Saturday, January 27, 2007

   This is my global challenge project how is it

Illegal Drug Smuggling

My question is: “What does illegal drug smuggling have to do with the global market place and how does it affect the countries of Columbia and Afghanistan?” The reason I am interested in this question is because I have heard a lot about illegal drug smuggling and I want to find out by writing this paper. My issue takes place in many countries but I am focusing my attention on Columbia which is in South America and Afghanistan which is in Asia. My question relates to the global market place because illicit drugs are bought and sold in nearly every country. Some drugs are produced in the United States but most are made or grown in other countries and smuggled here. (CIA World Fact Book, 2007) This type of trade influences the global market. Since the illicit drug trade accounts for 321.6 billion dollars, this amount of money can affect governments politically, economically, and socially (U.N. World Drug Repot, 2006).
Other questions that might be raised when considering this issue are: “How does this smuggling of illegal drugs effect other governments?” “What is the connection of illegal drug smuggling and how does it increase global crime?” “How and where do most drugs get produced and how does it affect the producing country’s economy?” “How does the production of illegal drugs affect the economy of the United States?” “What types of people are involved in the illegal drug trade and what are the punishments for being involved in this crime?” (CIA World Fact Book, 2007)
“The use of psychoactive plants may have been with us for a millennium, but a series of local or national drug problems only turned into an international problem at the beginning of the twentieth century.” (CIA World Fact Book, 2007) Facts about the history of drug smuggling are really hard to find because these things were not talked about or written about. Therefore the facts about drug smuggling in the early 1900’s would take research beyond my researching skills.
Afghanistan is the world’s largest producer of opium which comes from the poppy plant and is made into heroin which is a very addictive illegal drug. Eighty to ninety percent of the heroin consumed in Europe comes from the opium in Afghanistan. The government of Afghanistan is not strong enough to fight the huge amounts of money made by illegal drug smuggling from Afghanistan to Europe and other places. (CIA World Fact Book, 2007)
Columbia is the world leading producer of illicit coca (cocaine) according to the CIA World Fact Book. It also produces; opium, poppies, and cannabis (Marijuana). All these drugs are highly addictive and sold illegally on the streets of the U.S. The drug trade influences the government in Columbia. Top officials of the government of Columbia have been murdered trying to reduce the drug trade of Columbia. War has been going on for 40 years between the government and the guerillas (an illegal army not related to the government in the same country.) Money and energy has been going on into the war and is not being used to make the country better for their people. Most of the drugs are being trafficked up to Mexico and then to the United States. The drugs are sold to people on the street. As a result of the trafficking of illegal drugs we have a high crime rate in the United States. (CIA World Fact Book, 2007)

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