Longmire, Sylvia. “OPIUM NOW BIGGER CASH CROP THAN MARIJUANA IN MEXICO.” Breitbart.com. Breitbart. 30 Jun. 2015. Web. 15 Jul. 2015.
Sylvia Longmire is a border security expert and author of the book Border Insecurity: Why Big Money, Fences, and Drones Aren’t Making Us Safer. Longmire writes in the article that Mexican states have seen an increase in the grow of poppy fields and a decrease in marijuana fields. Furthermore, she touches on how the drug trends in the United States change what Mexican growers do.
Longmire cites Mexican newspaper as her source that the number of poppy fields has now begun to outnumber the number of marijuana. The author remarks that the Mexican cartels usually change in respond to the shift in supply and demand in America. What Longmire is conveying is that drugs such as heroin are becoming more common something that is likely attributed to the legalization of marijuana in some states. Longmire is hinting that since the use of illegal marijuana is decreasing it has force cartels to pump more into heroin. Longmire goes on to state that the reason for increase can be attributed the heroin’s ability to be grown in home. What she means is that it is more profitable for the cartels to grow and refine heroin than it would another drug such a cocaine which can come from South American countries.
Longmire also mentions some stats that show that marijuana fields have dropped by 56% and most have been replaced by poppy fields. The highest increase notes Longmire is in the state of Chihuahua which it the neighboring state to Texas. Longmire also indicates that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration statistics release by the DEA show that the number of heroin addicts has increase from 161000 to 289000. Longmire noted this to hint that legalization of marijuana is affecting the United States. As Longmire points out government stats point that marijuana is not the only problem. She is saying that the increase in places such a Chihuahua, Durango, Oaxaca, Jalisco, Sinaloa and Guerrero, which are leaders in Mexico’s marijuana production, are slowing down with the production but are pumping in another drug.
I found this post useful because it shows that the legalization of marijuana isn’t just black and white. It was also helpful because I am interested in doing research on how marijuana reaches the streets of America from inside and outside the country. I feel that this article would helpful to my peers that are seeking to write about the importation of marijuana from other countries.