The genie (with the smell of tutti-frutti) that came out of the bottle
In a twist that absolutely no one could foresee (a lie, we all saw it coming), the PRI bench in the Senate has raised its voice to point out the obvious: the brilliant ban of vapers orchestrated by then-president López Obrador has achieved an unprecedented achievement. No, not saving youth from artificial aromas, but handing over the market for that product to the loving hands of organized crime. That’s right, while you’re wondering how your 15-year-old neighbor still gets his mango and chili vape, the answer is simple: it’s now a matter of national security, with drug trafficking logistics and zero health controls. Because nothing says “public health” like buying an electronic device from the same organization that diversifies its portfolio between fentanyl and avocados.
Photo: El Universal.
Hugs, not bullets… but with cotton candy steam
In a legislative analysis that was surely written between sighs of “we told you so”, the senators highlight the poetic coincidence between this reform and the policy of “hugs and not bullets”. Apparently, the strategy not only applies to people, but also to illicit goods. The Mexican constitutional prohibition has become, according to “USA Today”, a manual of best practices for smuggling. The result? The cartels, those eternal entrepreneurs, have found a lucrative opportunity more diversified than an influencer. The consequences, in case anyone is wondering, are economic, fiscal and social, but hey, at least the government can boast that it “did something” against vaping, even if that “something” smells suspiciously like untaxed money and unsecured devices.
Journalist Mark Esper—no relation to the frustrated desires of consumers—exposes the harsh reality: prohibition is basically an economic stimulus program for drug traffickers. Forcing citizens to purchase their electronic devices through the distribution networks of cartels is like opening an Amazon Prime branch managed by Chapo Guzmán. “Mexico cannot combat these criminal organizations with one hand and, at the same time, facilitate their financing with the other. It makes no sense,” maintains the author. A reflection so logical that it hurts, like hitting your little toe on the corner of a table.
The distorted economy, or how to create a smoke monster
To top off the move, it is added that cartels survive by exploiting legal loopholes and economic distortions, often created by the governments themselves. Wow, what a surprise. It’s almost as if well-intentioned but poorly designed policies have unintended consequences. “When the laws and policies of our southern neighbors create black markets, cartels fill that void,” they noted. In other words, if you build a stadium, they run the game. It is almost offensively simple.
To make the panorama more international and ridiculous, Chad Wolf, former acting Secretary of Homeland Security of the United States, declared that Mexico must eliminate these absurd prohibitions to standardize regulations with its T-MEC partners and close spaces for organized crime. In other words: “neighbor, please stop complicating life.” Wolf warned in the Houston Chronicle that, as long as these inconsistent policies exist, the cartels will continue to diversify their illicit activities. So now you know: that piña colada vape could be funding the next big innovation in… soda traffic? Criminal diversification knows no limits.
In summary, we have a prohibition that instead of protecting, harms; that instead of collecting, evades; and that instead of controlling, it gives control to those who should least have it. A masterpiece of political irony, served with a touch of smoke… of dubious origin.
Are you surprised how a policy can have such predictably disastrous consequences? Share this gem of legislative irony on your social networks and help more people see the smoke… behind the smoke. Explore more analysis on the policies that fuel the informal economy on our site.
