...The Mexican Drug War: Is It Their War or Ours? A common news headline in any newspaper or on any news channel these days mentions the “Mexican drug war”. It has become common along the U. S./Mexico border to hear people talking about it at schools, work places and in their own neighborhoods - coworkers, classmates and neighbors whom are involved in some way or know someone that is. Violence is seen and heard of on the U.S. side of the border quite frequently, which raises the questions, is it their war or ours? This war may have started on Mexican soil; however, it is, most definitely, the United States’ war as well. How did this all begin? What does the U.S. have to do with it? “For years, Mexico’s domestic supply of psychoactive...
Words: 1815 - Pages: 8
...Justin Cottingham English 101 TTH Mr. Mark Rooze November 23, 2009 Drug Trafficking in the U.S. In the United States, there are two basic roots of evil that inspire more than a majority of all criminal activity, greed and drugs. Money and drugs go hand in hand in the U.S. and many places all over the world. The drug epidemic has been sweeping the world and the United States rapidly. More and more Americans are admitting to using drugs regularly. “An estimated 14.8 million American currently use illicit drugs” (Go). This means there is a huge demand and a wide range of demographics for drug dealers. “The 2004 National Drug Threat Assessment reports that in adults, age eighteen to twenty-five, 15.4 percent report having used cocaine in their lifetime, 53.8 percent report having used marijuana, and 15.1 percent report having used MDMA (commonly known as "Ecstasy")” (Swanson). The U.S. government is spending billions to fight a so called war on drugs. For the past 50 years the drug trade has increasingly grown in popularity. It is the biggest money making industry in the world. It is estimated that the highest annual income is around $400 billion with a gross profit margins of 300 percent, making the drug trade worth more than the annual budget of the U.S. DOD (Department of Defense). The demand for illicit drugs is greater worldwide than the demand for textiles and automobiles. It is said that of all international trade, 8% of that is illegal narcotics, while textiles make...
Words: 957 - Pages: 4
...Research method .................................................................................................. 3 2.2. Documentation of research .................................................................................... 3 2.3. Discussion of the source material .......................................................................... 4 2.4. Summaries ............................................................................................................ 5 2.4.1. 2.4.2. 2.4.3. The Mexican Economy After the Global Financial Crisis ............................................. 5 Inside Mexico’s Drug War ............................................................................................ 5 Drug War - Confronting a shared threat ....................................................................... 7 3. Discussion of the literature on the Drug War in Mexico ........................................ 8 3.1. Characterisation of the topic in relation to the subject ............................................ 8 3.2. Comprehensive discussion...
Words: 3600 - Pages: 15
...RESEARCH PAPER General Topic: America’s War On Drugs Research Paper Question: How is the elimination of Drug supplies going to affect the economies and social concerns involved in the trade? Research Thesis Statement: The total elimination of illegal drugs in circulation will decrease employment in the US and increase unemployment in Afghanistan and Colombia. ABSTRACT: The "War on Drugs" is a campaign undertaken by the Federal government of the US with the assistance of participating countries such as Co lombia and Afghanistan , intend ed to reduce illegal drug trade to curb supply and diminish demand for certain psychoactive substances deemed harmful by the government. This initiative includes a set of laws and policies that are intended to discourage the p roduction, distribution, and consumption of targeted substances. COST: The U.S. government estimates the cost of the War on Drugs by calculating the funds used in attempting to control the supply of illegal drugs, in paying government employees involved in waging the war on crack, and to satisfy rehabilitation costs. This total was estimated by the U.S. government's cost report on drug control to be roughly $12 billion in 2005. Additionally, in a separate report, the U.S. government reports that the cost of incarcerating drug law offenders was $30.1 billion — $9.1 billion for police protection, $4.5 billion for legal adjudication, and $11.0 billion for state and federal corrections...
Words: 2008 - Pages: 9
...Combating the Modern Day Drug Problem Deleasa Bell CRJ.362.01.2138 Drugs & Drug Abuse Arthur Acosta May 26, 2015 Is there a drug problem in our society? You bet there is. Are we winning the so call “War on Drugs”? No we are not winning the so called “War on Drugs”. Should something be done to combat the drug problem that exists in our society? You bet something should definitely be done. In addition to outlining the drug problem in society, this proposal will contrast supply side and demand side as it is related to our society’s drug problem and how we can win the “War on Drugs. The illegal use of drugs and the nonmedical use of prescription medications are increasing, and this is largely driven by an increased rate of marijuana use, a survey shows. The survey on drug use was released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which included about 67,500 people in the U.S. aged 12 and up?Continue reading below... * More young adults aged 18 to 25 are using illicit drugs, up from 19.6% in 2008 to 21.5% in 2010. * Rates of nonmedical use of prescription drugs, hallucinogens, and inhalants are around the same as in 2009. There were some signs of hope in this survey: * The number of current methamphetamine users decreased by roughly half from 2006 to 2010. * Cocaine use also declined, from...
