Will pot deregulation end the drug war? - New York News | NYC Breaking News

By Patrick Manning, FOX News

EL PASO, TX -- Crowds were cheering on election day as Colorado and Washington state voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use.

Now many are left wondering -- will this have an impact on Mexican drug cartels?

"The cartel is going to likely adapt to that situation and move other types of drugs into those two particular states," said Dr. Alex Del Carmen, professor of criminology at University of Texas-Arlington.

Now some city leaders in the border city of El Paso, Texas say with the legalization of pot in two states, it may bring the number of murders down in the war on drugs with cartels fighting less over smuggling routes into the United States.

Susie Byrd is a member of the El Paso City Council and co-author of Dealing Death and Drugs: The Big Business of Dope in the U.S. and Mexico.

She says "It minimizes that power and the influence and the profits of drug cartels in Mexico. It certainly, they don't go away, they just become a less powerful force."

But Del Carmen says little will change.

"You have to understand these folks are highly violent they engage in violent activities on a daily basis and they live lifestyles that require for them to make a lot of money."

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told FOX News that despite these state laws, they will still continue to make pot busts.

For now, the rest of the nation watches as Colorado and Washington's deregulation either makes waves or goes up in smoke.

Read more: http://video.foxnews.com/v/1980273238001/will-pot-deregulation-end-the-drug-war