Foreword

Introduction

Can the War on Drugs Be Won?

Chapter Preface

Yes: The War on Drugs Is Winnable

The War on Drugs Can Be Won

Newt Gingrich

The war on drugs must be aggressively fought to protect America's children from the violent crime and other social problems caused by drug abuse.

Deterring demand, stopping supply, and increasing government accountability are necessary for the United States to win the war on drugs.

America Must Continue the War on Drugs

Barry McCaffrey

Critics of the war on drugs fail to remember that drugs were banned in the early twentieth century because of the harm they brought to individuals and society.

Ending the war by legalizing drugs would only renew these problems.

The Prohibition Strategy Can Win the War on Drugs by the Office of National Drug Control Policy

Despite recent public antagonism to the war on drugs, a strategy prohibiting the production, distribution, and use of drugs is essential for the well-being of the United States.

Strong anti-drug laws and leadership are needed to eliminate drugs from society.

Government Leadership and Community Efforts Can Win the War on Drugs

Robert B. Charles

Although drug use among teenagers has increased since 1992, promising new anti-drug strategies are being enacted in Washington.

The war on drugs can be won by increasing community cohesiveness and strengthening local and federal anti-drug policies.

Interdiction and Prevention Efforts Can Win the War on Drugs

William J. Bennett

Drug consumption fell dramatically between 1979 and 1992, when anti-drug interdiction and prevention efforts were at their height.

Statistics prove that anti-drug education and prevention programs, coupled with attacking the supply of drugs, effectively combat drug use.

The war on drugs can be won if these programs are renewed and vigorously implemented.

No: The War on Drugs Is a Failure

The War on Drugs Has Been Unsuccessful

Daniel Spichtinger

Since 1917, drug prohibition has resulted in political corruption and an overflowing prison population.

The war on drugs has been a failure, and alternative policies should be considered.

The War on Drugs Causes More Harm than Good

Mark Steyn

America's desire for drugs fuels the international drug trade while the government blames other countries for America's drug problem.

Aggressive government drug enforcement is more harmful than drugs themselves.

The War on Drugs Infringes on Civil Liberties

Mani Foroohar

The tough tactics employed by authorities in the war on drugs infringe on civil liberties and fail to reduce drug use in the United States.

America must accept that the war on drugs has been a failure.

The War on Drugs Harms America's Children

Adam J. Smith

Karynn M. Fish

The war on drugs threatens the safety of America's children by creating a lucrative black market for drugs, failing to provide realistic drug education programs, and incarcerating nonviolent drug offenders whose young children end up in foster care.

It is time to reevaluate the current drug policy.

The War on Inner-City Drug Traffickers Is Ineffective

Glenn C. Loury

Some argue that the war on drugs in the inner cities unfairly targets black males.

Although this criticism is invalid, there is good reason to oppose the inner-city drug war: Its benefits do not outweigh its costs.

What Are the Effects of Drug Trafficking?

Chapter Preface

Drug Trafficking Contributes to Organized Crime

Michael T. Horn

The international drug traffic is predominantly controlled by organized criminal groups from Mexico and Colombia.

The unlimited profits available from the drug trade result in competition and subsequent violence as each group strives to expand their control of the market.

Drug Trafficking Contributes to Gang-Related Crime by the Drug Enforcement Administration

Drug trafficking is an excellent source of revenue for violent criminal gangs and is increasingly controlled by hierarchical organizations.

From prison gangs to outlaw motorcycle gangs, the drug trade provides means for sophisticated weaponry, which increases violence and murder rates among rival traffickers.

Drug Trafficking Harms America's Youth

Colbert I. King

Younger teenagers and pre-adolescents are testing positive for drugs when apprehended by police.

Drug dealers are corrupting youth by bribing them with cash and recruiting them as lookouts.

More must be done to protect children from the dangers of drugs and drug dealers.

Drug Trafficking Harms Inner Cities

Jamie Dettmer

The plight of Washington, D.C., illustrates the destructive effects of drug trafficking and drug abuse, as it has become one of the nation's most drug infested communities since the 1960s.

Drug trafficking increases gang-related crime, homelessness, and murder rates in America's inner cities.

Drug Trafficking Harms International Trade

Ken Dermota

The North American Free Trade Agreement not only opened up licit trade for Canada, the United States, and Mexico, but also created channels through which drug traffickers are able to smuggle illegal narcotics.

As a result, Mexico has become the largest importer of narcotics to the United States, increasing tension between the two countries.

Drug Trafficking Harms the Economy

Bruce Zagaris

Scott Ehlers

The enormous profits made from drug trafficking must be deposited into bank accounts and transformed into apparently legal funds, a process known as money laundering.

International sanctions and bank secrecy laws make detection of money launderers difficult, but an international system of regulations could control the amount of illicit funds traffickers are able to hide.

Drug Trafficking Has Corrupted the American Government

Gary Webb

In the 1980s the CIA turned a blind eye to drug trafficking and used the proceeds to fund their war against the Nicaraguan Contras.

Enormous amounts of cocaine were sold in the African American ghettos of South Central Los Angeles, increasing the amount of gang violence that ultimately spread throughout the United States.