Words: 1814 - Pages: 8
...against illegal drug production and consumption, as well as the war against terrorism has plagued the world for more than a decade. In particular, the United States has faced multiple terrorist attacks and the issues of drugs continues to put a damper on society within the country. The nations of Latin America are greatly affected by the tragic effects that occur within their powerful and influential neighbor. History shows that the nation of Colombia has had relatively friendly and cooperative relations with the United States. In result of the events that have occurred globally and within the U.S., the country of Colombia has vowed itself in alliance to the superpower. The cooperation when it comes to the war on terror and drugs...
Words: 1566 - Pages: 7
...The War on Drugs The “War on Drugs” is a term commonly applied to a campaign of prohibition, military aid and military intervention, with the intention of reducing and eliminating the illegal drug trade. The War on Drugs was officially declared in 1971 by President Richard Nixon and is still very prominent in our society today. The War on Drugs has been studied since its inception and copious amounts of data have been collected from it. The War on Drugs has a long history; since it has been enacted the government has utilized large sums of money funding it, made illicit drug use rise in percentage overall, and created an artificial and thriving black market. There is an ongoing debate on whether the War on Drugs is effective and organizations like the DPA (Drug Policy Alliance) are fighting to change it. However, the Obama administration is continuing the War on Drugs and has changed the name to the “National Drug Control Policy.” The first U.S law that restricted the distribution and use of certain drugs was the “Harrison Narcotics Tax Act” of 1914. This act regulated and taxed the production, importation, and distribution of opiates and Cocaine products. This Act pushed a more restrictive handling of certain drugs that would inevitably lead to the creation of more drug policies and the current drug war. On June 18th 1971, ongoing policies, laws, and counter culture built up and President Richard Nixon declared a “War on Drugs” stating that the drug problem in the U.S. had...
Words: 2694 - Pages: 11
...Beach State College How War On Drugs Effects Everyone Gregory Mullen Police Administration 1 Frank Aiello 4/23/13 There have been many issues of drug trafficking and decriminalizing substances like cocaine and marijuana for many years throughout a lot of countries’. There has been a huge timeline of situations that we have experienced and faced with during the 70s through the 21st century. This information about to be given just shows how easy it is to get mixed in with drugs. The 60s led up to the 70s of drug war conflicts between people in the world. But before the 70s the government just thought of drug use was a social disease and would die out soon enough before it became a problem. In 1971 president Nixon said that drugs were too much of an issue to not recognize it throughout the U.S. so he announced the War on Drugs. That was four decades ago and today it still is a major issue in today’s society and does not seem to be taken control of. He also said that it is “public enemy number 1.” Even though in 1972 the prisoner rate had fallen dramatically throughout the U.S. In 1973 Nixon created the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) which was a statement to put an end to drug trafficking and to enforce all of the public safety departments to start cracking down on this particular subject. The budget in 1973 was 74.9 billion dollars (Drug Enforcement Administration). “By 1975 the Columbian police took 600 grams of cocaine, then the drug traffickers took action and...
Words: 1949 - Pages: 8
...closest neighboring borders within Mexico lie huge drug war problems both nations are attempting to resolve through the use of a variety of different foreign policy including military intervention, sharing of information, and stricter border control. Yet it would seem that all of which have been ineffective in solving the problem and may have even worsened it. These costly and terrible policies are hurting both nations and only tarnishing the...
Words: 953 - Pages: 4
...Mexico's Drug War There is a saying in Mexico that states “Mejor vivir como un rey por cinco años que vivir como laborador por cincuenta” which translates to “better to live as a king for five years than as an Ox for fifty.” This is particularly a famous saying between the poor youth because their opportunities are so limited they believe it is better to be part of the “narcos” and be a “narco king” for a short period than to live a long time as a laborer, worker, or slave. Consequently, throughout the years, drug cartels (the most famous being Sinaloa) have developed across Mexico with the intent of making money by selling drugs; this has caused many encounters with the law, corruption, and death. In addition, Fund for Peace (FFP), a research and educational institution, defines a failed state as a state or country whose politics, authority and economic system is weakened to the point that it is no longer in charge. Although this term has received criticism, it is a term given to define a state that has lost control over its territory, is unable to provide basic public services, and whose government is unlawful at time of making a decision consented by large groups. Mexico is currently under “warning” of becoming a failed state, primarily because of the strong roots that have grown within authorities and the government. It takes a stable country to help a failed state recover from its crisis; a prime example is the current relationship between Mexico and the U.S. however...
