Table of ContentsIntroductionBackgroundWhat has the United States done to solve this problem?International InvolvementConsequencesCurrent SituationsProposed SolutionsConclusionIntroductionThe War on Drugs has been going on for decades. From rich to poor countries, no solution to the problem has been found and very little improvement has been made. Both producing countries and consuming countries are affected by the problem. To solve the drug problem, we must get to the root of the problem, which is poverty in the countries where drugs are produced. That being said, I believe the United States should provide aid and specialized assistance to promote employment and potentially help reduce or eliminate the need to sell and grow drugs. This is a problem that needs to be addressed now, as data shows that over the past three decades, drug-related deaths have increased. According to CDC statistics, in 1999 there were 16,849 drug-related deaths and in 2017 there were 70,237 drug-related deaths. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayBackgroundThe war on drugs has been around for a long time and in order to solve this problem we need to know why it started in the first place. Colombia, which was the largest distributor of cocaine, was not initially the leading producer of coca. At the time (1960s to early 1970s), most drugs came from Peru or Bolivia. The reason Colombia began to quickly own the cocaine and marijuana industry was due to the country's geographic location. The presence on the coasts of the United States and Europe made it easier to ship products. By the end of the decade, Colombia accounted for about 70 percent of the marijuana arriving in the United States from abroad. Between 30,000 and 50,000 farmers along Colombia's Caribbean coast have come to depend directly on marijuana cultivation for their livelihoods, while at least 50,000 other Colombians, including seasonal pickers, transporters, guards and bankers, lived off it. At that time, marijuana and cocaine were a growing industry and Colombia did not have the best economy, so many people were looking for ways to make extra money. Not having many job opportunities, this pharmaceutical industry has become the first option for many people. With the rapid growth of cocaine in the 1980s, it's no surprise that someone was running a cocaine empire. The Medellin cartel has become the world's largest supplier of cocaine. Within this cartel, the key player was Pablo Escobar Gaviria, who was not only a gifted entrepreneur but also a second-rate liberal politician, a local philanthropist, and an employer of squads tasked with eliminating both troublesome rivals and civil servants whose job it was to enforce the laws. Since Pablo Escobar was already active in the pharmaceutical industry in the late 1970s, he knew how to sell and cultivate this drug. In the 1980s, the total area devoted to coca production increased by 60% between 1983 and 1986, to approximately 25,000 hectares. Each hectare could produce approximately 1.6 kg of cocaine base, meaning that total annual production in 1986 was estimated at 27 tonnes. A more recent drug lord named Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, or better known as "El Chapo", also contributed to the problem of the war on drugs. El Chapo, captured for the third timeon January 8, 2016, was the most notorious drug lord of the time. Leaving his empire behind, his son soon took over. El Chapo was born in La tuna de Badiraguato, Sinaloa, a rural town filled with poverty, violence and struggle. According to Michael Vigil, a former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration official, Guzman was physically abused by his father. With nowhere else to go, he followed his father into the drug business and began selling drugs independently. At the age of 20, Guzman was placed by Baron Hector Luis Palma Salazar to transport drugs from Sinaloa to coastal cities in the United States, as he rose to the top, Guzman became one of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel and quickly became known to the US government. His drug trafficking methods have impressed many. Digging underground tunnels with ventilation and transporting drugs under the guise of other products. El Chapo had very inventive and clever ways of transporting drugs to the United States. Shortly after, in 1993, when Pablo Escobar was killed, the Mexican cartel took over and became America's primary concern. . As Guzman grew in power, he also expanded his market. Guzman then produced cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana and heroin, which were smuggled and distributed throughout the United States and Europe. Poverty played a role in these countries and this could have been a reason why people turned to the drug industry. . These two cartels were created with the main goal of making money. By having money, they have power. It is likely that if the economy of these countries were not so bad, there would be no need to turn to drugs, as they would be financially stable. What has the United States done to solve this problem? The war on drugs has been going on for years, and Nixon initiated the first major federal funding of treatment programs in the United States. Treatment programs were about the only option they had to keep people from using drugs until 1973. It was in 1973 that President Nixon founded the Drug Enforcement Administration. The duty of this administration was to enforce the laws enforced on drugs. They have also brought to justice those who manufacture, cultivate and transport the drug. The DEA was the first major agency to actually begin fighting drugs rather than just providing rehabilitation services. It was clear that the DEA's goal was to keep Americans from using drugs, and to this day, that remains the same goal. Another law passed by Nixon was the Controlled Substances Act. This act is a federal law that regulates the manufacture and distribution of controlled substances. The law classifies these drugs based on their potential for abuse, their status in international treaties, and the medical benefits they may provide. Drugs classified as level one are the most regulated because they have no medical value. The reason they are grouped together is to make it easier for lawmakers to pass laws against them. The DEA is the agency that controls this law and is able to add or remove drugs from the classifications. “Our number one goal is to save American lives…the strategy builds on our current whole-of-government approach that educates Americans. on