Drugs: Illegal Drug Trade and United States Essay

Submitted By mvar0895
Words: 2111
Pages: 9
Open Document
Drug Trafficking in the United States
ENG 122
Amanda Price
July 22, 2012

The scope of drug trafficking is vast and always expanding. Over the years the drug problem has only become a larger problem or maybe it is just talked about more now than it used to be. In the late 80’s and early 90’s there was an abundance of news related to drugs, but what you saw was almost always about Mexico and Colombia and how they were infiltrating the United States with drugs. Watching movies there was a stereotype of what a drug dealer/trafficker looked like and now that picture does not stand the test of time. Drug trafficking is not limited to one type of person, one area or one country it is a worldwide problem and has only grown larger over the years. Part of the problem this day and age is that there is not definitive person that could be trafficking in drugs or even manufacturing them. The soccer mom down the street, the teacher or even the stay at home mom could be part of a drug ring not that they were not before, but now its talked about more than it was in the past. A contributing factor to this is the Internet because methods of production are readily accessible leading to more locally manufactured drugs than there was in years past. There is also not one environment that is affected its not just the slums or projects it’s the upscale neighborhoods, its people who have everything not just people who have nothing. The problem seems to have wider variety of people that are affected by it, but then again maybe it is just talked about more than it used to be. According to David Shirk the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health stated that approximately 21.8 million people over the age of 12 had used drugs since the last report in 2008 (Shirk, 2011). This report just shows that the usage of drugs is not limited to one type of person or area because there is no way that 21 million people come from the same exact circumstances or environments. The Anti Drug Abuse Act of 1988 led to the creation of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas. Research has shown that there are 28 High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas this is up from the five that were identified in 1990(Whitehouse.gov/ondcp). These areas cover roughly 16 percent of all counties in the United States and 60 % of the population (Whitehouse.gov/ondcp).
The countries that have a role in the trade are as diverse as they are widespread. South American drug organizations are known for Cocaine and heroine, Israeli, Russian and the Netherlands drug organizations are known for Ecstasy, and Canada is known for Marijuana. These countries contribute to the problem, but United States also plays a more defined role in the production and distribution of locally produced marijuana, methamphetamine, PCP and LSD. In 2001 approximately 8000 clandestine methamphetamine labs were seized and reported to the National Clandestine Laboratory Database at the El Paso Intelligence Center (www.justice.gov/dea). The amount of labs has gone down in recent years, but they are still a major problem in the United States. There are home labs that people use to manufacture multiple drugs either for personal use or to put on the streets to make money. Some of the drugs that are brought into the United States are Cocaine, Methamphetamines, Heroin, and Marijuana. It is estimated that the United States is the still the largest regional cocaine market in the world with close to 40% of the global cocaine use (World Drug Report, 2010). The use of cocaine has decreased in the United States, but the fact that we still remain the largest consumer is a problem. The use of drugs seems to shift from country to country and region to region, but there always seems to be a market in the United States. People in the United States that use drugs are involved with every drug that comes into the country or is manufactured in the country. In the 90’s cocaine production shifted to
Show More

Related Documents: Drugs: Illegal Drug Trade and United States Essay

Essay on Cocaine: Illegal Drug Trade and Cocaine Production Colombia

of American States Coca and Cocaine Production Colombia Great Valley High School Background: Illegal drug trade is a global black market that makes up approximately 1% of total global trade, contributing an estimated $321 billion a year or more to the GDP. Within illegal drug trade, cocaine is responsible for $77 billion of the total drug trade revenue. (United Nations) The psychoactive drug, made from the treatment of coca leaves, is the most dangerous drug in the amphetamine drug classbecause…

Words 983 - Pages 4

Illegal Narcotics Essay

Illegal Narcotics COM/172 November 8, 2012 Xochitl Tirado Illegal Narcotics Many people do not realize the amount of illegal narcotics entering the United States from Mexico. The illegal narcotics affect many different people and organizations. The illegal narcotics affect every person by their wallet, and the many different types of laws that many people do not agree with. Illegal narcotics entering the United States from Mexico has a great affect on people who use them, and…

