Who Is To Blame For Colombia's Drug Problem? A Look Into the Mirror

Photograph: Roger Ressmeyer/Corbis

                As the Cold War was ending, the United States’ priority in Latin America shifted from the War on Communism to the War on Drugs. In the 1980s, the United States focused their attention to Colombia, where 90 percent of the world’s cocaine is produced. During the Cold War, Colombia had stayed fairly quiet as the Colombian government was already conservative, anti-communist. Although the United States had not intervened against communist forces in Colombia, that does not mean the communist party was unrepresented. The Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC; Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) were originally the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party. Over time, the FARC became involved with the hugely profitable illicit drug trade. Around the same time, these drugs were sweeping through the United States at an alarming rate. Since the FARC were believed to be using drug profits to fuel their campaign, the United States called for the War on Drugs. It was believed that the War on Drugs would reduce the supply of cocaine and other drugs such as marijuana and heroin, while also inflating prices to unreasonable levels for most people. It was hoped that the destruction of the drug market would help bring an end to the communist voice in Colombia. Unfortunately, the War on Drugs in the United States has largely been a failure. Neither supply, nor prices or demand have decreased as a result of the War on Drugs. In response to the FARC generating revenue from drug trafficking, the right-wing paramilitary groups that rival FARC also began to collect drug money. This bloody conflict was endangering the lives of Colombians who had to live in fear of being killed for supporting one group or not supporting another. This issue hits particularly close to home for me because my girlfriend was born in Apartadó, Antioquia, Colombia and was forced to abandon her family’s home and relocate to Bogotá as a child or be killed by the FARC.

                The United States’ approach to the War on Drugs has been a complete disaster and has potentially created more problems than it has solved. Inside U.S. borders, levels of drug use have not declined. Additionally, millions of Americans have been condemned to prison for often non-violent drug offenses; disproportionately minority. The demand for illicit drugs in the United States is still high, providing incentive to the suppliers in Colombia. As a result, the illicit drug trade has not been much affected by the War on Drugs. The War on Drugs is, however, contributing to the devastation of Colombia and other Latin American countries. As drug profits in Colombia increase, so does the power of the FARC and paramilitary groups, while the Colombian government is stuck somewhere in the middle. The War on Drugs has given power to the drug cartels, the FARC, and the paramilitary groups. Not bound by any set of rules, these groups can be notoriously violent. Collateral damage also occurs to the average Colombian citizen who decides to become involved with the drug cartels. Ordinary people who turn to drug muling because of widespread poverty are frequently obtained and arrested. I believe the United States holds the power to correct this blunder. By ending the War on Drugs, perhaps the United States can help Colombia in its quest for peace as well as improve the situation at home. Other countries such as Portugal have shown that legalization and regulation of drugs can help the government have a control of the situation as well as reduce the demand for illicit drugs. Whatever the solution may be, the first step is to realize that the War on Drugs is not working.

References:

Born In Blood & Fire by John Charles Chasteen

Driven by Drugs: US Policy Toward Colombia:

https://www.rienner.com/uploads/48208845e4df6.pdf

Rethinking the “War on Drugs” Through the US-Mexico Prism: http://www.ycsg.yale.edu/center/forms/rethinking-war-on-drugs.pdf