The War On Drugs In The United States

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The War on Drugs in the United States

The term, ‘War on Drugs’ is used to describe a collection of policies, strategies and

practices that the federal government, state governments and other agencies in the united

states are using to combat the production, distribution and use of particular substances. For

years, authorities in the United States have been concerned with the increasing number of

individuals in the country who are using some of the hard drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and

marijuana. By the end of 2012, the drug industry in the United States was worth about $60

billion per year and it affected more than 16 million individuals in the country (Shannon). It

was based on some indicators that the authorities in the country developed a set of strategies

to fight the problem. The essence of War on Drugs is that the enforcement of the policies

developed by the state and federal government should contribute to a reduction in the rate of

crimes related to drugs, reduction in the demand and supply of drugs by disrupting the market

for drugs and generally reducing the level of drug use in the country. Therefore, these form

the goals for the US War on Drugs. It follows that the success or failure of the war can be

determined by examining these criteria. In this paper, it is argued that the US War on Drugs

has been successful, given the extent to which there has been a reduction in the overall level

of drug abuse in the country, disruption of the demand and supply aspects of the drug market

and a reduction in the rates of drug-related crimes in the country.

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One of the main reasons as to why it can be said that the War on Drugs in the United

States has been a success relates to changes in the number of people in the country who are

actively using any of the drugs. The ultimate goal of the War on Drugs is to reduce the

number of persons who use drugs (Dell). Although it is impractical to expect that the use of

drugs in the United States, or any other country for that matter, can be totally eliminated, it is

possible to reduce the numbers to such an extent that the issue is no longer regarded as one of

national concern. Throughout the 1990s, the majority of people in the United States used to

single out drug use and its consequences as some of the main problems that the country was

facing at the time. The opinion of the public was backed up by the numbers. Back in 2012,

about 16% of the persons in the United States aged over 12 years were reported to be active

users of one or several of the banned psychoactive substances in the country. However, this

figure has been declining slowly over the years. For example, in 2014, the percentage of

persons above 12 years in the country who are active users of drugs was reported to be about

10.1%. In 2015, this figure further reduced to about 10%. Therefore, it can be seen that going

by figures of the persons in the United States who are actively using banned drugs; the war

on drugs has had a positive impact on reducing the number over the years.

However, it has been argued that the success of the war on drugs cannot be entirely

determined by the number of persons who are actively using the drugs in the country. It has

been argued that if the war on drugs is pegged on the number of individuals, who are active

users of the substances, then authorities involved in the fight are likely to set unrealistic goals

and that this may jeopardize the overall objective of the campaign. It has also been argued

that an assessment of the success of the war on drugs should take into consideration other

salient features such as the percentage of users who are addicted as well as those who are

first-time users. However, what is important to note is that the reduction in the percentage of

persons in the US who actively use the drugs over the past few years is an indication that the

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policies, strategies, and efforts of the federal government, state governments and other

agencies have been successful so far.

The second reason as to why it can be argued that the US War on Drugs has been

successful relates to crimes that arise directly from the use of drugs. There is a complex

relationship between drugs and crime. In the first place, drug trade is directly tied to violent

crimes by members of cartels that participate in drug trade (Bergen-Cico). For long, cartel

violence has remained a major problem in some countries in South America, most notably in

Mexico. Cartels attempt to control particular routes that are used to smuggle drugs into the

United States and other countries. Cartels normally use violence to retain control over

particular aspects of the local and international drug trade routes and markets. Also, cartels

use violence to intimate law-enforcement agencies and grow their level of influence.

Apart from cartel violence, drugs fuel other serious forms of violence, the most

important one being international terrorism. There seems to be a consensus that international

terrorism is heavily reliant on drug trade. It is based on these finding as well as the realization

that drugs use is related to general forms of domestic as well as street violence that the

authorities in the United States have been motivated to fight drugs. It has been pointed out

that the War on Drugs has enabled the authorities to successfully burst the activities of

notorious cartels. In addition, it has been noted that the War on Drugs has led to the arrest and

imprisonment of some of the most notorious cartel leaders in Mexico and other countries.

Thus, because of the efforts of authorities under the auspices of War on Drugs, the US

government has managed to disrupt the activities of cartels that control international drug

smuggling activities.

In addition, it has been observed that the desire to fight drugs is directly tied to the

motivation to combat global terrorism. Drug trade and international terrorism as closely

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related to each other in that terrorists rely on international drug trade to fund their activities.

In the recent past, governments across the world have been concerned with the need to fight

global terrorism. As part of the concerted and coordinated efforts by governments across

world to fight global terrorism, it has become necessary to identify the main drivers of

terrorism activities. Since drug trade is one of the major sources of funds of terrorists, it

follows that attempts at fighting global terrorism should be include deliberate and particular

efforts to disrupt international drug trade.

