Meanwhile, there is no indication that the magnitude of the worldwide drug abuse problem is declining. Indeed, there is good reason to believe that the current American approach actually may be exacerbating most aspects of what is commonly identified as the drug problem.
Clearly the time has come for a more rational discussion of our drug policies, to weigh the benefits against the costs. Sixty years ago, most Americans were able to distinguish between the problems of alcoholism and the costs imposed by Prohibition. There are powerful reasons today to apply the same analysis to our drug policies and consider repealing some of the drug laws.
All public policies create beneficiaries and victims, both intended and unintended. In certain respects, the Latin American countries are among the principal unintended beneficiaries of U.S. drug policies. The international demand for illegal drugs such as marijuana and cocaine has proved to be an economic boon for Latin America, and much - although not all - of the economic benefit has derived from the market's illegality.
But the drug market's huge size, combined with its illegality, has generated tremendous government corruption, lawlessness and violence throughout Latin America. In many countries, drug-trafficking organizations, rather than the government, now represent the ultimate national authority. In the United States, one federal judge has been killed in a hundred years; in Latin America, police, prosecutors and judges have been killed by the dozens.
What can Latin American countries do? From their perspective, the most sensible solution to drug-related corruption and criminal activity would be international legalization of the marijuana and cocaine markets.
