While I agree with you in general- the drug cartels themselves are still a menace. When we ended Prohibition, we didn't stop prosecuting the gangsters that became wealthy and powerful during Prohibition.It appears that President Trump is serious about this and will designate the Mexican drug cartels as Terrorist groups. It seems like the right thing to do, I just always wonder about the unintended consequences. Does this mean we could have drone strikes launched from the US side to take out a Terrorist cell? Will we be coordinating with Mexico's police and military? I see big problems with that given how corrupt that country is. But we almost have to at this point, the Cartels have already shown they can exert force and make the Mexican government cave like they did releasing El Chapo's son.
And what practical effect would that have?
We've been at war with REAL terrorists for 18 years now... how has that been going?
Here's how you take care of the drug cartels... Decriminalize drugs, treat addiction as a medical problem instead of a criminal one.