Drug Trafficking Has Corrupted the Mexican Government

Terrence Poppa

Rather than fighting drugs, Mexico's government controls and profits from the international drug trade.

Mexico infiltrates the United States with illegal narcotics, which exacerbates America's drug plague.

Can International Assistance to Colombia Combat Drug Trafficking?

Chapter Preface

Yes: International Assistance to Colombia Is Necessary to Combat Drug Trafficking?

U.S. Assistance May Combat Drug Trafficking in Colombia

Rafael Pardo

Colombia suffers from a forty-year civil war as well as an international war against drugs.

The two problems are interrelated, and assistance from the United States is necessary to achieve peace and reduce drug trafficking in Colombia.

Assisting Colombia is in the United States' Best Interest

Mauricio Vargas

The war against drugs in Colombia cannot be won without also fighting the insurgents financed by drug money.

Although U.S. attempts to combat drug trafficking have so far been ineffective, promising new strategies that acknowledge the significance of Colombia's civil war are being enacted.

Colombia Deserves Assistance to Combat Drug Trafficking

Francis Fukuyama

Colombia, one of the oldest functioning democracies in Latin America, is under the threat of Marxist-Leninist insurgency groups that are funded by drug traffickers.

With American assistance, the Colombian military may be able to defeat the guerrillas and combat the drug trade.

More Assistance Is Needed to Combat Drug Trafficking in Colombia

Gordon Barthos

In 2001 Colombian president Andres Pastrana enacted the $7.5 billion Plan Colombia, which aims to regain government control of the country from the Marxist rebels and the drug traffickers who fund them.

More international assistance is needed for the Colombian government to succeed.

No: International Assistance to Colombia Is Counterproductive

Increased Aid to Colombia's Military Will Not Reduce Drug Trafficking

Winifred Tate

United States policymakers are calling for increased aid to Colombia's military for antinarcotics purposes despite its record of corruption and human rights abuses.

Such assistance would further destabilize the nation and worsen the international drug problem.

The United States Should Not Assist Colombia's War Against Drug Traffickers

Alexander Cockburn

U.S. policies concerning Colombia reflect a desire for open markets and privatization of industry, and they have resulted in military oppression and corruption.

Although officials claim to fight only against drug trafficking, the distinction between Colombia's civil war and its drug war is blurred.

America should not provide Colombia with further aid against either the insurgents or the drug traffickers.

The United States Should Not Support Colombia's Brutal Military by The Progressive

The United States is using the war on drugs as an excuse to align with the Colombian government and fight violent socialist rebels in Colombia, in spite of similar brutality exercised by Colombian military and paramilitary forces.

Instead of funding the war on drugs, America should protect Colombians from rampant human rights abuses.

How Can Drug Trafficking Be Combated?

Chapter Preface

Hemispheric Efforts Can Combat Drug Trafficking

Barry McCaffrey

International drug trafficking affects all countries of the Western Hemisphere and necessitates a combined effort to eliminate drug production, trafficking, and consumption.

The goal of a drug-free society can only be attained through a united effort in the war against drugs.

Government Cooperation Can Combat Drug Trafficking by the National Governors' Association

The war on drugs demands the combined efforts of all levels and jurisdictions of government.

In order to reduce the production, trafficking, and consumption of illegal drugs, an international, federal, and local commitment is needed.

Certification Laws Can Combat Drug Trafficking

Jeane Kirkpatrick

U.S. drug certification laws deny foreign aid to countries that the president finds uncooperative in the war against drugs.

Certification is a useful tool for fighting international drug trafficking because it sends the message that Americans are adamantly opposed to illegal drugs and will not fund countries who do not support efforts to eradicate them.

Development Programs Can Combat Drug Trafficking

Anja Korenblik

Rural farmers in Latin America and Asia often cultivate illicit coca and poppy plants along with their legitimate crops because of the higher profits they yield.

With alternative development programs, the United Nations Drug Control Program (UNDCP) strives to reduce the cultivation of illegal plants by addressing such problems as poverty and poor education.

Reducing American Demand Can Combat Drug Trafficking

Jac Wilder VerSteeg

As with any other trade, drug traffickers adhere to the law of supply and demand.

If the demand for drugs in America were not so high, organized groups in Latin America would dissolve and the drug problem would cease to exist.

Rather than attack the drug supply from Latin America, the United States should focus on curbing its own demand for drugs.

Law Enforcement Cannot Combat Drug Trafficking

Joseph McNamara

The illegality of drugs creates an enormous income potential for drug traffickers.

A growing percentage of police chiefs contend that the current approach of law enforcement and prohibition is ineffective in combating drug trafficking and drug use.

Legalization Can Combat Drug Trafficking by the Media Awareness Project

Drug prohibition laws take the control of drugs away from the government and give it to unscrupulous drug dealers who sell to minors.

Legalization would take the profit out of drug trafficking and allow the sale of drugs to be managed by strict laws and regulations.

Legalization Would Not Reduce Drug Trafficking

Carolyn C. Gargaro

Legalizing drugs would worsen the current drug problem in the United States by increasing drug use and its accompanying violent crime.

Because not all drugs would be legalized, the black market would still exist, and the crime surrounding illegal drug trafficking would persist.

Organizations to Contact

Bibliography

Index