7 votes

Don Winslow: Think of it this way. Mexico has a US drug problem

2 comments

  1. Nabu
    Link
    Let me try to present an argument against two theories this article makes. First, it says that Americans are taking illegal drugs completely voluntarily. Second, it says that because the drug...

    Let me try to present an argument against two theories this article makes. First, it says that Americans are taking illegal drugs completely voluntarily. Second, it says that because the drug users are taking it voluntarily, that they are also making a conscious decision to support the illicit activities of drug cartels.

    While it's true that the drug users are technically purchasing and using these drugs voluntarily, I would disagree with just how voluntary it really is. These hard drugs (like heroin) are extremely addictive, both physically and mentally. It's also known that drug addiction can and does start at a very young age. Therefore, to say that these people (sometimes even children) have the agency to give true informed consent, isn't something I agree with.

    Finally, to put the blame on the users for supporting the cartels is misguided in my opinion. The blame should be put on the actual drug cartels and sellers. You may argue that the users are supporting the industry and fueling the terrible externalities of said industry, but I see the users generally as victims, and I don't think they are willfully supporting the cartels.

    2 votes
  2. patience_limited
    Link
    Don Winslow is the author of a now-complete trilogy of novels fictionalizing scenes from the U.S. "war on drugs". He's just released the final book, The Border. I've been waiting to read the whole...

    Don Winslow is the author of a now-complete trilogy of novels fictionalizing scenes from the U.S. "war on drugs". He's just released the final book, The Border.

    I've been waiting to read the whole thing - based on prior reviews, these books are deeply researched, very lightly fictionalized reality, edited to tone down the spectacularly brutal grotesqueries of the true stories.

    1 vote