To get a better understanding of the situation south of our border log on to the M3 Report of the Retired Border Patrol Agents. It's worse than you can imagine, and it's coming here.
Which brings me to Point One: the Mexican population is asking their government to change their constitution and let them defend themselves with ,OMG, guns. The narco's have started taking out civilians as well as each other, and the civilians know what's necessary.
Point B being our own government begins to follow its Constitution and removes itself from the drug regulation business, which would remove the cost/expense function from the equasion at all levels of our society.
People on both sides of the border will understand the practicality of these suggestions, but in both cases a government would have to be convinced to trust its citizens. There's your problem.