Market alternatives (updated)

I was reading another article about Mexican President Calderón, and it looked like it was going to be more of the same…

Calderón Blames US Consumer for Drug Wars in Latin America (Honduras Weekly)

My first thought was that this was getting a little old. Blaming US consumers for the violence in Mexico is like blaming gravity for plane crashes. Technically true, but you’re better off looking at what your pilots are doing and whether your airplanes are designed right.

But then I read what he actually said and realized that the headline writer completely missed the bombshell.

President Calderón said, “If [the US] is determined and resigned to consume drugs, then it should look for market alternatives that would either deny the stratospheric profits to criminals or create alternative shipment routes to the border with Mexico… but this situation can no longer continue as it is.”

Read that carefully. Calderón says if the US is going to continue to consume drugs (ie, not repeal the law of gravity), then it should look for market alternatives…

Did Calderón just call for legalization? I think so. Market alternatives that deny exorbitant profits to the black market is pretty much the definition of legalization.

How is that not the headline of this story?

That quote is also buried in this story in the Latin American Herald Tribune.

Early in the story, they talk about Calderón’s criticism of the U.S. a different way…

The crime prompted President Felipe Calderon to escalate his rhetoric against violent drug cartels and also criticize the United States’ appetite for illegal narcotics and demand greater commitment from Washington in the battle against organized crime.

Then much further down comes the key quote, with a slightly different translation that makes the latter part about distribution routes clearer, while keeping that very specific “market alternatives” language.

If Americans “are determined and resigned to consume drugs, then look for market alternatives that cancel out the criminals’ astronomical profits or establish clear entry points for the drugs distinct from the border with Mexico, but this situation can no longer continue unchanged,” he said.

Yes, President Calderón, it’s time for the U.S. to look at market alternatives.

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In related news…

Ex-Mexico President Suggests Truce With Drug Cartels

Just an Ordinary Day of Death in Mexico’s War on Drug Traffickers

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Update: McClatchy reports on Calderón’s reactions to the casino fire as well, and includes the criticism of U.S. not doing enough, but leaves out the references to market alternatives. So far, I’ve not found a single U.S. media outlet (other than blogs) that has reported this fairly major item.