International Drug Trafficking
Introduction
Global drug trafficking gained popularity after some mostly abused substances, such as marijuana, were illegalized. This was followed by the world declaring war on drugs as mitigation measures to curb the supply and consumption. However, there has been very little success in controlling drug consumption, with the illicit business attracting violent traffickers who are said to have taken the industry hostage. It should be noted that this business is valued at around $500 billion annually, which has enabled it to remain relevant for almost five decades now. Also, it should be noted that several interconnected stages are involved in the global drug market, from cultivation to consumption. Research shows that drug trafficking is the most dangerous phase of the illicit drug market. It is indicated that hundreds of people are murdered weekly in incidents directly involved with drug trafficking (Jenner, 2011). Drug use has negatively impacted the international community as well as individual lives. Despite the stringent measures put in place by the international community, the global drug market is far from being controlled. This, therefore, means that we continue to feel the impact of the trade longer.
Thesis Statement
This paper explores the most probable international measures and interventions to curb drug trafficking and substance abuse.
Background Information
The global drug trafficking trade has been in existence for over forty years now. As globalization plays a significant growth in world economic growth, it has also played a role in developing the illicit drug business. Measures put in place to curb the growth of this business have not had any significant impact on its reduction. With the drug trade being illegal, the traffickers continue to reap high by using violent means to ensure that they continue to thrive. The violence of these traffickers leads to hundreds of deaths weekly. If the substances were to be legalized, drug trafficking would lose relevance since they would be readily available to people with less restrictive measures. Prohibition of drugs such as marijuana and cocaine paves the way for an underground blackmarket. The risks involved in producing and distributing drugs, such as incarceration, increase these products’ costs since caution must be taken by producers and suppliers to avoid detection and arrest (Jenner, 2011).
Drug trafficking cannot, and consumption cannot be isolated from globalization. As structural adjustment programs run from the developed countries to developing countries in accompaniment with other forms of aid, so does the illicit drug trade flow. Drug trafficking also involves three levels in its supply chain, countries of production, countries of trans-shipment, and countries of targeted consumption. When it comes to illegal drugs, developing countries are mainly involved in the production and trans-shipment continuum, while legal drugs flow oppositely (Singer, 2008). This has led to continued consumption of illegal drugs among the developing countries, which have very little information on the negative impacts of these drugs on their health and social life. For this reason, countries such as Tajikistan, a trans-shipment country of heroin from Afghanistan, with 900 heroin users per 100,000 population, have over 80% poverty levels. Legal drugs such as tobacco products and alcohol industries have caused similar or worse problems in developing countries. Although tobacco is known to have adverse effects on health, its promotion had been widely accepted. However, developing countries have begun to put in place measures to restrict tobacco advertisements. Other illegal drugs such as cocaine and heroin have affected the youth, the productive population in developing countries, which reduces the economic growth ability of these countries. Also, diseases such as HIV/AIDS and mental health issues in developing countries. For example, in 2005, there were over 4 million new HIV/AIDS cases while over 3 million people died of AIDS-related complications (Singer, 2008). This means that developing countries are the worst affected by the global illicit drug trade. Therefore, international interventions put in place have to address this issue with developing countries as a major target to curb the vice.
The illicit drug market has mainly caused increased border security issues between the United States and Mexico. Drug activities have in turn, led to many other related criminal activities that seem to threaten the security of the United States. The ballooning effect in Mexico is shifting the drug market to other countries in Central America, which leads to further crimes and violence. The Mexican population is also very highly affected. For example, a survey in an emergency room in Mexico showed that 7.5% of the patients reported illicit drug use during the preceding twelve months. In the United States, 54,000 discharges in New York State were related to drugs (Puyana, 2017). These are some examples as to why there is a need to control the international illicit drug market.
Solutions
One of the most effective measures to curb drug trafficking is to provide more support to drug interdiction than the one-size-fits-all approach to the issue. This means that fighting the illicit drug market should be customized and adjusted to fit the specific countries and trade routes that law enforcement agencies want to focus on. There is need to work with the available resources to achieve the results. If they have limited resources, they can base their interventions on countries with high betweenness scores or those that play the gatekeeper roles in the drug trafficking supply chain. Degree-based interventions are also highly effective in disrupting international drug trafficking. For this to be efficient, there is also a need to identify the specific countries, which, if targeted, would cause the maximum possible disruption in the drug trafficking supply chain between production and consumption. For example, studies show that allocating enough resources to Spain could cause the most significant disruption in cocaine and heroin drug trafficking (Giommoni, Berlusconi, & Aziani , 2021). If similar strategies are embraced globally, the war on drug trafficking will pick an upward trajectory.
Another way of disrupting the international drug trafficking trade is global legalization. As earlier indicated in the discussion, the prohibition of these drugs acts as a catalyst in building up the market and increasing the cost of production and purchase. As a result, it attracts criminals, incentivizes violence, and makes the drug trade one of the most profitable businesses in the world. Legalizing the drug trade should be in all aspects, ranging from production to consumption, which will lead to immediate benefits being experienced. A legitimate market will lead to civil litigations and settling of issues, reducing violence associated with drug trafficking (Jenner, 2011). If this is properly implemented, it will greatly serve in controlling international drug trafficking.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the illicit drug trade has negatively affected populations worldwide, with developing countries being the most affected. Poverty and other health issues among the people are some of the effects of legal and illegal drugs. Despite the various measures that have been put in place by the international community, the trade continues to thrive and is characterized by violence. Therefore, there is need to rethink the stringent measures in place and implement those that will disrupt the trade rather than fight drug traffickers directly.
References
Giommoni, L., Berlusconi, G., & Aziani , A. (2021). Interdicting International Drug Trafficking: a Network Approach for Coordinated and Targeted Interventions. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research.
Jenner, M. (2011). International Drug Trafficking: A Global Problem with a Domestic Solution. Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, 18(2), 901-929.
Puyana, J. C.-R. (2017). Drugs, Violence, and Trauma in Mexico and the USA. Medical Principles and Practice, 26(4), 309-315.
Singer, M. (2008). Drugs and development: The global impact of drug use and trafficking on social and economic development. International Journal of Drug Policy, 19(6), 467-478.
