Is the U.S. Winning the Drug War in Latin America - Research Paper Example

CON: No the U.S. is NOT winning the war on drugs in Latin America because… 1. War on drugs has been a waste of precious time and resources that could have been put to better use elsewhere 2. The war on drugs has been problematic for the Latin American governments specifically as they are ones being subjected to mass murders and violence like never before 3. War has led to weakened institutions and social instability in these countries leading to more wiggle-room for these cartels 4. According to the figures, consumption of illegal drugs has steadily increased in the United States.

The United States Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano believes that the war on drugs is a success. According to her "I would not agree with the premise that the drug war is a failure," Napolitano said. "It is a continuing effort to keep our peoples from becoming addicted to dangerous drugs." The U.S. government undertakes this campaign with the help of participating countries, mostly from Latin America. The aims of this campaign are several. Firstly, the American War on Drugs aims to reduce illegal drug trade.

Secondly, their goal is to fight leftist political movements, riots and revolts in other countries. The accompanying laws set out strict policies and rulings in order to put a damper on the production, distribution and consumption of targeted substances. (Grillo and Garcia, 2012; The White House.gov, n.d.) The United States undertook the War on Drugs during the Nixon administration and forty years on it is still raging. It is an extremely controversial operation by the United States on the international illegal drug trade.

The War on Drugs has been on for a long time. And many believe that it is being won too. (Grillo and Garcia, 2012) The American war on drugs is considered a success because it is steadily accomplishing its goals of deterring illicit drugs from entering United States. Even though the act still happens, the border patrol security has been catching criminals in the act which are later tried in the court of law. This has made many drug traffickers move on to different trade as the danger and stigma associated with drug transportation has increased significantly.

The drug trade has many harmful effects on the safety, health and security of the American citizens. (The White House.gov, n.d.) U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials are of the opinion that the current wave of violence in Mexico and other Latin American countries is due to the fact that the war on drugs is creating intense pressures on the drug-related organizations and these come clashing into each other. "If the drug effort were failing there would be no violence," a senior U.S. official said Wednesday.

There is violence "because these guys are flailing. We're taking these guys out. The worst thing you could do is stop now." (De-Cordoba) Drug users put a huge strain on society and cocaine related violence is an example of what it does to drug abusers and those around them. Therefore, it is important to support the war on drugs. It may seem expensive, but the effect of drug abuser on our society’s health is even more costly in the long run. (United Nations, 1994) Compared to 30 years ago, there has been a 46% decrease in cocaine use among young adults in the past five years.

Another facet of this is the education program for teenagers and young adults in which they are educated about the perils of drug abuse. Even though