How one renegade country could unravel America’s war on drugs
“This is how the drug war could end. Not with a push from the developed nations that rallied the world into a global effort against drugs. But with a stand by the developing nations that have dealt with the brunt of the drug war’s costs and none of its benefits — and the domino effect that follows.”
It is widely understood that wealthier nations are the consumer countries, while developing nations like Colombia and Bolivia are merely the sources of production, and Mexico, much of Central America, and parts of Africa act as transshipment hubs in the drug trade. Jon Caulkins, of Carnegie Mellon University, immediately acknowledged that he was trying to predict the future…. some of the public health approach could even tap into the benefits of psychoactive drugs… there is a growing body of research that suggests powerful hallucinogens like LSD and magic mushrooms could be used for therapeutic effects that help people deal with anxiety, particularly about mortality and death. Caulkins argued the more likely option is that a Latin American country, saddled with almost no benefits from the drug war yet all the violence it entails, will push to end its own drug war — and even legalize currently illicit substances like cocaine. Fundamentally, the most popular illegal drugs are just crops — marijuana, cocaine, and heroin all come from plants. So there’s really no reason these drugs should cost any more to produce than, say, coffee or tea. And in an increasingly globalized world, one country’s decision to allow a brand new legal market for cocaine could lead to enormous consequences. How could the US, after all, even hope to slow the flow of cocaine if it’s legal directly south of its border?
Original Article (Vox):
How one renegade country could unravel America’s war on drugs
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