Beginning the discussion of the War on Drugs with commentary on whether the War on Drugs has been successful, an open ended question which elicited several interesting responses and introduced a number of relevant topics related to the War on Drugs. The economic nature of the international drug trade, and the many problems it contains in relation to the War on Drugs, was discussed at great length. The demand side of the market for drugs, particularly in America and Western Europe, was noted as a serious cause of concern, with the high demand for narcotics leading to widespread addiction and greatly contributing to gang violence in low income neighborhoods, as gangs fight over drug-dealing territory. Subsequently, we discussed the socioeconomic and cultural conditions which contribute to said high demand for drugs and the disparate impact that drug violence and anti-drug laws have on minority and low income communities.
As the discussion progressed, we transitioned to discussing the problems specific to the supply side of the drug trade. The state that opium poppy, papaver somniferum, and coca plants have, for example, as highly valuable cash crops for farmers in Afghanistan and Colombia, among other places, and the impracticality of removing them as means of making a living for the poor farmers who cultivate them. Additionally, the limitations of federal drug interdiction efforts were discussed.
We finished the discussion with an interesting dialogue on the American prison system and it’s pivotal role within not only the War on Drugs, but as a major issues in and of itself. A discussion for another time perhaps?
The discussion was moderated by Professor Shelton and was rather engaging. Thanks for a great talk everyone!