It is pointed out that the War on Drugs has dramatically reduced instances and

severity of the problem of violence. The most important thing to note at this point is that the

correlation between reduction in rates of violence and drug use covers all the main forms of

violence including cartel violence and general violence.

On the contrary, it is pointed out that the efforts of the authorities in the US to fight

drugs have resulted in an increase in violence. It is said that although the government spends

up to $100 billion on War on Drugs every year, the efforts do not necessarily lead to a

reduction in the rate of crimes that are related to the use of drugs. In addition, the efforts by

the government to fight international drug smuggling cartels normally result into increased

violence as the members of the cartel groups attempt to fight back by murdering rival groups,

perceived informers and government law enforcement officers.

However, it is clear that attempts by the government to fight drugs has an overall

positive effect in that it helps to reduce crimes related to drug use. Therefore, when the

government fights drugs, it also fights other forms of crime such as terrorism, cartel-based

violence and general crimes that are related to the use of drugs.

The third reason as to why the war on drugs in the United States is necessary and has

been successful relates to the negative effects of drugs on individuals and the society. Drugs

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harm people and the society in various ways. For example, it is pointed out that all the major

drugs such as marijuana and heroin have negative effects on the health of the persons who

abuse them. Drug addiction has been associated with poor mental states of health among mild

as well as addicted persons (A Narco History). Moreover, addiction to other drugs has been

associated with homicides and suicides.

Therefore, it is based on the harmful effects of drugs on the lives of individuals as

well as the society in general and that the government attempts to fight it. Hence, the war on

drugs is justified by the need of the government to fight the harmful effects of drugs on the

health of individuals and the general wellbeing of the society. Interestingly, the attempts by

the government to fight drug trade have helped to prevent further losses and damages arising

from drug use. Particularly, the war on drugs has helped to reduce the number of people who

are addicted to hard drugs. Drug addiction has far-reaching consequences on the health of the

persons who are involved. However, the war on drugs has helped to reduce the number of

persons who are hooked onto hard drugs. Therefore, the need to save lives is an important

factor that drives the war on drugs in the country.

However, it is argued that it is possible for the government to help improve the lives

of people by adopting a more liberal stance towards drugs. The basis of this argument is that

criminalizing the possession and use of drugs does not necessarily reduce the number of

people who are addicted to the drugs. On the contrary, it is argued that legalizing drugs may

dramatically reduce the number of persons who are addicted to drugs. It has also been argued

that some of the drugs that have been outlawed in the US are not as harmful as it has been

initially thought. For example, marijuana is said to have medicinal qualities that can be used

to in ways that are more effective if the drug is legalized.

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However, when considering the need for controlling drugs in the society, one has to

consider the reasons as to why the government attempts to control the use of the drugs in the

first place. Although some drugs have medicinal qualities, it is important to point out that the

negative effects of this drugs on the lives of individuals outweighs any medicinal properties

that these drugs have. One only has to take into consideration how drug addiction is ruining

the lives of young as well as old people in the United States and elsewhere to determine the

need for the government to fight drug use. Therefore, as much as the war on drugs helps to

reduce the use of drugs among people, it is justified.

In conclusion, the war on drugs has been successful so far because of three reasons.

First, the efforts of the government to disrupt the production, supply and consumption of the

drugs has helped to expose and dismantle cartels and terrorist organizations that rely on

international drug use. Thus, by directly fighting drugs, the authorities are indirectly fighting

other forms of serious crime. Second, the success of the war on drugs is seen in the

reductions in the number of persons who are active users of drugs in the United States

(Hahn). Over the years, the percentage of people who are addicted to drugs has been

reducing. Reduction in the percentage of persons who use drugs means that the efforts of the

government are successful. Third, the efforts of the government to prevent the use of drugs

among members of the general population are justified by the harmful effects of drug use on

the lives of users. Hence, by fighting drug use, the government is helping to prevent the

destructive effects of drugs on individuals and the society in general. In conclusion, the war

on drugs in the US is not only justified but has also been effective so far.

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Works Cited

A Narco History: How the United States and Mexico Jointly Created the "mexican Drug

War". Audible Studios on Brilliance audio, 2016.

Bergen-Cico, Dessa K. War and drugs: The role of military conflict in the development of

substance abuse. Routledge, 2015.

Dell, Melissa. "Trafficking networks and the Mexican drug war." The American Economic

Review 105.6 (2015): 1738-1779.

Hahn, Del. War on Drugs: United States. Place of publication not identified: Pelican

Publishing Co, 2015.

Shannon, Elaine. Desperados: Latin drug lords, US lawmen, and the war America can't win.

iUniverse, 2015.

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