the dangers of drug abuse, ensures that these struggling drug addicts get the help they need and stops the flow of illegal drugs toacross our borders,” said ONDCP Director Jim Carrol. It is clear that the United States is focusing more on helping people who abuse this drug. If they stop using drugs, the market will collapse and the need for drugs will no longer be necessary. The problem is that many people won't listen and the demand for drugs will always be there. The United States also tries to prevent people from starting drugs. “Prevention messages targeting young people are disseminated via social media and other platforms used by young people.” “The campaign will use data analysis to determine appropriate messages.” This will be used in schools, health systems, religious denominations and social service agencies. This is another way in which the government has tried to prevent drug use which, to my knowledge, has been around for years, but little to no progress has been made in this way. On the official ONDCP website (whitehouse.gov/ondcp/), you can see that they have numerous statements and releases on how the United States funds programs that prevent drug use and find new ways to prevent drugs from entering the United States. It's clear that they don't really care about the countries producing the drugs and finding a way to stop them. This is another reason why I suggest the United States try a new method to solve this drug problem instead of funding programs that haven't really resulted in significant decreases in drug use. International Involvement Portugal, once a country struggling with heroin addiction, may have found a solution to their country's drug problem. Their solution to the problem that helped reduce the number of people using heroin was to decriminalize the use of all drugs. Before that, government laws were similar to those in the United States. They pursued harsh politics, driven by the criminal justice system, and they were considered criminals. Seventeen years later, after the law was introduced, the death rate in Portugal fell five times less than in the United States, which recorded around 64,000 deaths from opioid drugs in 2016. Besides the fall of drug use, Portugal has also seen a decline in HIV cases. The HIV rate fell from 104.2 new cases per million in 2000 to 4.2 cases per million in 2015. Portugal decided to decriminalize all drugs because it did not want to consider drug users as criminals but rather as people needing help. With the help of organizations, Portugal was able to provide clean products to cocaine and heroin addicts and better understand the population. When drugs were decriminalized, it was easier for people to get help because they no longer had to worry about criminal penalties and the stigma surrounding them. “Between 1998 and 2001, the number of people receiving drug treatment increased by 60%... (It is time for the United States to decriminalize drug use and possession). Overall, when the law came into effect, changes happened slowly, but there was an increase in people trying to get help. Although it may have worked in Portugal, it is not certain that the United States will have the same effect. The takeaway from this article is that the United States should stop viewing drug addicts as criminals and instead as people struggling to get back on track. Consequences The United States has very strict laws and consequences when found outto use drugs. When people are found in possession of drugs, it can be divided into two parts. Simple possession which occurs when a person is caught with a small amount of an illegal substance for their personal use. Under federal law, being caught in simple possession is a misdemeanor that can result in up to a year in prison or a fine of up to $1,000. Being caught with drug paraphernalia, such as syringes and pipes containing drug residue, is also classified as simple possession. The second type of possession is possession with intent to distribute. This happens when a person is found in possession of large quantities of drugs. Penalties under the Drug Trafficking and Distribution Act are set when people are caught transporting, selling or smuggling drugs. Drug trafficking is a crime and the penalties depend on the nature of the drugs trafficked, where the person was arrested and the amount of drugs in their possession. “Federal minimum sentences for powder cocaine trafficking involving 500 to 4,999 grams are 5 to 40 years in prison with a fine of up to $5 million. Trafficking in 1 to 9 grams of LSD (acid), 5 to 49 grams of pure methamphetamine, 50 to 499 grams of mixed methamphetamine, and 100 to 999 grams of mixed heroin is punishable by the same sanctions than cocaine. Penalties for a second offense for these drugs range from 10 years to life in prison, with a fine of up to $8 million. what we are doing is not worth it. Even if some people change, no data has shown that there is a relationship between a state's drug imprisonment rates and their drug problems. Pew, an organization that provides information on social issues and public opinion, has researched the topic. On the website they state: "To test this, Pew compared drug imprisonment rates in states with three important measures of drug problems: self-reported drug use. (excluding marijuana) , drug arrests, and overdose deaths – and found no statistically significant relationship between drug imprisonment and these indicators. In other words, higher rates of drug imprisonment did not translate into lower rates of drug use, arrests, or overdose deaths. . In this test, they compared Tennessee and New Jersey. Since Tennessee has a much higher rate of drug offenders than New Jersey, this shows that the state's ranking for drug use is about the same. With no link between incarcerations and drug use in a state, increasing drug charges is unlikely to be a solution to the war on drugs. Current Situations “Mexico is increasing efforts to more effectively eradicate poppy fields, destroy clandestine laboratories, and interdict heroin and other drugs before they reach the U.S. border. The U.S. government is providing training to Mexican law enforcement, analysts, chemists, and military personnel to safely identify and dismantle clandestine drug laboratories that produce heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl…” . Mexico also knows the dangers of drugs and the violence that results from them. Following past and present cartel violence, Mexico is working with the United States to gain more knowledge on how to prevent.