Introduction
Drug dealing is the most hazardous part of the illegal drug business. Every day, millions of kilos of illicit narcotics leave the possession of violent smugglers and enter the hands of drug consumers and dealers worldwide. Per week, hundreds of homicides are directly tied to human smuggling. Despite several international initiatives to stop drug distribution, it has only resulted in sporadic consequences. Although initially seeming paradoxical, legalization may offer a viable framework for disrupting the global market and addressing the drug trafficking issue.
The History of Drug Trafficking and why it is a Societal Problem
The drug business has existed in the United States since the late 19th century. Numerous narcotics, including cannabis, opium, and coke, have been illegally bought, vended, and distributed across the United States and many other parts of the world (Lawler, 2018). When Chinese refugees began migrating to America in the early 1800s, Americans were already introduced to poppy use. Opium was frequently obtained, retailed, and disseminated throughout the region. Opium caves, where the drug could be bought and sold, originally appeared in Californian communities before swiftly expanding to North Jersey and other towns. It took little time for Americans to start experimenting with medicines similar to opioids.
The Harrison Amendment of 1913 forbade the use of cocaine and heroin for non-medical reasons, yet these illicit drugs were nonetheless widely used. Back heroin business was founded in New York’s Chinatown in 1923. In the United States at the time, there were around 100,000 heroin addicts. The distribution of opioids took place during the Swing Era of the 1920s and 1930s. Cannabis also gained popularity during this time as a recreational substance in many areas. In addition to trafficking and distributing illegal drugs, American criminal enterprise groups were involved in other unlawful operations, such as gambling and stealing. These organized organizations made it feasible for future drug organizations to use drugs as their principal source of income. The Italian mafia participation in the narcotics trade was referred to as the “French Link” since New York smugglers frequently intercept Turkish hemp shipments from Bordeaux and Lyon, France.
Because of the USA’s involvement in the Vietnam Conflict, heroin trafficking into the nation rose between 1963 and 1970. Drug usage was common among Vietnam War soldiers. Data from 1971 showed that 15% of today’s soldiers were heroin addicts, with a more significant number abusing cannabis or other drugs. The proportion of heroin users in the U.S. rose to 720,000 throughout these generations. In the mid-1980s, illegal cocaine distribution became a substantial global stream of wealth. The Colombian Crime syndicate began operating an established group of drug traffickers in Medellin.
In the late 1950s, the illegal coca market expanded considerably and became a severe global cash stream. The Medellin Group, a well-known organization of narcotics dealers and traders in the Colombian city of Medellin, began operating around this time. In 1975, Colombian officials removed 600 kilograms of heroin from an airliner. In retaliation, a drug dealer massacred 40 individuals throughout one Saturday, a crime that got famous as the “Medellin Holocaust.” The incident started years of unrest, including killings, abductions, and raids. The Medellin organization made up to $80 million daily in cocaine earnings at its height of power. Significantly, the United States and Colombian Governments adopted a formal extradition request in 1980. The accord became a severe source of concern for smugglers in Columbia.
Manuel Fonseca of Panama let Escobar, the drug dealer from Colombia, transport coca through Nicaragua in 1981. Vice Chairman George Bush established the Central Florida Narcotics Task Team to fight the drug trade via Miami, where trafficker-related homicide gradually rose. A Florida government grand jury prosecuted the Medellin drug cartel’s top execs in 1983 after discovering the organization’s activities in Panama. American embassy personnel, their spouses, reporters, and businesspeople were all on the Medellin drug cartel death list, according to information obtained by U.S. authorities a year afterward. The Colombian Federal Police apprehended Carlos in 1986, and after his extradition to the U.s, he was given life imprisonment with no possibility of release plus 135 years.
Numerous societal and ethical issues are brought about by drug usage and abuse. The intricacy of these issues is exacerbated by conflicting views in modern cultures on drug use. Numerous factors, including cultural, religious, and personal opinions, can influence principles. Disputes over various drug-related topics can result from profound variations in viewpoints and morals within a specific society. Drug misuse has been prominent in mainstream awareness since the 1960s (Rees, 2017). Activities and initiatives aimed at informing the community about the risks of drug usage and how people and society may deal with drug-related issues have significantly impacted this increased understanding of narcotics and their effects. The debate over legalizing currently illegal substances is among the most contentious problems surrounding modern drug misuse. Narcotics in athletics are an essential topic of concern since they might convey contradictory meanings to young people who look up to renowned players.
The Proposed Solution: Universal Legalization
The worldwide regulation of all aspects of drug smuggling, including its manufacture, transportation, and usage, is the most effective strategy for tackling the communal difficulties it poses worldwide. Most international and local preventive initiatives have shown to be ineffective in addressing the drug trade’s short- and long-term effects. The author claims that drug prohibition enhances corporate profit margins. Due to the globally inelastic market for medicines, it is highly likely that their manufacturing, dissemination, and usage will continue. Based on the sector’s capacity for self-sufficiency, the difficulties connected with this global social issue will only worsen.
