Congressional Researchers Admit Legalizing Marijuana Hurts Mexican Drug Cartel Profits

Demand for marijuana illegally trafficked from Mexico will continue to decline as the legalization movement spreads, a new report from Congress’s research arm states. With a growing number of U.S. states—as well as Canada—allowing people to legally purchase cannabis in a regulated market, they’re less inclined to seek out the product through illicit channels, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) said. “Authorities are projecting a continued decline in U.S. demand for Mexican marijuana because drugs ‘other than marijuana’ will likely predominate,” CRS wrote in the report, which was published last week. “This is also the case due to legalized cannabis or medical cannabis in several U.S. states and Canada, reducing its value as part of Mexican trafficking organizations’ portfolio.” It also notes that Mexico itself “is also considering cannabis legalization and regulation” after a Supreme Court ruling deemed the prohibition on personal possession and consumption unconstitutional in 2018. The document, “Mexico: Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking Organizations,” looks at various drug trends and cartel activity and notes that Mexican law enforcement seized 91 metric tons of marijuana and destroyed more than 2,250 hectares of the plant in 2019, according to State Department data. It also notes that cartel diversification into other criminal activities could be due to U.S. and Mexican drug enforcement efforts or that it “constitutes a response to shifting U.S. drug consumption patterns, such as legalization of marijuana in some U.S. states (and Canada) and a large increase in demand for plant-based and synthetic opioids.” Lawmakers Mexico who have…

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