Einstein and Drug Trafficking

Central America's fall into the hands of drug traffickers makes the following quote seem true: "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Friday, November 13, 2015

EDITORIAL

Although their rulers deny it, Central American countries are losing the war against drug traffickers. In some it is happening faster than in others, and in all of the nations on the isthmus violence associated with drug trafficking is growing, and it is becoming increasingly apparent that mafia power has infiltrated public institutions and private organizations, through bribery, and also through terror.

Who dares to face the person who says "Take the money and get shot, you and all of your family."? None of the Central American governments have the real power to provide security for the growing number of its citizens who -bribed or coerced - act or fail to act for the benefit of drug traffickers. That is the reality, and it is remarkable how rulers (those who hold positions, the "ex"´s recognize the problem) claiming that "everything is under control", while offering no new solutions to the problem, providing only more of the same: a war on drugs which tries to enforce the prohibition of drug use.

Alejandro Abarca´s analysis on this topic on Crhoy.com demonstrates the clear failure of the drug prohibition policies in preventing consumption, and the cost, both in terms of violence and social and economic degradation, of the war on drugs, which the Central American nations are losing, despite their pyrrhic victory chants when a shipment of narcotics is captured.

Respecting the logic of Einstein, a different approach to the problem is needed . And it needs the participation of leaders in society, primarily businesses, in order to stop the spread of drug traffickers, so as to avoid -sooner or later - facing the dilemma: "Either take the money or get shot, you and all your family. "

Central America can no longer tie itself to the drug policy of the United States, which places conditions on economic "aid" and alleged favoritism in trade for countries in the region, maintaining a war that is literally causing hemorrhage, while compromising now depleted hopes as well as socio-economic development.

"... A report entitled 'One Hundred Years of Drug Control' by the UN recognizes that the international drug control system has not solved the problem for which it was created, this is a clear sign that the worldwide drug policy must be reconsidered. As Milton Friedman once said, public policies should be evaluated on their results, not intentions. "

See full story: The ignored solution: the legalization of drugs , by Alejandro Abarca.
See: 'It's time for Costa Rica to worry' says Colombian judge Yaslin Cabezas.

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More on this topic

Business, Marketing and Drug Trafficking

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The complexity of drug cartels' internal structures, their strategies of "marketing and customer service" and the way they operate increasingly resemble those of large global corporations.

How are the Coca-Cola and McDonald's corporations similar to drugs cartels? Of course the products they sell are completely different, but the way the three try to position their products and brands, increase their market share and increase profits to generate more dividends to their shareholders, is almost the same.

Central America: Drug Traffickers Rise to Power

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The unprecedented increase in violence in Costa Rica, once an oasis of peace in the region, is another sign of the failure of the traditional methods of fighting drugs.

EDITORIAL

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Eventually the U.S. Will Legalize Marijuana

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Sooner or later, the growing momentum in all of the States of the Union to legalize marijuana will motivate the federal government to remove the ban on its use.

EDITORIAL

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In the U.S. the number of people over 12 years old who use drugs increased from 5.8% in 1991-93 to 8.9% in 2008. In Mexico the war on drugs has killed over 50,000 people over the past 5 years.

Juan Carlos Hidalgo wrote an article for Nacion.com in February 2012. His approach, denouncing the harmful effects of drug prohibition, was based on a proposal by the President of Guatemala, Otto Perez Molina, to legalize drugs as a means to combat drug trafficking.

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