This month's topic - Has the War on Drugs Failed?

CNN reports that over the last five years an estimated 40,000 people in Mexico have died by violent means, and that the majority of the deaths are drug- and criminal-related. The increase in violence could be attributed to the stepped up pressure by recent international efforts to curb the War on Drugs. However, the government crackdown in... [read more]

This month's topic - Has the War on Drugs Failed?

CNN reports that over the last five years an estimated 40,000 people in Mexico have died by violent means, and that the majority of the deaths are drug- and criminal-related. The increase in violence could be attributed to the stepped up pressure by recent international efforts to curb the War on Drugs. However, the government crackdown in Mexico only seems to have pushed the drug industry further south to neighboring Central American countries. This summer marks the 40th anniversary of America’s “War on Drugs,” and many are beginning to question whether the current policies have been working or whether the international community should try other tactics.

Some proponents for change look to legalizing certain narcotics, believing that fighting a demand-side war on drugs will be more cost-effective that trying to limit supply. Opponents of this idea fear an increase in consumption and question the government’s ability to effectively regulate these newly legalized narcotics. While the current prohibition strategy may be effective in limiting some drug use, the policy is clearly leading to serious governance and security problems in some of the most fragile nations—most notably Afghanistan and Mexico—and is affecting almost every rung of society. Without some kind of change, the world runs the risk of letting some countries fall into a dangerous cycle of poverty and violence with devastating consequences for all participants.

Discussion Questions:

1) Who bears the responsibility for the drug problem— the producer or the consumer?
2) What market alternatives are strong enough to replace an economy of drugs?
3) Would legalization improve the situation?

Articles for Discussion

1) “Half-Baked: The UN’s Annual Global Drug Report” by Stewart Patrick, Council on Foreign Relations, June 24, 2011
http://blogs.cfr.org/patrick/2011/06/24/half-baked-the-un%E2%80%99s-annual-global-drug-report/

2) “The (Other) Longest War” by Robert Valencia, World Policy Blog, July 6, 2011
http://www.worldpolicy.org/blog/2011/07/06/other-longest-war

3) “We Need to Change the War on Drugs” by Walter Russel Mead, The Business Insider, July 11, 2011
http://www.businessinsider.com/ending-war-on-drugs-contrib-2011-7

4) “Why Barney Frank and Ron Paul are Wrong on Drug Legalization” by William J Bennett, CNN, June 30, 2011
http://articles.cnn.com/2011-06-30/opinion/bennett.drug.legalization_1_drug-legalization-illegal-drugs-drug-rehab-center?_s=PM:OPINION


Bring your opinion and an open mind! Doors will open at 6:15 PM, during which relevant articles will be distributed. However, we encourage you to read the articles online beforehand (see above). Introductions will begin at 6:30 PM. Discussion of the topic and articles will begin promptly at 6:35 PM and will last until 8:00 PM.