Drug War

The drug war has cost many problem problem in many countries especially in mexico where the heat of the problem has come to be from raging war between the govt of mexico and drug cartels, from many cities not being safe because of the constant violence throughout the country to economic disruption and more, more than 164,000 people had died between 2007 and 2014 because of the drug war in mexico more than the iraq and afghanistan war zones combine (Kurzgesagt).

As the variables above are added up it, quickly becomes apparent that the “war on drugs,” during the mid 1980s-early 2000s had a negative impact on American life. With all the money spent and lives ruined, the United States came no closer to solving drug issues it had faced in the years prior. Citizens took the biggest brunt of this “war” with the fact that not only did they have to forcibly financially support the “war on drugs,” but in some cases, they had their civil liberties encroached upon or even completely violated. It could be argued that retrospectively looking at the “war on drugs” makes criticizing our country and the officials in charge easy, but when you actually look at the statistics and events surrounding this time period criticism

Nixon’s drug war, however, was a mere skirmish in comparison to the colossal efforts launched by the Ronald Reagan administration in the 1980s. Formally announced by President Ronald Reagan in 1982, the War on Drugs was marked by deep public concern, bordering on hysteria,, towards the nation’s drug problem. Under the leadership of President Reagan, the nation focused unprecedented energy and resources towards eliminating illicit drug use and trafficking.” (pp.

The Drug War has been a policy and a battle to stop drug flow into the U.S, cease drug production and to completely illuminate drugs entirely but results have shown otherwise. In 1971, President Richard Nixon first declared the Drug war and classified drugs as a number one public enemy shortly after drug use hit its peak in the 1960’s. The U.S previously had anti-drug laws but the laws were light and directed mainly to minorities. The following President Jimmy Carter believed in decriminalizing Marijuana and certain portions of Marijuana were legal to possess during his term but the legalization was shortly lived. A new attempted solution was a program Nancy Reagan, President

President Richard Nixon coined the phrase the “war on drugs” in the 1970s after he and Congress introduced a campaign to reduce the rapidly increasing consumption, production, and distribution of psychoactive drugs, which were already deemed illegal. In the years since, many policies and laws have been created in the United States from mandatory minimum sentences to drug courts. The organization, Learn Liberty, recently put out a YouTube video pointing out that every 2016 presidential nominee has spoken about the current drug epidemic. As pointed out in the video, not all candidates agree on the method of solving the issue, yet they all agree it’s a massive issue.

One of the worst side effects of the drug war has been the extreme violence that inevitably comes with illegal drugs. Because they are illegal, sellers can put any price on their product that they want, and addicts will often pay whatever it takes to get their next fix. This makes the illegal drugs highly profitable. According to Norm Stamper, a retired Seattle police chief, a pound of marijuana costs about $75 to produce, and sells for around $6,000 depending on quality. Because of the potential profit, gangs will fight over control of certain areas that will make them more money. Normal businesses will compete with each other by making a better product, but drug gangs don’t operate on the same level. They will resort to violence to ensure that their product is the one that people are buying, and not their competition’s. We as a nation should have learned from the notorious Prohibition era that banning substances just does not work. The prohibition of alcohol gave rise to organized crime gangs like the Mafia. The untaxed alcohol was a money making machine, much like the drug trade today. The Mafia wasn’t renowned for their kindness, and would kill to keep their position as a trafficking giant. Once the 21st Amendment repealed Prohibition, thousands of jobs were created in the alcohol industry, and millions of dollars

Like many other countries in Latin America and across the globe, Peru is no stranger to the economic and social impacts of illicit drug trade. However, unlike most other countries in the region like Colombia, Peru does not experience a high rate or organized crime or violence surrounding the drug trade. Although violence is minimal, the growth of cocoa and the production of cocaine is a massive industry within the country, creating an interesting dynamic between the people of Peru, those involved in the drug trade, and the Peruvian Government. The drug trade in Peru has been fueled by the geography, structure of the criminal groups involved, perceived corruption of the military and police forces, and an ineffective and overcrowded prison system.

