Drug Trafficking in the United States

Drug Trafficking in the United States

Sharika Stewart

English 112: English Composition II

Prof. Kari Lomanno

December 10, 2012

Drug trafficking in the United States is an invisible war that has been going on for over a century. Throughout those years we have seen limited progress on controlling our national borders, while drugs are still making their way into the United States. Drug trafficking is the most serious organized crime problem in the world today and choosing this topic is more of a personal reason because of all the unanswered questions. With that being said, the problem of drugs will affect all the countries in one way or another. Four presidents, Ronald Regan being the most aggressive, waged a war on drugs. Unfortunately, it is a war that we are losing. Drug dealers now more than ever are occupying our courtrooms, hospitals, and prisons with no sign of a resolution. This paper will show that the war on drugs has caused much more harm than progress. Further, it will explain why all narcotics are not the same, while exploring more options, and analyze the future of the United States.

Stating the facts is the best way to present a paper of this nature. Using opinions and ideas will not get the truth about how terrible drugs are, and how they could ruin the society. Drug trades will continue to cause problems such as, violent crimes that ravage our neighborhoods. Children of drug abusers are often neglected, abused, and even abandoned. The only people that benefit from these horrible situations are the organized crime members and drug dealers, leaving the victims and the community to recuperate. The resolution of this war has been deprived by letting select individuals state their opinions, while straying away from the facts. The elimination of drug trafficking will be beneficial to both people and society as a whole. The cartels & traffickers have deprived people and society of many intangibles, a sense of security being one of those. Citizens who reside near traffic "war zones" are susceptible to acts of violence and intimidation without any affiliation to the cartels. In many cases the citizens become products of their environment and ultimately become pawns in the drug traffickers' deadly game of chess. Cooperation with authorities or law enforcement is strongly discouraged; guilty offenders often pay with their lives (Jon, 2008).

There are multiple way to put a definition on what drug trafficking really is or what it is about. Drug trafficking is a global illicit trade involving the civilization, manufactures, distributions and sales of substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws (UNODC intro). This has become a growing problem in the world today; most people think it is a fast and easy way to make money, but not paying attention to the consequences that come along with the situation. Money serves as a major factor in the war on drugs. The money that results from drug trafficking seems a primary reason why controlling illegal drugs, or banning them in that case, poses as a difficult task. There are many risks when it comes to dealing drugs, no matter what kind of drug you are selling you are liable to end up in jail right along with the murders, and the rapist (Jake, 2006). Drug trafficking is something like a big business. No matter what you are doing it is always somebody has to answer to somebody, something similar to a food chain. That big person may do some selling but to only big time buyers who are willing to spend a lot of money for the drugs they want to sell.

In the drug trade the primary substance that catches the dealer attention is cocaine. Now the difference between crack and cocaine is that one is a rock and one is a powder. Crack is inexpensive, form of cocaine that you are able to smoke and it continues to be sold and used in the most major cities. America's cocaine supply originates from South America. Coca, which is its base name, is in Peru, Bolivia, Columbia, and Ecuador. Also conversion laboratories have been located in Columbia, Brazil and Venezuela. Other South America countries serve as transshipment sites. The cocaine trade goes through multiple phases, such as, cultivation, processing and distribution, and it has expanded since 1984 (President's Commission on Organized Crime, 1986). Since this product has been going on for so long the industry shows no signs of diminishing despite the fact that cocaine supply already exceeds consumer demand. Cocaine trafficking and abuse continue to threaten the health and safety of the American people. According to drug abuse indicators, the use of both powder and crack cocaine has been stabilized. The trafficking, abuse, and distribution of cocaine have changes from the urban communities to the cities and suburban area. This has caused violent crimes to immerse and put a lot of lives and belongings in danger, but it still does not compare to how bad the drug trade had gotten in the 1980s and the 1990s (Michael's House). On the other hand, cocaine use in the United States declined over the past ten years. Gangs such as Crips and Bloods, and Criminal groups such as the Dominicans and Jamaicans dominate the