent report published by the Congressional Research Services The Congressional Research Service (CRS), an agency of the U.S. Congress, reports that demand for illegal cannabis from Mexico has declined and will continue to fall as cannabis legalization spreads.

«Authorities anticipate a continued decline in U.S. demand for Mexican marijuana because drugs other than marijuana will likely »predominate,»« the CRS wrote in its report. »This is also due to the legalization of cannabis or medical cannabis in several U.S. states and in Canada, reducing its value in the portfolios of Mexican organizations.”

He notes that Mexico itself «is also considering the legalization and regulation of cannabis» after’a Supreme Court ruling ruled that the ban on personal possession and use was unconstitutional in 2018.

The full report Title  «Mexico: Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking Organizations,» examines the latest trends in drug trafficking and cartel activity and notes that Mexican law enforcement seized 91 metric tons of cannabis and destroyed more than 2,250 hectares of cannabis crops in 2019.

«Based on Border Patrol seizures, smuggling has dropped by 78% in just five years,» the think tank noted. «Because marijuana was the primary drug smuggled between ports of entry—where the Border Patrol conducts surveillance—the value of the agency’s seizures as a whole decreased by 70%.»

He also notes that the cartels« diversification into other criminal activities could be due to U.S. and Mexican anti-drug efforts or that it »is a response to changing patterns of drug use in the United States, such as the legalization of marijuana in certain U.S. states (and in Canada) and the increased demand for plant-based and synthetic opioids.”

In late 2019, a report Chief Justice John Roberts’ remarks appeared to support the idea that legalization has an impact on cannabis trafficking, noting that while federal prosecutions for drug-related crimes increased in 2019, cases involving cannabis fell by more than a quarter.