Quote Originally Posted by BananaStand View Post
What?? Who would they compete with? Are there legit businesses out there with access to poppy crops, and the skills/equipment necessary to process it into heroin?

If drugs were legalized, it would still be the cartels running shit. They would just operate with immunity from prosecution.

Of course they would remain competitive. Legalizing drugs would make their lives a shit-ton easier. They already have a monopoly, and you'd be handing them a massive competitive advantage.
The profits wouldn't be as much where the legal drugs are. Keeping it illegal, makes trade in these highly risky but also extremely lucrative. There is a reason why there's no cartel competing with Marlboro, but e.g. Camel and Nevada are.


Marlboro itself is the cartel, but their shit is like pushing drugs (nicotine) to children in malaysia for example.


Getting the massive profits they get right now legally would take several Shkreli-level shenanigans, which is definitely NOT cartel modi operandi.


Gun manufacturers (remember this? https://www.wikiwand.com/en/ATF_gunwalking_scandal) and drug cartels profit the most from the drug war