Uruguay was one of the first countries to legalize Marijuana, and they are now suffering from the conflicts that have awakened since the legalization of the drug. Cartels in these South American countries see the legalization of Marijuana as a “pathway for legalization of other drugs,” promising that “buyers will receive the best quality drug” (Cave). The reality is, these cartels “are just trying to make as much money as they can,” using the legalization of marijuana to expand their territory and power while staying under the radar; these cartels pose a major threat to society due to their influences and power over communities all over the world

Violence in modern Colombia takes place in many forms. The three major categories are crime, guerrilla activities, and attacks committed by drug traffickers. Violence has become so widespread and common in Colombia that many people have now become numb to it. The Colombian economy has also benefited from the illicit drug trade; however violent it may be. During the 1970s, Colombia became well known, as one of the world’s most important drug processing, production, and distribution centers for marijuana and cocaine.

The Drug war in Mexico and Colombia has persisted for decades and will continue to do so if we don’t change our plan of action. Colombia notoriously was and still continues to be a major drug producer, exporting a large percentage of its drugs to the U.S and neighboring Latin America. Analysts predict that Mexico is soon becoming the next Colombia of the 1960-1990 era and has the potential to surpass Colombia in terms of producing, selling and distributing drugs both domestically and internationally. There have been numerous strategies to detain and halt the production, and flow of drugs altogether, yet it seems like they are inefficient and incapable of doing away with this problem. Some governments have sought to increase legislative and

Drug prohibition in Colombia has had minimal variations over time, as reflected in the precedent set by the Constitutional Court since 1994 when they established that only behaviors that interfere with the orbit of freedom and other people’s interests can be legally enforceable (Corte Constitucional , 1994). Almost 20 years later in 2011, same Court discussed about a constitutional claim raised by citizens regarding a change that contemplates prohibition of possession and production of drugs, resolving in the end that it was fair and adjusted to constitutional values, they agreed on the fact that the definition of prohibition has other meanings, aside from criminalization, because prohibition involves other measures for the consumer like voluntary rehabilitation (Corte Constitucional , 2011). unclear, needs elaboration

Latin America has had a long history of drug use, which contributes to its stereotype as a drug infested region. Beginning in the 1970’s, the United States has been trying to eliminate drug cartels, trafficking, and use in Latin America (Bogota). The influence of drugs in Latin America has led to violence and death over the many years.

The United States is very interwoven with many Latin American countries, but most Americans don’t know how our actions in the U.S. effect the people living in these countries. Americans are positively impacting Latin America regions in the areas of tourism, immigration, and natural resources, but the U.S. is not making a positive impact in the area of drugs. Travel provides jobs for millions of people, immigration helps fill the job gap, consumption of natural resources helps to protect the environment, but drugs are giving cartels control over the government.

Illegal drug trade has serious consequences for the Colombian economy , particularly in terms of the macro economy. Macroeconomics imbalances resulted from an overvalued peso and influx foreign exchange . the larg influx of foreign exchange resulted in phenomena known as 'Dutch Disease ' ( it is when the demand for an exported resources increase dramatically , resulting in an overvalued currency then other exports are made less competitive in the world market and foreign imports are more competitive domestically , this can cause a deindustrialization of the domestic economy) , and may have precipitated in the economic crisis of the late 1990's.

It is known that the major economic costs from drugs use are due to incarcerations and crime rather than to drug use itself (Keefer, Loayza, & Soares, 2010). In Colombia, it is estimated that 20% of the cocaine and 70% of the marijuana produced is consumed domestically (Cawley, 2013), most of it in underground spots called ollas. The gathering of drug traffickers, addicts, and criminals in these places has spawned crime and insecurity in all cities. The Colombian government has tried some measures to reduce these externalities of drug use, but they have not been enough nor adequate.