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The legalization of marijuana in some US states changed the game forever for Mexico’s drug trafficking organizations. Legalization caused demand for illegal marijuana to plummet, forcing illegal groups to ply their efforts into synthetic drugs, including methamphetamine and fentanyl. Those farming communities employed for decades to cultivate cannabis are now bereft of work. While some may be able to enter crop substitution programs, others have moved to the country’s major cities. 

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The murders of state representatives in Zacatecas, a deeply troubled and strategically important state for Mexico’s most powerful cartels, is a concerning escalation of these groups’ efforts to control the state.

Judge Roberto Elías Martínez was shot twice in the head by armed assailants as he left his home in Guadalupe, a city adjacent to the city of Zacatecas, on the morning of December 3. His death was announced on Twitter a day later by the leader of Zacatecas’ judiciary, Arturo Nahle García. The judge had not received any threats against his life, said Nahle. No suspects have yet been named in the case.

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Immediate Response to US-Mexico Marijuana Investigation