Words 1214 - Pages 5

Illegal Immigration: Having A Negative Effects On American Society

Illegal Immigration is having a Negative Effect on American Society There are many problems in today’s time and economy, one role in specific that is taking a huge toll on our economy is illegal immigration; we have too many illegals running around and controlling them we must take stronger steps in taking the pressure off the American citizens. The reason why we need stricter laws and need to take this more serious, is because our population is out of control, ten percent of our population are…

Words 1008 - Pages 5

Prohibition vs War on Drugs Essay

The United States of America©ˆs war on drugs today is very similar to America©ˆs Prohibition of Alcohol in the 1920©ˆs. These two major issues of their time may not seem like they can be logically compared, but statistics for usage and a correlating rise in crime for both eras show a strong relationship. There is also a tendency for an outright defiance of the laws and law makers of the United States government in both cases. Most people today think that the prohibition of the 1920©ˆs and…

Words 2766 - Pages 12

Essay about Aliens Crime Con

Internships Media Audio Video Illegal Immigration: Drugs, Gangs and Crime Posted on November 1, 2007 by Jameson Taylor in Immigration “Not all illegal aliens are crossing into the United States to find work. Law enforcement officials indicate that there are individuals coming across the border who are forced to leave their home countries because of criminal activities. These dangerous criminals are fleeing the law in other countries and seeking refuge in the United States.” Majority Staff Report of…

Words 2666 - Pages 11

The Giver And Nancy Farmer's The House Of The Scorpion

Scorpion connects to the real world through the issue of drug smuggling. In this book, the idea of smuggling drugs to make a profit is one that is clearly brought out. El Patron was a powerful man and a well-known drug dealer. He advised the United States and Mexico that they should both give him some of their land, promising that he would keep the drugs and the drug trading within the area of land that he was given. He told the United States and Mexico that he “would peddle their wares in Europe…

Words 2061 - Pages 9

Essay about Drug Trafficking in the United States

Reducing Drug Trafficking in the United States ****** **** ENG 122 English Composition II Instructor: Michelle Terashima September 17, 2012 Reducing Drug Trafficking in the United States Drug trafficking has been going on for hundreds of years. Throughout this time there has been a problem with drug smugglers crossing particularly over the U.S. and Mexico border. Drug trafficking is a major issue that affects everyone including children, women, and men. Drugs can break apart families, cause…

Words 1916 - Pages 8

Gregory Barajas Sociology 9 Essay

Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations and Globalization What started out as only small scale operations in homes and garages that were intended to support families later turned to greed and larger enterprises to support the enormous demand for narcotics unavailable in the United States. In the late 1970s, Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, a former agent of the Policía Judicial Federal (Mexican Federal Judicial Police – predecessor to Federal Agency of Investigation) and private bodyguard for hire used…

Words 4330 - Pages 18

international drugs trade Essay examples

The International Drugs Trade Notes Globally it is difficult for governments to control drug trafficking. The UN estimates that there are more than 50 million regular uses of heroin, cocaine and Ecstasy worldwide. It is thought that the global illegal trade could be worth as much as $400 billion per year, almost as much as the international tourist trade. This creates employment for thousands of people legally and illegally. How and Where? It could be said to be the largest ‘industry’…

Words 859 - Pages 4

Essay about Cocaine Film Questions

1. What class of drug is cocaine? Cocaine is in the stimulant/amphetamine class of drugs 2. People have been chewing the leaves of the coca plant for centuries with no ill effects, but cocaine is a relatively recent discovery. How was cocaine discovered? Cocaine was discovered from a coca leaf which people chewed on to get a boost of energy, in South America. It came about as a cure for almost all illnesses in the late 19th century; an Italian doctor in 1850 discovered the secrets of the…

Words 641 - Pages 3