SOFTWARE – US administrations come and go, but America’s oppressive drug strategy remains consistent. Ever since President Richard Nixon declared a “drug war” in 1971, the world has hoped for a change in US drug policy with each new administration. Will President Joe Biden’s administration finally abandon the difficult and failed approach of its predecessors?
In the 50 years since the war began, drug trafficking cartels have seldom deviated from its fighting, turning to murder and kidnapping and violently challenging law enforcement agencies. Meanwhile, policymakers have used military resources and tactics to fight criminal organizations, and have spent billions of dollars on law enforcement and prisons.
But not all of these efforts have been beneficial, because the demand for illegal drugs is constant and supply-adaptable. Drug use is linked to people’s circumstances or preferences, so reducing demand through compulsion is a pleasant thought. No country in the last half century has succeeded in eradicating the illicit drug market through enforcement.
My country, Colombia, knows better than any other country how high the cost of a military response to illegal drugs can be. For decades, the United States has been widely promoting misguided policies based on compulsory elimination and mandatory demand reduction across the Western Hemisphere. And many of our neighboring countries’ institutional frameworks have been shaken to the core by pervasive criminal corruption and the collateral damage of civilian security militancy.
Worryingly, countries in West Africa (part of the main global cocaine trafficking route) and on the East African coast (part of the heroin route) are adopting similar drug control tactics. These regions must not repeat the mistakes made in the West, where the consequences of US policy choices include rampant violence and neglect to public health and the rule of law. Of the 50 most violent cities in the world, there are a staggering 42 in Latin America.
Colombia endured multilateral violence for decades, while trying to raise the living standards of its population and establish governance and democratic institutions. The world should understand from our experience that, unlike movies and television series, there are no single heroes to disable transnational criminal organizations. Fighting organized crime requires political will, targeted efforts, and above all, coordination between countries. Violent crackdowns on illegal drugs do not stop the supply, human trafficking or demand constantly increasing.
Against this backdrop, the new US administration fills many with hope. In their campaign platform, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris pledged to end the federal ban on marijuana and not to imprison Americans because of drug use alone.
But Biden and Harris have not questioned America’s use of drug courts, which decide on rehabilitation and probation measures for illegal drug addicts. In what other area of healthcare does a person be prescribed a treatment by a judge rather than a doctor?
We can all agree on the dangers that drinking and drug trafficking pose to our societies. But harm reduction programs and voluntary treatment should be offered to drug users. Problematic consumers need a trusting, therapeutic relationship with a doctor, not a sentencing by a judge.
Therefore, I strongly hope that the new director of the White House National Drug Control Policy Office (US “drug czar”), as well as Secretary of State Antony Blinken and public health leaders, will use the experience and the evidence we now have to promote policies that treat addiction and that address the multifaceted nature of the problem. Finding common ground for cooperation and refocusing law enforcement on criminal elites is essential.
This means, among other things, allowing countries where illegal drugs are produced to decide their policy responses. In particular, they should be able to target law enforcement efforts at violent criminal elites, instead of focusing on eliminating subsistence farmers’ crops or arresting marginalized consumers.
The US Congress, through the Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission, has expressed similar views. International drug policy needs to reaffirm the importance of law enforcement and hard law instruments against criminal bosses and violent traffickers, and shift focus to soft power measures to assist vulnerable populations such as traditional farmers and addicted consumers.
More peaceful, cost-effective drug management requires a new approach based on education, prevention programs, voluntary agricultural substitution and infrastructure development, and partnerships with affected communities. It also calls for comprehensive treatment and harm reduction for problem drug users and information workshops for casual users.
The Biden administration says it will be led by science and evidence. To date, no US administration has wanted to acknowledge the clear indications that the drug war has completely failed to achieve any of its objectives. By reforming US drug policy over the next four years, Biden could chart a much more promising course for us all.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2021.
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