Ethics and Action

In addition to the many problems that overlap in our dense relationship with the United States, the issue of immigration and its endless debate in Washington are making combating illicit drugs in both countries increasingly complex. Both issues are fused into one shared concern: national security.

Recent events have come to emphasize this interconnection. One the one hand, the racist anti-immigration law in Arizona emerges from its dark nest. On the other, authorization for the consumption and even the local production of marijuana, considered a “minor” drug, appears appropriate for anyone, not just for medical use. Now, both presidents declare almost simultaneously, and in their own way, their personal discord with the legalization of drugs. Calderon, nevertheless, acknowledges the value of a public discussion.

While in Mexico we prepare the forums to debate whether or not to use military force against the drug traffickers or to accept the legalization of drug consumption, the White House sends, for security reasons, 1,200 soldiers to its southern border, not to intercept the contraband of weapons destined for the Mexican mafias but rather to block the entrance of our desperate migrants. The 10 percent unemployment rate in that country contributes to an opportunistic political justification.

The issue of immigration also serves them by disguising the lack of control of the extensive network of drug distribution that exists in the United States.

If those who see military action as a true strategy against the fierce violence that allows drug traffickers to defend their positions and attack the state, they should, without a doubt, relentlessly pursue this approach to the necessary levels in order to wipe out the evil as done in Colombia where this strategy seems to have succeeded in leaving the worst violence behind. It is impossible to think that in one six-year term Calderon could remove the cancer that has extended over decades with the consent of the former PRI (International Revolutionary Party) governments.

Notwithstanding the abovementioned, there is the flagrant loss of respect for the value of the morality and ethics that every society requires to sustain itself. The abuse extended by drugs and their distribution, often made necessary by extreme poverty, walks on weakened moral ground.

The fight, therefore, is also waged in the field of morality. Beginning with the nuclear family and continuing through schooling, the principles that shield an individual from the drug empire must be instilled. The ethical bases promoted by a community justify the behavior that it demands from its members. The political, military and new financial measures taken to combat drug trafficking do not reach the bottom. It is essential to guard and give value to ethics and social solidarity with energetic campaigns organized by both the government and civil society.

In the Mexican people’s innermost roots survive healthy values that are compatible with the standards of conduct that are necessary for a productive and happy life. These campaigns should utilize social networks and deeply entrenched community outlets. At the same time, measures must be taken to inform everyone about the terrible personal and social consequences that result from the consumption and trafficking of drugs. The role of political, business and religious leaders is crucial to instill the respect of constructive values and norms of behavior.

It is not necessary to wait any longer to engage in this fight in both the military and ethical fields. This is not the time for doubt or confusion, but rather for clarity and solidarity.