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Show The United States' Drug Problem Brandon T. Johnson with high drug trafficking were questioned in interviews by the authorities and they echoed that statement. They did not have negative views of the drug lords and traffickers from their neighborhoods, but thought of them as almost-heroes because of their generosity. They were looked up to because of their wealth and experience. Thus, how is the United States going to get cooperation in trying to arrest such popular figures? Even when the DEA and foreign enforcement agencies are successful in managing to capture drug lords and traffickers, Mexican and Colombian judicial institutions are inadequate to effectively deal with the criminals (DEA 1997b). Many get off without serving any sentence at all. Those who are sentenced to prison usually have their sentence lowered to a ridiculously small amount of years. While in prison, the drug lords are allowed to use pay phones and cellular phones in their cells to continue to direct drug business from prison. Many of the prisons in Latin America are ill-equipped to hold the drug criminals, who can escape easily using sophisticated technology and equipment. What success the DEA and other agencies have had in fighting drugs in Latin America and arresting major drug lords is having an adverse effect. It actually is creating new problems that the DEA is not prepared to handle. In 1995, seven of the eight major directors of the biggest drug cartel in the world (the Cali Mafia) were arrested and sent to prison. American officials thought this would have an impact on the amount of drugs and the price of drugs in the United States. This did not happen. The flow of drugs remained steady and cocaine prices actually have dropped since 1995. Before the arrest of the Cali Mafia leaders, the Cali had a near monopoly on the cocaine trade in the Western Hemisphere. Drug trafficking was very centralized and the U.S. officials had geared their efforts towards that centralized model of drug trafficking. After the arrest of the Cali members, the drug trade became much more decentralized. This has created a major problem for U.S. drug officials because they are not accustomed to. fighting a decentralized drug war (DEA 1996b). They must now change their strategies to fight the new decentralized drug industry. The biggest problem faced by U.S. drug officials fighting drugs on foreign soil is the resiliency of the drug trade (DEA 1996a). No matter how successful, well equipped and efficient the United States is, it never will be effective in stopping the flow of drugs into America. As explained by Christopher Wren (1997, A13), the drug trade survives because it is so flexible. As explained in the previous paragraph, even when the United States succeeded in dismantling the largest drug cartel in the world, the supply of drugs and the price of drugs in the United States were not affected. The flow remained constant. Why? Because there were many other groups and individuals willing to step up and fill the vacuum left by the Cali Mafia. Mexico especially became a major drug trafficker by stepping up its efforts more than it had before (Wren 1997; INL, 1996). And if the DEA succeeds in dis- mantling the major Mexican drug mafias, then there will be other mafias or groups that will take over the business and continue to supply drugs to America. Another example of the flexibility of drug trade routes was when the DEA was successful in stopping the flow of drugs through the Caribbean. The Colombian cartels simply moved their shipping routes to Mexico. The supply remained constant and now the U.S.-Mexican border is where the majority of drugs enter the United States. If the DEA eventually stops the flow of drugs through Mexico then drug traffickers will just move to another route (possibly back to the Caribbean) (DEA 1996a). Trying to stop the flow of drugs into the United States is like trying to hold back the ocean-it always will find a way to reach the shore. The United States' anti-drug agencies may have success in one area for a time, but they never will be able to completely stop the flow of drugs into the United States. As long as there is a demand for drugs there will be a supply of drugs. The money that can be made in the drug industry is too much to pass up for many groups in Latin America. This is the simple economic law of supply and demand. Whenever there is demand there will be supply, and not even the DEA can stop it. Recommended Solutions In the face of this gloomy outlook on U.S. foreign drug policy, what can the United States do? The answer is obvious: reduce the demand. As history has shown, the United States has little control on the supply of drugs. But, the United States can have a big impact on the demand for drugs. In fact, not only is reducing demand for drugs in America more effective than reducing the supply of drugs from other countries, but it is also cheaper. The drug war should not be a foreign policy issue, it should be a domestic issue. It may not be necessary or prudent to completely stop efforts to curtail the supply of drugs from foreign countries, but the U.S. government's emphasis definitely should shift from foreign, supply-reduction efforts to domestic, demand-reduction efforts. Mathea Falco, president of Drug Strategies, said, "After a century of criticizing other countries for being the source of America's drug problem, it is time to recognize that any lasting solutions lie here at home" (Falco 1996, 128). Professor Howard Wiarda, a Latin America and foreign-policy consultant, echoed a similar argument: It is plain from the analysis that no solution will work that concentrates on the international or production side alone. Drug production is too rational from the producing countries' perspective; it is too profitable; too widespread; eradication is virtually impossible, and the influence of the drug lords reaches into too many high places. The solution has to come mainly on the consumption side through education programs, rehabilitation, jobs, and jail for the worst offenders (1996, 236). The United States must accept the fact that the only real 64 |