Is Mexico losing its war on drugs?

It has been three years since President Felipe Calderon declared a war on drugs, since his declaration there have been countless drug related murders in Mexico, particularly around the border cities. On June 7, 2008, about two years after the inception of the war on drugs, Dallas News.com reported that opinion polls show that “Mexicans believe that the powerful and well-armed drug cartels are outgunning the government”[1]. The increased incidents of death and violence have left some Mexican residents feeling as though the government is losing the battle against the drug cartels.
On November 26, 2009 President Calderon announced that the remaining three years of his administration will focus on the living conditions of the country’s residents.[2] In recent years there has been an increase in the number of people living in poverty. As mention in a previous post, young men living in poverty are being recruited into the drug cartels as foot soldiers. President Calderon stated that he is not abandoning his fight against drugs; rather he is taking a different approach. The monetary benefits the drug cartels provide outweigh the enormous danger associated with being a member. Eliminating poverty would eliminate the benefits the drug cartel brings which in turn would eliminate the force behind the cartels.
Poverty, corruption, power, violence, and crime are all associated with Mexican drug cartels. There is no singular explanation for the rise of drug cartels which makes their destruction that much more complicated.
[1] Iliff, L. and Corchado, A. Mexican president losing war on drugs, polls indicate. The Dallas Morning News.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/stories/060708dnintmexpoll.2fade9e.html
[2] Stevenson, M. Mexican president says poverty now first priority. The Associated Press.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hkHIwZXZJMX4LP5lUY27wkwm3q5gD9C71C6G0