U.S. shares blame in Mexico drug violence, senators say – Los Angeles Times

U.S. shares blame in Mexico drug violence, senators say – Los Angeles Times.

Josh is a reporter for the LA Times and has been covering the Terrorism beat for years; with recent changes he’s has moved over to the Department of Justice. He is also my brother.

In a Senate hearing, lawmakers say Washington’s inattention to decades of drug use by Americans has played a central role in the bloodshed south of the border.

By Josh Meyer  (March 18, 2009

Reporting from Washington — Efforts by Mexico and the United States to stem the skyrocketing border drug and weapons trade are failing, and both countries are to blame for the rise of violent cartels responsible for more than 6,000 deaths in Mexico last year, lawmakers and experts said in a Senate hearing Tuesday.

For years, elected officials in Washington portrayed Mexico as being largely responsible for the problems spawned by the increasingly powerful crime syndicates — and for fixing them.