Drug Stance Defended

.....O'Rourke referred to the El Paso-Juarez metropolitan area as the largest bi-national community in the world and pointed out the murders in Juarez and the six drug-related kidnappings in El Paso as prove the war on drugs has failed. "This 40 year drug war is actually making things worse," he said, "it has not decreased the availability of drugs in the U.S."

When Sanchez pressed him on conditions in Juarez, O'Rourke responded by calling Juarez a failed city and added its mayor and city council members all live in El Paso.  "The drug cartels are literally in control of our sister city and the drug war is actually making them richer," said O'Rourke.

The city councilman went on to say he and many others in El Paso feel it is only a matter of time before drug-related violence destabilizes the Mexican government. "We'll have to face the prospect of a failed state," O'Rourke warned.

O'Rourke closed his argument by reminding Sanchez that El Paso is the third safest large city in the U.S. and many are just worried about some of the violence in Juarez crossing the border into the Sun City. "You'd be surprised at some of the positive feedback I have received," he said. "We want a different status quo. The current status quo is simply not working."

Near the end of the interview, Sanchez outlined two key points by a recent Harvard University study on the legalization of narcotics. The federal government would save $44 billion in law enforcement costs and collect an extra $33 billion by taxing narcotics if legalization became a reality, according to the study.

CNN