Des .... I've thought about it from various angles. I see no real solution to the problem - except for the USA to legalize some drugs. I don't think it's necessary to go wild and legalize them all. But if America could legalize a few of the most popular ones - like marijuana and cocaine - it would take a big bite out of the profits from the drug cartels. I don't see any other way of stopping them, or the horrendous violence in Mexico. Personally I'm not a fan of the drugs and don't use them myself. But if America could find a way to legalize them, while minimizing some of the negative consequences, it's probably the only way to go forwards. I think that the USA needs to look at options for legalization. For example, why not do what Amsterdam does - just have certain establishments where people can go to smoke marijuana or do other legal drugs? So the drug use is confined to a specific business location. And have arranged drivers, or taxis, to take them home. If the consumers do not damage to society, is there any great harm to this? Otherwise, I'm afraid the violence and corruption in Mexico will be endless. There is just too much money in the drug profits and it will overhwelm the resources of any small country.
A couple of states in the USA have moved to make marijuana legal - Colorado and Washington. So it will be interesting to see if more states and cities join this trend. Right now there's a definite conflict between the state laws and the national laws - the Feds don't like it, but they are not getting any cooperation from local citizens about the issue. And to be realistic, if you walk around certain places here in Los Angeles (e.g. Venice Beach) marijuana use is almost flagrant. Local police can't really intervene when something is so widely used ... they just try to stop violence or varancy in the area.
Other than that - I don't see how Mexico gets on top of their violence problem. Guns and weapons will alwsy flow to the cartels - that cannot be prevented. If those guys can import hundreds of tons of chemicals into Mexico to make methampetamines, then they can certainly lay their hands on handguns, AK-47's, sniper rifles, grenades, and whatever else they need. So long as the money flow - the cartels will prosper. And they don't have much incentive to quell the violence and intimidation.
KL