global drug trafficking and the US
128680
its funny, every place we invade, the drug exports explode. look at vietnam & afganistan.
224107
There cannot be a victory for the U.S. "War on Drugs" until there is intelligent and comprehensive changes to the laws.  But more than that a change of attitudes moving drug use to a medical issue rather than leaving it a legal issue.  Now we criminalize drug use, filling up jails with addicts.  Social costs are extremely high.  If we instituted needle exchange programs, prescriptions for drugs including heroin to addicts who must register, and provided counseling and other support services to users on a multiagency level, then we would see crime organizations go bankrupt because customer base for illegal drugs would diminish, users could pursue a more normal existance, public health costs would go down, and it would steer users away from prison and crime.  check out the "Merceyside Model".
479044
go to this website \nwww.illegalworld.com\nand find it on this website
585157
The largest cash crops are coca, poppy, and corn, and probably in that order.\n\nThe movements of these cash crops are related to drug trafficking and US-subsidized "free trade" regimens.
134302
its not needed all over the world.\njust in those areas where crime is there.
511507
Yes it would probably solve part of the problem.  Because legally constituted businesses could take control of the drug trade then the mafias behind the drug traffic would have a hard time subsisting.
231916
umm because the original crimanals in the war drugs is the usa itself. We made the drugs in labs. Grew them in south america, let them through our borders, then we had to get mroe poilice and jails to fight this problem that we started. What better way to fight a war, when your on both sides of the table.
436292
It is assumed that terrorist organizations get funded by running or by being partnered with drug organizations.  I believe it is also assumed that illicit drugs and guns go together (sell drugs, get money, buy guns?).  I don't have a direct answer for you, but rather food for further thought...\n\nNow, I don't know that I've ever seen a connection actually made, but you can hypothesize that a kingpin in America sells cocaine from South America to the street, then he takes the money and buys black market assault weapons here; THEN, he turns around and sells it to terrorists at a bigger profit.\n\nSo, where do the terrorists get the money to buy the guns in the first place, you may ask?  That's where the second part of your question comes into play.  America is only one market amongst many in the world.  Just because we don't have a lot of opium here doesn't mean it isn't prevalent elsewhere.  Perhaps they sell it somewhere else to get the money to buy our guns?\n\nI'm sure the situation is very complex, and perhaps I have the completely wrong answer, but it's a thought.  Some interesting reading can be found in the link below, but take it with a grain of salt until you find corroboration:\n\nhttp://www.pa-chouvy.org/Chouvy-ChinaEurasiaForumQuarterly-2006-AfghanistanOpiumPerspective.html
57707
Laws about the transportation of controlled substances.
539543
i'm sure some are, but it's not a serious problem like in vietnam.  drugs are available everywhere and someone will be using them.
318728
I agree that a large number of illegals do try to make money off of drugs. and I also agree that they are crossing to make a better life for themselves. With that said they are still "Illegals" which means they have committed a crime and should be sent back and/or punished. There is a legal process they can follow that will allow they to come to America and work legally.
25407
Information you are looking is really hard to find, drugs are illegal so there isn't any legal refrence shows the amount of them, many of them like Amphetamines and LSD are lab products and don't import.\nThere are estimations but most of them are rough.
360011
Major police drives all over the country taking out dealers... Also increased security at air & sea ports because of terrorism makes it very difficult for anything to be smuggled in - bomb dogs sniff out drugs too, and random bag searches have increased a hundredfold.\n\nFresh weed is hard to come by too at the moment but there are bits of homegrown around. The shortage is worse for resin because it has to be manufactured, making it unlikely that anyone will do this if they just grow a few plants.\n\nMy 'friends who smoke it' are having trouble too...
545588
We aren't honest about the problem.  For the most part, this is a national security issue having to do with mexico.  Quite literally, mexico has created a black market industry that rivals oil exportation as its main source of revenue.  This has horrible consequences for both us and mexico.  Drugs have a direct effect on our population but the money sent back to mexico creates a situation where the most heinously evil people have tons of power.  We are seeing the result right now as the mexican government is only a few short steps from being overthrown and being replaced with a communist/totalitarian government fueled by drug money.  Mexico has become the type of place where you are out dancing at a club, minding your own business when all of a sudden a group of gunmen burst in and toss a bunch of severed heads on the stage as a warning to people.\n\nSolving this is quite direct.  Shut down the border and seal it tight.  The methamphetamines issue is even simpler to solve.  Get rid of certain OTC cold medications and it becomes very difficult to manufacture them.
158545
In a small town, a large-scale drug dealer is easier for the police to track down. Plus, without any Internal Affairs branch in so small a town, it's easier for cops to "bend the rules" to make users narc on their dealer. So, individual users have to travel to larger cities to make buys. Sure maybe one person deals to two or three friends, but 99% of the traffic is in the city. And, as has already been mentioned, small towns feel themselves to be above painful reminders that drugs exist, so while there's a comparable number of users per capita, there's less reminder about such things in small towns.
414394
I just attended a lecture yesterday that talked about these very statistics.  Our crime rate is actually going down, but our rate of incarceration is going up.  This reflects the US' "war on crime" and "war on drugs" started in the late 70s, early 80s (Reagan, mostly).  It's because we are taking action and using incarceration as the solution.  To really properly analize these numbers, you also have to look at the crime rates of all these nations (we also score very poorly, there, so you still have a point).  The statistics for african-americans is even worse - something like 6000+ african-american inmates per 100,000.
369951
Well the amount of money in taxes would certainly be a major factor....it's also arguable that crime on one hand would be significantly reduced for obvious reasons (decriminalisation) but then again would there be an increase in users and therefore crime related to obtaining money for these drugs?? Many criminal gangs working in the drug industry would be put out of business and a lot of profits from this activity funds other crimes such as people trafficking. A combination of selling certain drugs through licenced premises and a liberalisation of trade barriers for certain substances could actually benefit certain drug production for some of the world's poorest people.\n     It has been proved with the lowering of cannabis to grade C that usage has actually dropped....maybe an effect of making it less desirable as it doesn't carry the same position in youngsters minds (demand dropping when level of legality falls). Check out New Scientist Magazine for figures.\n    How would nation/ health care react  ...probably extremely negatively and in many cases for good reasons. Could it work? well for such a complicated matter with so many issues it would require a huge cost/benefit analysis and to implement such a system i would imagine is too expensive monetarily speaking. Read a bit of "Mr.Nice" for info on drug trafficking industry and ideas advocating this theory.