Drug related violence in Mexico seems to be making news headlines less and less, yet the question still remains as to how safe the country is for those wishing to visit on vacation or to make Mexico their home. Cities near the border with the United States such as Ciudad Juarez are heavily influenced by drug cartels who are mean and ruthless, protecting their multi-million dollar drug business each and every year but what about the safe tourist areas such as Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Cancun and Riviera Maya?

Drug related violence in Mexico

For the drug cartels, selling and smuggling drugs is a big business in Mexico, the United States and Canada, which of course is immoral, but still a profitable business. If the demand for drugs were not so high in Western Europe and in the United States, or if drugs were legalized, the drug cartels would simply just disappear (or at least lose their power).

What about places like Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Cancun and Riviera Maya?

While we need to be realistic about the threat of drug related violence in certain states of Mexico, we can’t believe all the reports of killings from media reports, and we must remember that in Mexico there is a bigger picture to consider. The fact is that many of the cities and towns in Mexico are drug-free, non-violent, peaceful, and tranquil despite of what the mainstream media is reporting. Beach destinations such as Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Cancun and Riviera Maya are probably safer places to visit than many cities back home.

Tourists are the least affected by drug related violence

In the hopes of selling more newspapers and getting ratings, most media outlets forget to highlight how tourists and visitors to Mexico are the least affected by the drug related violence, most who visit are totally safe and secure. In the majority of cases where foreigners have been involved in drug related violence, the background to their story shows that they were also involved in illegal activities. Very few “innocent” tourists are affected by drug related violence in Mexico, although it does happen.

Living in Mexico

For the expats who have called Mexico their home for many years and consider Mexico their full or perhaps part time home know that there may be risks involved in living in Mexico, but the risks are much more lower than the risks that they could face in their own country. If you just take the time to research the facts and statistics that have been published on drug related violence in Mexico affecting non-nationals, then you will quickly learn that Mexico is still pretty safe, even more so in the cities that are popular with tourists, snowbirds and retirees such as Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Cancun and Riviera Maya.

Tijuana, Culiacan, and Ciudad Juarez are not the best representation of Mexico. This would be like media outlets back home claiming “America’s most dangerous cities are a true representative of the entire United States”.

This is the truth about drug related violence in Mexico. Anyone can check facts by doing a simple search, and you are certainly encouraged to do so before making Mexico your home.