WHITE FLAG THE DRUG WAR?

Has the time come to run up the white flag in the drug war? Would this surrender imply total capitulation and defeat to enemy narcolistas and drug states? Have we come to a point in our national experience that we should recognize that our culture today largely is a culture of drugs?

Not open to question is the fact that as a nation we have all been eyewitnesses to the war on drugs. This war has placed us all in the foxholes, on the front lines and in the midst of the battle. In one way or another we have all been wounded and many know personally someone who has perished. In some ways we are a Gold Star nation, mourning the deaths of so many sons and daughters to this omnipresent enemy. Granted, some have been closer to the battle than others but we all have been bloodied.

Look at the amount of money and resources we have plied into this effort. It costs each generation more and more to constantly fund a defensive line that seems to always be eroding. This example brings to mind the "Maginot Line" of the French prior to World War II. Instead of directly attacking that sturdy defense the Germans merely went around it. Today as we place one obstacle after another to stem the drug tide the tide merely seeks a different spot to pour through. Today we commit more resources than ever in this war and to show for it we seem to only have greater amounts of drugs available to those who seek them. There must be a better way. One with results or are we kidding ourselves.

Some may call for more money and resources to be drafted into the war on drugs. Case: Afghanistan. This southwest Asia country has been the center of the world's poppy cultivation for years. Under the Taliban production fell due to religious influence, forced influence we might add. Enter American, German, British, Australian troops and the Taliban is swiftly defeated. Sounds like a victory in the drug war. With all these western troops on the ground the poppy cultivation levels should continue to decrease. So why the record harvest we have today? The growers just decided to grow more. Our influence is minimal. The growers make the decisions. Production is controlled by the producer. They can shrink or grow their product, it appears almost at will, no matter what we through up against them.

This month in Colombia the head of that country's largest cocaine cartel was arrested by troops whose equipment and training is provided for by the United States. It has been reported that his organization controls 70% of the cocaine entering America. Does anyone believe that his absence as leader of the cartel will be reflected in a 70% decrease in cocaine shipments? Does anyone believe that this will effect the situation at all?

The exporting of cocaine from Colombia is not driven by personality, it is driven by the same demands that drive business. Imagine asking any oil rich nation to stop exporting oil. Ask the same of a narco-state. They will not and up to now cannot. These exports, illegal as they may be, fuel the economies of these states.

If we cannot control the production and exporting of these drugs and our defenses are proven ineffective do we just say no to the drug war and wave the white flag? Is there any other way to meet the goals of the drug war? For that matter what are the goals of the drug war? It does appear that a major battle in the drug war may have been lost but is this cause for surrender? (To be continued)