Andrew Dias | Senior – Communication Arts | adias003@fiu.edu
Let’s consider two instances:
In Country A, there is an official government that outlaws a specific drug because it is a threat to public health. A percentage of that country’s population makes a living by producing and exporting the drug. The country is very poor, so some people trade this product to bring in other forms of capital. The officials are easily corruptible because there are immediate benefits to the illicit trade. The traffickers are well guarded and dangerous, making it impossible for the officials to force them to stop.
In Country B, there is an official government that outlaws the same drug for the same reason. They are a wealthy nation with a lot of capital, and a percentage of their population enjoys using that forbidden drug. Some of the officials know there is a strong demand for this restricted product, but they will not personally break the law because they are already in a good position socially and financially. Further, they are not motivated to eliminate the demand for the drug because they can jail those who are caught with it, which is inherently beneficial to them because it creates a form of slave labor. Then, they are rewarded for their crime-fighting policy when the people re-elect them.
So how do these countries trade with each other?
The answer is somewhat obvious: Country B has its own traffickers who buy from Country A’s producers. We saw the symptoms of this trade over the past weekend when several gangs confronted each other in Waco, Texas and it resulted in the killing of nine gang members. Right now, the largest media networks are reporting the hard facts of the case without really addressing any of the root causes of the violence. Other news sources are critiquing the “mainstream media” for failing to deconstruct the event in the same way that the riots in Baltimore and Ferguson were addressed. They are all sweeping our failing drug policy under the mat.
It is true that the media puts a magnifying glass over violence in minority communities, and the coverage is anything but equal. However, the gang violence in Waco should underline our lack of ability to address our country’s drug problem. In the United States, if you are addicted to drugs, many states will first send you to a treatment program such as AA or NA – programs from the 1930s which essentially try to get you addicted to Jesus instead of your drug of choice. And when that does not work, you end up in prison.
There seems to be a mass effort to draw public attention away from the fact that gangs need people with bad habits (drugs, prostitution, gambling) to be able to sustain themselves. Take away their sources of revenue, and they will no longer be able to afford their bikes, weapons and matching jackets. They will have less reason to organize themselves when there is very little demand for what they offer.
I suggest two solutions, and both are critical to eliminating the violence associated with the drug trade.
The first is some form of legalization, which is necessary to slash the income of these violent distribution networks. Uruguay set the price of a gram of cannabis to $1, and that severely undercut the cartels. Portugal decriminalized drugs, and the street prices of heroin dropped dramatically. The list of examples goes on. This can immediately impact the suppliers.
Legalization, however, will not eliminate the demand for the product, so the other solution that our governments should implement simultaneously is to offer effective drug treatment programs that are accessible to the general public. When society can offer people the help they need, more addicts can move beyond their struggles and lead functional lives. Instead of being behind bars, these people will be free to share their experiences with others to overturn the stigma associated with substance abuse.
In my experiences, I have not met a single heroin addict who enjoyed their lifestyle, and most of them would opt for detoxing if there was some way to get help. The problem is that there isn’t any place they can go to get clean (unless they can pay hundreds of dollars to see a doctor), so they do anything in their power to scrape together a few bucks to avoid the horrors of dope-sickness. As a society, we should not turn a blind eye to addiction, nor should we say “you made the choice and now you are suffering the consequences.” Addiction is a disease that can be managed.
It’s time we fight addiction and prevent gangs from pocketing billions of dollars every year.
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