NCJ Number
110336
Date Published
1985
Length
23 pages
Annotation
The Reagan administration's antinarcotics policy is an operational failure.
Abstract
Federal efforts to stop narcotics trafficking began under President Lyndon Johnson. Despite the efforts of several administrations, drug use in the United States continues to mount. The Reagan administration has tried to stop drugs at their source of production in other countries. The administration's narcotics diplomacy has pursued five objectives: (1) drug-crop eradication projects; (2) crop substitution programs; (3) the interdiction of drug trafficking routes; (4) the training, equipping, and advising of indigenous antinarcotics units; and (5) the use of financial subsidies when local resources are insufficient. However, other countries perceive the administration's antinarcotics campaign as an American problem. Additionally, some Asian and Latin American countries are much more permissive of moderate drug use than is American culture. In some instances, governments themselves are officially involved in the drug trade. The Reagan administration's attempt to equate international narcotics trafficking with cold war problems is unfounded. The campaign to destroy drugs at the their source has strained important diplomatic relationships with Third World nations. Finally, American drug abuse is a domestic problem that can only be solved within the borders of the United States. International antidrug crusades will not solve America's drug abuse problems. 47 footnotes.