Toward an Anti-Capitalist Drug Policy

The war on drugs has utterly failed to reduce drug consumption. But it has served to maintain US military and intelligence apparatuses in Latin America.

The so-called war on drugs has been an abject failure. This applies as much to the United States, where the Trump administration seeks to ratchet it up, as it does Colombia, the world’s leading producer of cocaine. While the social harms of drug use, the drug trade, and narcotrafficking have been well-documented in the imperialist core, comparatively little attention has been given to cocaine at the point of production in the Global South.

As cocaine seizures hit record highs in Colombia, production has ramped up proportionally to meet demand, drawing more people and more land into the cocaine economy. In Latin America, prohibition has m