The War on Drugs has arguably created more problems than solutions. The futile war on drugs campaign started with President Nixon’s announcement on June 18th, 1971 in an attempt to stop the rising drug imports into the United States and use of narcotics, particularly marijuana and cocaine (later opium and heroin). The United States government took an idealist approach to the war on drugs. The slogan “no drugs no problem” was doomed to begin with. There are many consequences of the War on Drugs, including mass incarceration in the United States (which still holds the record for the most incarcerated citizens in the world), corruption, United States’ interference in Latin American politics leading to unstable governments, human rights violations and so on. How could have we gotten it so wrong? How is drug trafficking more prosperous than ever? There are many reasons why drug trafficking has flourished and the War on Drugs has failed, the main ones are listed below.
1. The belief that illicit drugs could be completely eradicated
One of the undeniable issues with the war on drugs was it reached far in its intention and delivered far too little of a result. Although drug trafficking was originally predicted to decline in the mid-2000s, as of 2018, 269 million people consume illicit drugs, roughly 3.4% of the world’s population. The US took the hard-line approach to stop drug trafficking which has significantly increased the number of prisoners convicted of drug-related crimes, greatly affecting racial minorities. Furthermore, The War on Drugs hasn’t particularly addressed the reasons why people may use substances, such as low socioeconomic status. Without social programs and rehabilitation, it is unlikely that just by making many narcotics illegal and stipulating tough sentences, people will stop using drugs. Education and prevention programs are two possible other strategies to decrease drug use.
2. The intertwined corruption in some Latin American states
Certainly, the efforts of incorruptibles throughout drug enforcement history such as the Search Bloc cannot go unawarded or unnoticed, however, corruption is one of the main concerns for Latin Americans today. Corruption- including bribery of politicians by drug cartels- has created a massive distrust for government officials. Corruption is a by-product of drug trafficking that can have effects reaching further than just narcostates. In 2019 “Operation Car Wash” was discovered and labelled as the largest corruption operation in history. It involved Brazillian politicians receiving payouts of a total of 5 billion dollars in illegal transactions. Corruption has also grown in surrounding states, like Honduras. Honduras is a small central American country paramount to the land route from Colombia to Mexico, to the USA, and the murder capital of the world. Human rights abuses occur regularly thanks to the large gang presence, the LGBTQI community and journalists are walking targets and femicide is becoming a large problem. In 2013 on average, one woman was killed “every 13.8 hours”. Instances of corruption in the country include six thousand police officers dismissed and arrested for alleged criminal acts in 2019 alone. Furthermore, former President Lobo has also been investigated as claims surfaced he laundered drug money through an election campaign. Although crackdown campaigns have occurred in states such as Mexico, who seems to be gaining momentum against drug trafficking, it’s homicide rate has increased and transparency levels remain dangerously low, scoring 29 out of 100 on Transparency International’s transparency scale. Transparency International’s Barometer also claims that Latin American and Caribbean citizens believe corruption is on the rise, governments are not doing enough, political integrity is lacking and people see politicians as the most corrupt.
3. Latin American governments can be weak in their abilities to stop drug trafficking- and helping the poor to find better employment
During the ongoing and devastating COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico, drug cartels such as the Sinaloan cartel have provided those in need with food, facemasks and hygienic supplies when the government has not. This has been an effective advertising ploy by cartels to gain support from the public, some of which criticize Mexico’s President for acting too late in response to COVID-19. You can say what you want about drug cartels, but if they are providing more for the poor than their government is, even if it is for their gain, changes should be made to rectify the situation. In a broader sense, governments in Latin America have been severely weakened by cartels and drug trafficking throughout decades of conflict and civil war. Some even consider Mexico- or particular regions of Mexico like Sinaloa– to be ‘Narco states’.
A lot of Narcos and Sicarios (cartel soldiers) do not grow up wanting to be involved in cartels. However, after decades of tumultuous conflict transnationally and within countries borders, without comprehensive assistance from the government, many people have no choice but to begin life working for cartels. One out of five people in Latin America live in chronic poverty and the employment sector is limited to those of low socioeconomic status. In a documentary by Jamie Fox, Inside the Real Narcos, he investigates the real lives of Narcos workers at all spectrums of the supply chain. While in Columbia, Fox travels to Barranquilla, a well-known drug smuggling port City. In one of the poorest Barrios, he meets a man who claims that the Barrio has been “forgotten by the government” and most of the people live in chronic poverty.
4 .Coca isn’t going anywhere
There have been attempts to combat drug production at the source, including a $4.7 billion campaign to destroy coca plants in Colombia, the essential ingredient in creating cocaine. However, the street value of cocaine hasn’t skyrocketed- it’s barely been affected. Moreover, coca is a very resilient plant in the Andean region and is available for picking year-round, making it difficult for authorities to stifle the production. A separate campaign encouraging farmers to plant coffee plants instead of coca has also mostly failed as the price of coffee fluctuates greatly and is more seasonal than coca. Coca may be a vital ingredient in cocaine production, but it is also an invaluable cultural staple, as it is chewed by the Indigenous for traditional purposes. The debate over whether or not to abolish coca harvesting is ongoing and heated.
You may believe The War on Drugs was a ploy to extend the United States’ impression through Latin America, in a crucial time beginning and throughout the Cold War. Maybe you believe the program had great intentions. Perhaps you sympathise with the victims of drug-related crime (drug users, the impoverished in Latin America who have little choice but to become involved, victims of cartel-related violence and the racial minorities who have suffered). Or maybe you agree with taking a hard-line approach to drug enforcement. Whatever opinion you have about drug trafficking, one fact becomes clear: The War on Drugs has so far failed and the drug trafficking business, despite alterations and setbacks from COVID-19, is going nowhere anytime soon.
