MEXICAN DRUG SMUGGLING GOES "Old School"

According to a spokesperson for the Mexican Army, some of that country's soldiers recently confiscated two old-fashioned catapults that the soldiers claimed were being employed by members of a drug cartel to fling bundles of marijuana across the U.S. – Mexican border into the state of Arizona. This is the kind of news item that makes you want to shake your head in disbelief, but it underscores the fact that no matter what this nation does to fortify its southern border, drug smugglers will continue using creative ways to outmaneuver our defenses; even going "old school" if they have to do so.

Everyone in law enforcement who fights drug trafficking in the United States will tell you that as soon as one dealer or drug supplier is taken off the streets, another will immediately step in and take their place. The stream appears unending, and our constantly rising prison population offers all the proof anybody should need.

I find it maddening that, even in our current economic downturn, new prisons are being built in this country while funding for drug prevention and drug rehabilitation programs is being drastically reduced. That approach is doomed to failure.

Illegal drugs are subject to the same forces of supply and demand as any other commodity. If the demand for drugs continues, smugglers will find a way to meet that demand. American will only rid itself of the scourge of illegal drugs when its primary effort in the war on drugs focuses on preventing drug use. I know that sounds "old school", but even smugglers know that sometimes "old school" works.