Mexican Drug Trafficking

Words: 1898
Pages: 8

Everyone knows drugs are bad for the body, but not everyone is aware of the effects that drugs can have on society as a whole. In particular, drug trafficking and cartel violence impact the relationship between ordinary citizen and government. In Latin America, the government’s reaction to drug trafficking and cartel violence greatly influences how the public views the government. In Mexico, where government intervention of drug trafficking and cartel violence has much room for improvement, the relationship between government and its citizens is strained. Meanwhile in areas such as Colombia, where the government heavily dedicates itself to countering drugs (and indeed has made progress), the relationship between citizens and politicians is …show more content…
Also originating in the early 1960s Colombian drug dealers entered the illegal drug trade capitalizing on marijuana and eventually cocaine. The road to recovery was long and extensive. While there is no single individual to credit for the gradual elimination of cocaine production and other illegal drug operations, the government deserves praise to have played a large positive role in the fight against illegal drugs (Insightcrime.org 1). Of course even then, the government cannot be credited as the sole source for why illegal drug activity was reduced. Foreign aid from nations like the United States are part of the fuller picture (Insightcrime.org 5). According to insightcrime.org the United States invested over 640 million U.S dollars in the 2008 to Colombia (Insightcrime.org 5). Aid from the United States was not solely out of generosity, but also from a desire to eradicate the global market for cocaine. Cocaine had become rampant in the United States, being abused by more than 21 million citizens in the latter 20th century (Shulman 40). With such a large number of citizens using cocaine, there was no mystery as to why the United States supported the anti-drug movements in some of the countries where these illegal drugs were produced. Illegal drugs are never beneficial to a society because they promote disregard for law. Having 21 million citizens disregard law and having money flow towards illegal cartel activity, the United States had enough incentive to help Colombia stop illegal drug production and trade. Colombia’s government has been combating illegal drugs for nearly fifty years. Colombia’s government took the initiative to act using various strategies to not only eradicate but to also reeducate. The Colombian government used tactics such as fumigation to terminate the coca plant needed to produce cocaine. To further encourage