In some countries in the world, drugs are only thing keeping the economy running. In those same places, it is the drug lords who run the country, which is how the drug trade stays alive. In these countries, the crime rate stays relatively high compared to the United States '.Peoples' lives are risked every day in these countries, and some even flee their homes in search of a safer, more comforting home. In the United States , “the high national priority given to terrorism has resulted in enhanced focus on links between drug and terror groups” (Perl). The United States are one of the few countries taking a step to eliminate the drug trade.
Today in the US, over 1 billion dollars is spent toward fighting the "War on Drugs,“ while “the total economic cost of illicit drug use to the nation in 2002 have been estimated by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy to be $180. billion (Perl).That is a lot of money that is spent on a war that seems to be going nowhere. The United States proposal to preventing the spread of this issue, “The primary stated goal of U. S. international drug policy is to reduce the supply of illicit narcotics flowing into the United States .
A second and supporting goal is to reduce the amount of illicit drugs cultivated, processed, and consumed worldwide” (Perl). So with that approach, hopefully more and more countries will join the United States effort in fighting the international drug trade.In Colombia , they have put into effect “… ‘Plan Colombia ,’ a $1. 3 billion military assistance-focused initiative to provide emergency supplemental narcotics assistance to Colombia ” (Perl). So the United States is definitely not alone in the fight against the drug trade.
In current day Mexico , the drug cartels are in full charge, and there is a war going on between rival cartels. This fighting between the cartels is creating mayhem throughout the country of Mexico .Drug war related deaths are a common thing in the country, something that many people share even if they have never met. Paul Vranish, superintendent of the Tornillo school district outside El Paso , estimates about 10 percent of his 300 students have lost a close family member in Mexico ’s drug war” (Weber). Kids in the cities where this is occurring are getting to the point that they are afraid to go to school in fear of being shot because of the murders they have witnessed.
“One Fort Hancock High student picked up for truancy told a judge he was too scared to go to class after witnessing a murder in Mexico” (Weber).Seeing a dead man in the street is no longer such an odd occurrence, and is becoming more and more of a common thing and is leading to more people attempting to flee the country in an attempt to escape the danger the drug cartel brings to the country. This directly affects the United States because there is an overflow of illegal immigrants attempting to sneak into the United States . This leads to more taxpayers’ money being spent on reinforcing the borders of Mexico . Marijuana and cocaine are the most popular drugs being imported into the US from Latin America .The “world production of coca leaf, the raw material for cocaine, more than doubled between 1985 and 1996.
.. ” (Law). But since then, cocaine users have decreased, while the users of marijuana have increased significantly. In the United States , “Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug… and has been used by nearly 100 million Americans” (Marijuana). Since we share a border with the country Mexico , most of the imported marijuana comes from there.
Although the border is heavily guarded, “efforts to reduce the flow of illicit drugs from abroad into the United States have so far not succeeded“ (Perl).The marijuana cargo usually is snuck into the United States in semi-trucks and is hidden by other products, which makes it very difficult for Border Patrol to find and stop . Whether we like it or not, our economy is aided by the black market that we call the drug trade. “… Spending by most conservative estimates over $60 billion annually in a diverse and fragmented criminal market” (Perl). The drug trade in the United States is so big that it, “… exceeded the international trade in iron, steel, and motor vehicles,” (Law). and that it makes up about “… 8% of the total international trade” (Law).
That is a lot of money coming in from one thing, so without the drug trade, it looks like the United States economy would be hit hard. So the relationship between drugs and the United States economy is a love-hate relationship. The punishment for getting caught in the drug trade is quite severe in the United States . Getting caught with drugs in contempt to distribute is much more severe a punishment than if you were to just get caught with possession. The sentence for getting caught with marijuana in the attempt to distribute is split up between misdemeanor and felony, as it is with most crimes.The smaller amount of drug paraphernalia you are caught with, the less severe the crime is, and vice-versa.
But in other countries, the punishment for getting caught is much, much severe. Countries from the Middle East are very religious, and doing drugs is strictly prohibited. So they enforce the death penalty if anyone, no matter who, is caught with any kind of drug paraphernalia whatsoever. So while many believe that the consequences in the United States are harsh, they are hardly a punishment compared to that of other countries.
Other countries such as Singapore and Indonesia follow in the footsteps of countries from the Middle East in their punishments, but for the sole reason that they believe drugs are bad, not necessarily for religious reasons. So the big question is, will the drug trade ever be put to an end? And if it does, how will it affect the lives of citizens of countries far and wide. Today we live in a society that depends on the black market as much, and maybe more, than we do the stock market. More money seems to be made that goes to our economy in the drug trade, than in the international trade.
So do we really want to eradicate the drug trade altogether, or would we rather just regulate it so that we gain most, if not all, of the profit that it brings. Is it really worth all the violence the drug trade brings, in exchange for the billions of dollars of wealth that it will bring to many countries? Or should we be like the religious-strict countries of the Middle East and have punishments that result in death for smuggling drugs across international borders? Only time will tell what direction the United States and the world go, and only time will tell what will happen to the drug trade of the world.