Words: 2424 - Pages: 10
...can be changed by legalizing it and therefore taking away the drug cartels number one source of income. The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy ... says that more than 60 percent of the profits reaped by Mexican drug lords are derived from the exportation and sale of cannabis to the American market (Armentano2). It is ridiculous to think that the United States can put out a statistic like this and ignore the fact that if they legalized the drug there would be less violence because there would be no point for Mexican drug cartels to try and smuggle the drug into the U.S. In the article “Blame Prohibition, Not Pot Smokers for Violence in Mexico”, published by AlterNet.org, Tony Newman tells us how the people who run the “Just Say No” campaign against drugs have a new scheme in which they plan to blame people who smoke pot for the violence in Mexico. They are hoping to stop younger people from smoking marijuana if they associate it with the murder of people by the drug cartels in Mexico. There are a few problems with these campaigns: They are inaccurate in some cases, and downright dishonest in others.Office of National Drug Control Policy It is disingenuous to connect the average American's marijuana consumption to the horrific violence of Mexico's drug war. The average pot smoker's growing and purchasing of marijuana has no relationship to the violence along the border that is the result of large-scale drug trafficking. It isn’t hard to understand that the legalization...
Words: 1068 - Pages: 5
...DRUGS ACROSS BORDERS 1 Drug Trafficking At The US/Mexican Border Adrian Bryant ENG 122 Terri Hennessey August 29, 2011 DRUGS ACROSS BORDERS 2 Sections along the border between the United States and Mexico have become so dangerous, due to drug trafficking, that both governments appear to be helpless in their cause to defend themselves against the movement of drugs and the violence that this movement has caused. Mexico's President Felipe Calderon's actions are being challenged by its citizens. In May of 2011 the U.S. State Department advised U.S. travelers to steer clear of 10 Mexican states, including most of the border region and popular vacation sites such as Acapulco and Monterrey (Hsu, 2011). It is the opinion of the researcher that drug trafficking has become so intertwined into drug cartel related issues, that the U.S. and the Mexican government have completely loss the ability to control the flow of drugs or contain the violence's associated with drug trafficking. Both governments appear to be helpless in their plight to defeat the drug cartels leaders or their mission to sell and transport drugs into the United States. The security of the people living on both side of the borders is upmost. Businesses, large and small, need to be...
Words: 1720 - Pages: 7
... Many argue that the war on drugs is waste of time and money but many are forgetting that the war on drugs has been successful in achieving its aims. The war on drugs has the power to diminish the supply of drugs causing for drug prices to increase and by doing the consumption of illegal drugs on the streets to reduce. This paper will present a debate on the affects our society will suffer if the war on drugs is discontinued. The war on drugs needs to continue because by doing nothing people will continue to sell drugs, profit from the drugs sales which in return thousands of people lives and families will be destroyed and our streets will continue to be unsafe for the children. Drugs are harmful to our society they have the power to destroy lives. If government were to legalize drugs and provide treatment for those on drugs the government would basically be telling people that its o.k. to drugs. According to Wikipedia.com “The U.S. government's most recent 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reported that nationwide over 800,000 adolescents ages 12–17 sold illegal drugs during the 12 months preceding the survey. The 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that nationwide 25.4% of students had been offered, sold, or given an illegal drug by someone on school property. The prevalence of having been offered, sold, or given an illegal drug on school property ranged from 15.5%...
Words: 802 - Pages: 4
...The War on Drugs in Mexico: Contributions to Violence and Immigration The United States and Mexico have collaborated in an attempt to lower the rising crime related to illegal narcotics. In chapter four of Global Issues, Local Arguments: Readings for Writings, “Crossing Borders: Immigration,” by June Johnson analyzes the economic, social, and cultural problems with different types of immigration. Laura Carlsen wrote “Why Mexico’s Drug War is Unwinnable,” to argue the war on drugs can be reduced through alternatives strategies than a defense system subsequently causing corruption and brutal conflict. “Violence and Migration: Evidence from Mexico’s Drug War” written by Sukanya Basu and Sarah Pearlman evaluates the impact of the drug war and a...
Words: 911 - Pages: 4
...Mexico’s drug war is a non-stop battle for the citizens of Mexico, the traffickers and suppliers of the drugs for many years. Many rival cartel gangs are in constant competition for different regions of Mexico, which escalates the violence and triumph to an even higher level. The Mexican government and civilians have all been a part of this ongoing drug war, which continues to this day. The government’s goal behind the drug war has always been to put a stop to any drug related violence that carried over from the war for years, more specifically since 2006 when the Mexican military intervention was started. Stripping the drug cartels of their power and control has also been one of the main goals of the Mexican government rather than preventing...
Words: 685 - Pages: 3
