Study: Legalized pot bad for cartels

Ed Andrieski | AP

FILE - In this Oct. 26, 2010 file photo, marijuana plants flourish under grow lights at a warehouse in Denver. A marijuana-legalization question is one of only three questions up for a public vote statewide, and the other two have attracted little interest. One is a campaign-finance question that has no force of law, and the other is a revision to little-understood employee protections for state employees. The light ballot is unusual for a state where its easy to petition onto ballots. Both sides of the marijuana debate say the issue is the biggest non-presidential question to go before a statewide voter audience. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)

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Ed Andrieski | AP

FILE - This Sept. 18, 2012 file photos shows a caregiver picking out a marijuana bud for a patient at a marijuana dispensary in Denver. After all the economy-focused campaign talk, voters in some states will get a chance on Election Day to sound off on intriguing topics that the presidential rivals ignored, including marijuana legalization, death penalty repeal and assisted suicide.(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)

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Rick Bowmer | AP

FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2012 file photo, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah awaits the start of the Utah Senate Debate with Democratic challenger Scott Howell, in Provo, Utah. When the results are counted this Tuesday, Americans are poised to resoundingly rehire roughly 350 of the 535 members of the House and Senate despite railing for months about an ineffective, bitterly divided legislature. The once-in-a-decade redrawing of congressional districts is one of the main reasons why so many lawmakers will return to Washington _ and the first election after that politically driven process is typically a high point _ but redistricting isnt the only reason. The power of incumbency with its name recognition and cash advantage also is responsible. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

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Joel Page | FR23211 AP

FILE - In this Sept. 10, 2012, file photo, gay marriage supporters gather at a rally outside of City Hall in Portland, Maine, in support of an upcoming ballot question that seeks to legalize same-sex marriage. After all the economy-focused campaign talk, voters in some states will get a chance on Election Day to sound off on intriguing topics that the presidential rivals ignored, including gay marriage, death-penalty repeal, marijuana legalization and assisted suicide. (AP Photo/Joel Page, File)

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Amy E. Conn | AP

FILE - This Nov. 19, 2000 file photo shows counters and observers continuing a hand recount of Broward County ballots at the Broward Emergency Operation Center in Plantation, Fla. Ever hear about national elections where the winners aren't known for days as government officials count votes and double-check results? Thank goodness we don't have to wait that long for election results in the U.S., right? Not so fast. In the US, most states don't announce official election results until weeks after Election Day. Florida is scheduled to certify its results Nov. 20 _ two weeks after the polls close. Ohio's deadline is Nov. 27. (AP Photo/Amy E. Conn, File)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A study released Wednesday by a respected Mexican think tank asserts that proposals to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in Colorado, Oregon and Washington could cut Mexican drug cartels’ earnings from traffic to the U.S. by as much as 30 percent. Opponents questioned some of the study’s assumptions, saying the proposals could also offer new opportunities for cartels to operate inside the U.S. and replace any profit lost to a drop in international smuggling. The ballot measures to be decided on Nov. 6 would allow adults to possess small amounts of pot under a regimen …