Marshall Frank, Your turn Published 2:47 p.m. ET Nov. 22, 2019

Marshall Frank is a retired police captain from Miami-Dade County, author and frequent contributor to Florida Today, part of USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, which includes The News-Press.(Photo: File)

On Nov. 8, just 70 miles south of the U.S. border into Mexico, drug cartel savages opened fire on three American adults and six children, burning and killing them all. Murder is commonplace. Its not so unusual in Mexico to see bodies hanging from bridges.

Why? Its all about messages.

Its no mystery. Cartels have been killing for years. No matter how many authorities claim they are fighting the drug war, too many here and abroad are beholden to warlords, in fear for their lives and the lives of loved ones, so the carnage continues all for money and drugs.

Mexicos president was criticized recently after he declared a policy of hugs not guns in fighting the drug war. Hes too smart to be that stupid.

Arresting drug chieftain El Chapo was good news, though it accomplished nothing. No more than believing that radical Islamic Jihad is stunted because Bin Laden was killed. Great news, perhaps. Nothing changed. Drugs continue to flow. People die.

There are some who have suggested that domestic wars would be over if drugs were legalized. Hmm. Interesting thought. In fact, there is an organization called Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) in which present and former police officers have banded together to further that idea. Crushing black markets via legalizing puts a new face on the situation. It might be worth thinking about this. LEAP is an organization of criminal justice communities who oppose the "War on Drugs" to be replaced with a system of legalized regulation as more efficient in dealing with drug use, abuse and addiction.

According to the Drug Policy Allowance,the U.S. spends $47 billion a year fighting the lost drug war. In 2018, that translated to 1.6 million drug arrests. Thats a lot of court dockets and prison cells. Over 200 thousand people have been killed in Mexicos drug wars since 2006.

Whatever happened to the old adage about doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results? Why dont we have leaders who think outside the proverbial box?

Black markets drive crime rates, in many modes, not just drug wars.

Does anyone really think that keeping prostitution illegal is going to stop prostitution? The black market has been driving prostitution for centuries. The worlds oldest profession is doing just fine under the radar, where police do their share of expanding criminal records and jail terms. If a hooker gets lucky she can opt to become an informant for other crimes. Las Vegas has the right idea. Legalize, license, tax, zone and medically control. It works fine in Nevada. Why put people in jail? What good does that do, America?

If former presidential candidate Beto ORourke had his way with criminalizing the sale and ownership of firearms, he would have created the mother of all black markets. He should be the poster boy for naivety. Americans may tolerate some form of firearm regulations, but they would never cede to erase Amendment 2.

What happened when Uncle Sam restricted the consumption of alcohol during Prohibition from1920 to 1933? The black market thrived while people drank themselves silly. Organized crime was in seventh heaven, thank you Congress. It was another failure in trying to control what cannot be controlled in a free society.

If we made all abortions illegal, wed spark another black market where novices and butchers conduct the procedures in animal vets and backroom parlors. Thats the way it was prior to Roe v.Wade. I know. I was there.

Some behaviors simply cannot be legalized. Like it or not, deterrents are necessary in order to control and prevent dastardly activities such as child pornography, sex trafficking or slavery. But if we didnt need to deploy 800,000 cops in the U.S. to fight unwinnable crime wars, wed have far less than 2.2 million people wasting away in prisons, therefore creating a windfall of savings to the taxpayer.

Perhaps if we diverted the gigantic cost savings from eliminating drug wars into programs that aid and treat drug addicts and the mentally ill, tax money would be better spent. We might actually safe lives.

Marshall Frank is a retired police captain from Miami-Dade County, author and frequent contributor. Visit marshallfrank.com.

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Want to win War on Drugs? Consider legalizing them | Opinion - Florida Today