Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by PostOnce 1019 days ago
> Does Canada produce (farmed narcotics)

But why don't they produce world-leading levels of illegal synthetic narcotics, purely in search of profit on the American illicit market? If farming isnt viable and drugs are massively profitable, why does Canada not suffer from the allure of American dollars?

> Mexico was already in trouble

I agree, but does that mean Mexico cannot solve its problems without an American Savior intervening?

I have begun to wonder if it's ever possible for a poorer country beset by corruption to be helped in any meaningful way by outsiders, or if change necessarily has to come from within.

4 comments

>But why don't they produce world-leading levels of illegal synthetic narcotics, purely in search of profit on the American illicit market? If farming isnt viable and drugs are massively profitable, why does Canada not suffer from the allure of American dollars?

There is less production of narcotics in Canada because Canadian law enforcement is more effective at suppressing it than Mexican law enforcement is.

> but does that mean Mexico cannot solve its problems without an American Savior intervening?

No

But it’s a shared problem as most of the drugs trade targets the US

Mexico has a much more limited budget to deal with interdiction efforts

A weed or powder suddenly being very valuable creates a lot of problems in a poor country

In the 80s Rafael Caro Quintero offered to pay off Mexico’s foreign debt from drug proceeds

Mexico attacked drug producers and in turn they responded by arming themselves

Drug money buys a lot of guns, guns buy power, rinse repeat

If the country participate in global trade, I don't think it can end corruption by itself without violence.
Probably because synthetic opioids are mostly made in Asia and imported?