Title: Mexico and the Drug Cartels: A History of Fascination | Peace Palace Library
Headings: Mexico and the Drug Cartels: A History of Fascination
Mexico and the Drug Cartels: A History of Fascination
This blog was written in honor of the farewell of Mr. Van Hoogstraten, General-Director of the Carnegie Foundation and Treasurer of The Hague Academy of International Law.
Mexico in Hollywood
Mexico, Migration and Marijuana (1870-1970)
Cross-border Cooperation and Cocaine (1970 – 1980)
A New Millennium, A New Government (2000 – 2015)
The Life in Cartel Land

Content: While opium was originally imported from Europe, Asia and even the USA, marijuana had been grown in Mexico since the late 1800s. From the beginning of the 20th century onwards, both opium and marijuana were grown in Mexico and subsequently exported to the USA. Legislative initiatives in the USA, such as the 1909 Opium Exclusion Act and the 1914 Harrison Narcotics Law, to disrupt the import of marijuana and opium only boosted the drug export from Mexico. A similar prohibition of opium import followed in Mexico a few years later, while a general ban on the importation of drugs was adopted in 1923. Only in 1927 did the Mexican government prohibit the exportation of both marijuana and opium, after pressure by the USA to take action against cross-border drug smuggling and in response to numerous incursions into Mexican territory by USA law enforcement agencies, aiming to catch smugglers. The prohibitive legislation did not end the export of drugs into American territory - instead, the drug industry of Mexico boomed and in the 1920s and 1930s, the country held a 15% share in the total opium supply to the USA. Around that time, the first smaller drug cartels and drug lords emerged, who already played central roles in the production and export of drugs and who ensured the loyalty of local authorities. Both the Mexican and USA authorities were unable to put a stop to the growing industry, and in the 1950s and 1960s Mexico was the main exporter of marijuana to the USA and was responsible for 75% and 15% of the USA marijuana and heroin supply respectively. This fortification of Mexico’s position was caused by both a rise in USA demand and a decrease in supply from other countries, such as Turkey. Cross-border Cooperation and Cocaine (1970 – 1980)
Nevertheless, cross-border cooperation between the USA and Mexico to combat drug trafficking increased in the 1970s.