Pragmatism: The Missing Link in US Drug Policy

Saturday’s article in the New York Times discusses Friday’s publication of the State Department’s Annual Drug Trafficking report. The fiat is incredibly relevant for many Latin American countries that produce narcotics, as the report is often used to determine whether countries are attempting to eradicate narcotic production which subsequently grants them US federal aid. The article is careful to recognize the difficulty of the “war on drugs” and points out numerous Latin American countries in which despite, major seizures, the drug trade continues to flourish. What I’ve found interesting within US domestic policy is any time a “war on” anything has been deemed in regards to domestic policy, it has never been won. For example, Lyndon B. Johnson’s “war on poverty” did little to solving “poverty” and merely coined a catch phrase (This also has interesting implications for the most recently coined “war on terrorism.”)

Historically, coining any battle with such a black and white term as “war” has introduced a very non pragmatic approach to the problem and seems to be centered on an ad hoc, incongruous response. The illicit drug trade is no different. The article focuses entirely on the supply of drugs and not the demand for drugs. This reminded me of Mexico’s orientation towards the drug trade which tends to emphasize the importance (and lack of) US policy’s emphasis on the demand and the drug filled un salubrious lifestyle which is cultivated in the United States.