The Global Threat Of Drugs

TABLE OF CONTENT Page #

o Introduction 3-4

o Thesis 3

o Economic Effects of Drugs 4-6

o Drug Impact on Society 6-7

o Drug and Organize Crime 7-9

o Conclusion 9

o Reference 10

Introduction

One of the major problem that is effecting our world in the past few decades are Drugs. There are many types of drugs in our world today some are legal and others are illegal but we all known for sure that drugs are substance which can greatly affect the way our mind and body works, but not only that they have also began to shape how our society and our economy has developed over the past few years. Also in our current world society because of increase in drug trafficking, they have started to proven themselves as a vital economic resource for some developing countries, while having a negative impact on society of develop countries, and they have also been linked towards funding gang and terrorists related violence around the world.

Furthermore because of an increase in illegal drug trade world wide which is consisting of cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of illegal drugs, authorities and law makers of each countries have not yet found a solution to solve this problem. Even though some countries are making efforts to combat this growing epidemic like the U.S which is a major victim of drug trade, it is having little or no effect toward stopping the flow of drugs. Also since most law makers can only fight the problem domestically (like in U.S which in February 2002, unveiled a new National Drug Control Strategy), it does not have a great impact on the flow of drugs international, since companies like tobacco industry can sell their product to developing countries where they have no laws for producing or selling of illegal or legal drugs.

Also, even though U.S may have taken the lead both in addressing the drug trade itself and in signing bilateral agreements with other nations to combat it; however, “real international cooperation began only with the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which put a banned on wide range of drugs world wide. Then in 1991, the UN established International Drug Control Program (UNDCP) which helped UN to coordinate drug control activities” (Library of Parliament 78-83), and to serve as the focal point for fighting against Drug Abuse. Also in Canada which has followed the U.S. approach to the international drug trade; it has devoted more resources to treatment than to enforcement. Canada’s National Drug Strategy, launched in 1987 and renewed in 1992 and 1998, emphasizes reducing demand and increasing the number of effective treatment programs, it focuses on the abuse of alcohol and pharmaceuticals as well as street drugs. Also because of illegal drug sales in Canada, which have significally increased over the years, and have “generated profit between $10 to $12 billion a year” ( Library of Parliament ), the government of Canada is force to make new laws like the Bill C 24 (an act intended to provide law enforcement officials with the tools necessary to combat against drug trafficking and the various social problems that normally accompany it) to combat this growing problem.

Economic Effects of Drugs

Even though an increase in Drug trafficking have greatly impacted the world negatively, but it has also become a vital resource for economic development in some developing countries. In Afghanistan for example opium trade has become a vital source for economic prosperity for farmers who are very poor, and looking a way to survive. It has been estimated that “Afghanistan provide more then 50% of the world opium”(World Bank) which is used to make heroin, and it generates more then billion dollars in profit, but “more than 95 percent of the revenues generated by this lucrative contraband accrues to business syndicates, organized crime and banking and financial institutions” (Chossudovsky 31-32) and small percentage goes to the farmers. Also because of growing poverty, and an increase in terrorists activities in Afghanistan, opium production continues to grow as it show on the graph, opium production had reached 6,000 metric tone in 2006 is still is increasing today, and one main contributor to that is the war in Afghanistan. Even though U.S government have provided Afghanistan government more then billion dollars to deal with this growing problem, but most of that money have gone towards security for the production of opium rather then try to combat it, and because of that it has become the country's largest source of export earnings, and comprises a major source of income and employment in rural areas

Furthermore, not only Afghanistan economy has been affected by this drug trafficking, but other economies as well for example in Colombia which thrives on cocaine production, “provides 90 % of cocaine used in U.S and 50% of heroin”( New York Times 8-9). Also since “cocaine business in Columbia exports 70 to 80 % of its total production world wide”( Trade and Environment Database), it employees thousands of people in Columbia ranging from the farmer in the field to irregular troops, chemists, lawyers, and other professionals, and it “generates profit high as $7 billion a year”( Trade and Environment Database), and even though cocaine is illegal in Columbia, government has little or almost no power to combat this growing problem because the “cartels have spent over $100 million on bribes towards Colombian officials yearly, according to estimates by U.S. law enforcement officials”( Trade and Environment Database). Even the governments past efforts like cutting down or burning cocaine fields (which produce a lot of pollution) have failed miserably because the cartels usually relocate their production farms in the mountains where it’s hard for authorities to get them or find them and start producing cocaine again.

Drug Impact on Society

Also because of an increase in Drug trafficking, it has greatly impacted

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