El Paso - - The El Paso City Council has passed a resolution decrying the cartel violence in Juarez that has claimed thousands of lives.

Mayor John Cook cast the deciding vote against an initial resolution calling for a discussion on legalizing marijuana as a way to drive the cartels out of business.

With marijuana language out of the final resolution, the measure passed.

El Paso has a sister city relationship with Juarez.

The City Council recognized that the relationship is strained by the thousands of murders in Juarez every year.