International trade in narcotic drugs: Implications for global security

Abstract

This paper gives a compact analysis of the scope and limits of current anti-narcotic efforts, explaining the international security implications of an American-led ‘war’ on international drug trade. An overview of central arguments that support prohibition is provided, with emphasis on the point that distorted information about the addictive potentials of illicit substances has failed to reduce the growing number of new recruits into the drug habit. Factors sustaining the increasingly lucrative drug trade are discussed, together with the sociopolitical problems associated with the use of marijuana, cocaine, and heroin. The paper argues that the drug war is a costly failure; that it fuels social ills which sustain the momentum of drug-related crimes on a world-wide basis. The concluding section presents alternative proposals for future action on the drug problem, including legalization, domestication, and a range of regulatory measures.