[merinowool]

I wonder what is the real reason why HSBC had to pay a fine. I don't buy money laundering charge, as the law is setup so that cartel existence is natural, so legislator had to take into an account that resulting huge black market will need banking facilities one way or another. If legislator didn't want cartels to exist, drugs wouldn't be made illegal in the first place.

[ASalazarMX]

> If legislator didn't want cartels to exist, drugs wouldn't be made illegal in the first place.

Cartels are far from dedicated to just drugs. Anything illegal that means money is their turf: kidnapping, ransom, prostitution, human trafficking, and a long etc.

Let's be blunt: many people push drug legalization because they just want recreational drugs, not because they want to fight crime. If all drugs were legalized, the cartels would still launder money from other areas, and you can't legalize everything that makes them money.

[merinowool]

It is easy to start with drugs and then expand to other areas. Drugs are much much easier money than kidnapping or ransom. Once you hit the ceiling with the drugs it is only natural that you'll look for something else and you'll have money to fund it. Without the drugs it would have been much harder to organise other source of income. I think by delaying repeal of prohibition most of the countries risk to have their cartels grow to the size of too big to fall. I think in many countries this has already happened - especially those where any logical debate about legalisation of drugs cannot be conducted. The corrupt reasons behind keeping it up are just too obvious, but nobody dares to change the status quo.