Due to the rise in manufacturers after legalization, the drug smuggling sector would see a decline in revenue. Profit ratios will decline as a result of this initiative. The drug dealer will leave the marketplace after making only modest gains to concentrate on other possibly lucrative and illegal income initiatives. The likelihood of these other unlawful activities succeeding will be reduced since the drug trade significantly fuels other illegal industries, including extremism, human smuggling, and the illicit weapons trade. For example, illegal expenditures in the drug business frequently support criminal groups who buy weapons on the black market and develop terrorists. A significant benefit of the fight against terror is that various other criminal enterprises are expected to suffer due to the restricted earnings from the global liberalization of illicit narcotics (Morse, 2022).
The marketplace for pharmaceuticals will continue to be supported by consumer demand even though business revenues won’t immediately disappear. The drug business will eventually resemble other legitimate sectors, though. Local governments will be able to regulate their drug markets this way and suppress demand concerns as they see proper.
Those who support global legalization typically defend their position from a home perspective. They argue that legalization can reduce crime rates, reallocate police personnel, and free up jail space. The drug business as we know it may end because it would stop making money for the company and violent traffickers. Nevertheless, these articles primarily emphasize local issues, which have little influence on the fight against worldwide drug smuggling. The point of international drug trafficking must be solved to reduce the limitations that come with it (Mackenzie, 2020). A worldwide viewpoint, not just one focused on the home market, should be used to evaluate the advantages of liberalization.
However, some intellectuals advocate liberalization rather than the legalization of illicit drugs. Legalizing drugs would still open a door for the trade of illegal substances and other vices. Therefore the results would differ from those of legislation of the same. There might always be opportunities for significant profit advantages, encouraging self-help ruthlessness. Additionally, the drug market would continue to be highly profitable for criminal organizations in nations like México and Colombia, which are centers for narcotic crimes.
Ethical Outcomes of Universal Legalization of Drugs
The notion that narcotics use is unethical and violates social norms is frequent. The evil nature of drug use, transportation, and manufacture is linked to how drug barons run their operations. People in the community tend to stink into the profitable drug trade even as the drug war threatens its viability. It has detrimental effects on society, for instance, losses of life and other societal issues, such as rising violence rates and an elevated financial burden. This forces local and global authorities to take action to reduce the consumption of these illegal narcotics. According to research, the United States uses around 15% of the illicit drugs trafficked into society, mainly from Mexico (Passas, 2019). This strains the nation’s civil security authorities and socioeconomic stability, just like in other countries worldwide. Thus, widespread internationalization will exacerbate societal issues, including increased consumerism, drug misuse, and unethical behavior.
On the contrary, proponents of banning contend that doing so will undermine the ethical claim to the property. Although this one dropped well short of the goal, the situation with the most restrictive laws was noted in a 1926 Chicago Medical Literature remark, which illustrates this (Juarez et al., 2019). So far, instead of slowing down traffic, drug dealers are now taking advantage of the sad, helpless people they feed to increase their income. The medical professional who requires drugs used rationally to treat and ease human suffering—finds himself in a pickle. Accordingly, conferring to the virtuous possession ethical theory, making all drugs legal will distribute ownership to every individual and significantly impact social safety. It will also reduce government spending and give the regime more power to regulate its use and consequences, thereby reducing the wickedness of narcotic use.
Conclusion
In conclusion, domestically and internationally, the campaign on narcotics has been a colossal failure. The minimal effectiveness of bans can be attributed to problems like their inability to prevent the most desperate abusers and addicts, who are the ones who require it. From the talks above, three key elements stand out with great importance. First, the battle against substances cannot be won by national and international restrictions alone. With fewer competitors, the market will still be more robust, and the opportunity for increasing profit ratios will remain to open. Second, the worldwide liberalization of narcotics is more ethically sound as a basis for execution than global drug prohibition.
References
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Lawler, A. (2018). Did ancient Mesopotamians get high? Near Eastern rituals may have included opium and cannabis. Science, 30–39. Web.
Mackenzie, S. (2020). Drug trafficking. Transnational Criminology, 3(35), 21–36. Web.
Morse, J. C. (2022). The FATF’s fight against illicit financing. The Bankers’ Blacklist, 7(45), 52–85. Web.
Passas, N. (2019). Trade and illicit flows. The Handbook of Global Trade Policy, 7(39), 251–268. Web.
Rees, M. J. (2017). How relativistic astrophysics has transformed since the 1960s. The Fourteenth Marcel Grossmann Meeting, 9(24), 45–65. Web.