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'The first victim in every war is truth,' it also applies to the US led global 'War on Drugs'. Based on the fanciful notions that America's drug problems can be solved overseas with that injection of US military and aid - 'war against drugs' was introduced but only to serve US political agenda, undoubtedly, coded 'lose-lose.'
This continuous unmoved approach towards the peril (drugs) for the last forty years that has now collaborated with the evil (terror) is approaching its ugly height with new hub being established in West Africa. In this part of the world where most of the countries are racked by poverty, coups, political unrest and has a coastline full of uninhabited islands, creeks and swamps, only provides the perfect cover for smugglers.
The increasing use of West Africa by Latin American cocaine traffickers to get their wares into Europe provides us with another example of failing 'war on drugs' policies for the past 40 years. It only appears that many of those responsible for international drug policy are not asking themselves whether or not the methods used to combat drug trafficking over the past 40 years of the drug war are working or not.
Drugs are increasingly becoming priority for Africa and the international community is the one responsible. These extremely poor countries are demanding for funds to pay the police who fall short of petrol in their cars while chasing the traffickers, to judiciary and to build prisons in case they are brought to the police stations.
The crisis in Africa is another depiction of the need for a new agreement for global drug policy. The present UNODC global drug policy has become another failed US war, but this time under a UN flag and yet another example of the failure of repressive approach towards the peril now collaborated with evil and about to turn awful.
The 'War on Drugs' cannot be won with repressive policies because it is a war with human nature. History shows that no society ever existed without drugs and even the most repressive regimes were not able to curb the menace. If we to stop criminalizing drug users and create effective regulation for illicit drugs, based on those of tobacco and alcohol, the enormous black market which funds terrorists and enable the production of drugs for the illicit market would be cut at the root.
In our sophisticated times, when manipulation is the hippest of control strategies, the gun and the billy-club don't seem to go out of fashion while talking in terms of 'war against drugs' or this ideology for that matter. The repressive, law-enforcement-based 'war on drugs' approach has clearly not been effective but only giving rise to new trade routes and more blood shed. Treating the drug issue as a 'war' is creating nothing more than a vicious circle of huge illegal markets and corruption.
