Legalize/Tax Marijuana?

Those of us living down here so close to the Mexican border wonder if Mexican drug cartels are the next Afghanistan. They are thugs, well-armed and well-funded. Law enforcement friends in El Paso tell us that whatever weapons the law has, the cartels have bigger and better weapons. The irony is that United States citizens are the cartel customers. We are the users. Of course this drug traffic includes cocaine and heroin. Are we fighting the wrong battle here? Would legalizing/taxing/controlling drugs knock out the cartel power? A large percentage of incarcerated criminals in this country are convicted of drug crimes that we citizens subsidize to the tune of $45,000/year per prisoner. Hmmmm. Think of the money saved there. Maybe we could build schools instead of more prisons? Drug use is the culprit - how do we fix that? Strengthen the family unit? Lower our lifestyles so one parent can afford to stay at home and raise our children? How do we heal the holes in the souls of all those addicts out there that can't get enough? How do we keep children's hearts and souls intact?