I've been preaching for years that Mexico is an active war zone. And your life is 'at risk' if you go there. Most Americans I know who came from Mexico would never go there for vacation or to buy drugs as so many naïve Americans and Europeans do. They know how dangerous it is.
A cheap vacation or cheap drugs or cheap prostitutes is not worth your life. That is the 'bait' Mexico uses to lure in tourists and money. Mexico is nothing but trouble, not just for 'cartel members'. Those guys/women will kill and extort anybody, especially what they call 'rich Americans'.