Abstract
Mexico has the unique role of being located next to the largest drug-demand market in the world, low Mexican drug use being on the rise, with hardly any linkage to ritual use of halucinogens that characterises its psychoactive substance history. Prohibition has been imposed upon Mexico in the form of U.N. treaties, but also via indirect techniques the U.S. is using in order to secure that Mexico will be obedient to the agreed drug enforcement strategy.
Mexico of 2010 has been suffering from the consequences of the drug war, since president Calderon declared war to current five Mexican drug cartels. Demonstrative violence has penetrated the public discourse, while the actual homicide rates seem not to have risen significantly since 2006.
A question remains open, whether the whole issue could be solved by legalisation of illegal drugs.