Voices from Latin America is a project of the Democracy Center and our friends both North and South to bring Latin American perspectives into the U.S. debate.

The ABCs of the ‘War on Drugs’

The drug trade – and the policies that to try to limit it – have far-reaching impacts in both Latin America and the United States. Over the last twenty years, U.S. politicians have responded to growing drug abuse at the local and national levels with increasingly draconian legislation. Collectively, these measures have become known as the ‘war on drugs.’

In the United States, those policies have focused on the link between drugs, gang activity, and crime, emphasizing punishment over treatment. Mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses have been put in place, leading to an explosion in the number of people incarcerated nationwide. Racial disparities in drug sentencing, particularly in crack vs. powder cocaine offenses, also stem from ‘war on drugs’ policies.

The Latin American countries where illicit drugs are produced and trafficked – primarily the Andean region of South America and Mexico – have also been the targets of the ‘war on drugs.’ Most of the attention in the U.S. has focused on cocaine coming from these countries, although significant amounts of heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamines are supplied through Mexico as well. With the goal of cutting cocaine supply, the U.S. Congress has enacted policies to eradicate the production of coca, curb cocaine production in overseas laboratories, and seize shipments en route. The premise was that the price of illicit substances would rise and lead to decreased consumption, though the reality has been far different.

Through the ‘war on drugs,’ the United States has become increasingly involved in Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru, where coca is grown both traditionally and for the cocaine market. The U.S. Defense Department provided Latin American militaries and police forces with U.S. economic assistance, training, and intelligence and logistical support to carry out counterdrug initiatives. Despite initial resistance from governments in the Andean region, Washington used its political muscle to ensure compliance and annual “certification.” Countries that were not certified faced a range of sanctions, including a cut-off in U.S. financial assistance, no votes on loans from multilateral development banks and discretionary trade sanctions.

Facts about the ‘war on drugs’

The United States is the largest consumer of illicit drugs in the world.
2/3 of U.S. funding for drug control programs has gone to programs to limit supply, only 1/3 has gone to programs to limit demand.
The United States has spent $40 billion on drug control abroad over the last 25 years.
The number of people incarcerated in the United States has increased six-fold since 1980.
Drug arrests have more than tripled in the last 25 years.
Drug offenders make up more than half of all federal prisoners.
Nearly a half-million individuals are in prison or jail for a drug offense.

The debate over the ‘war on drugs’

The debate in the United States usually focuses on the domestic side of the issue, where drug use is often linked with crime and gang activity. Policies at the local level are often a response to public outcry over safety. However, both at the local and national levels, there are strong disagreements on how to best address the issue. Some argue that harsh penalties for drug users and dealers are necessary to deter illegal behavior and keep communities safe. Others point to the overburdened prison system and argue that prevention efforts, drug treatment programs, and rehabilitation centers are more effective ways of resolving the issue.

The international component of the war on drugs, however, also provokes significant debate. Some argue for increased (or sustained) military aid in cocaine-producing countries – focusing on forced eradication, spraying herbicides, and quotas needed for “certification” – numbers of drug-related incarcerations, hectares of coca eliminated, etc. Others argue that those methods are not effective and that quotas lead to human rights violations and wrongful imprisonments. They focus instead on comprehensive development programs to increase the income level and standards of living, eradication efforts implemented in collaboration with local communities, and developing alternative markets for coca to siphon off supply.

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