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Many Americans are concerned about 150 fellow citizens They are overdosing on fentanyl every day, but do we ever stop and think about how this shift to fentanyl is negatively impacting the lives of opium and cocaine growers in Latin America? It seems like the issue is being raised by groups, and as usual, the blame and costs are being pushed onto the United States.
made by fentanyl better business sense Comparing Mexican cartels to opium. It can be easily manufactured using chemicals sourced from China. Fentanyl is highly potent and compact, making it easy to transport and distribute. Unlike opium, its production is not affected by weather conditions, making it a more reliable option. Additionally, fentanyl labs can evade detection and eradication efforts, unlike poppy plantations, which are easily detected by authorities using drones.
The decrease in demand for opium caused the price to drop significantly. Opium previously traded at $64 per ounce; it now trades at $64 per ounce. $9.60 per ounce. According to a Guatemalan poppy grower interviewed by The New York Times, „poppies once supported the livelihood of many people.'' The report further states: leave for the usa”
Apparently, the price of coca leaves used to be manufacture cocaine is also declining, affecting 200,000 families in Colombia who depend on this drug for their livelihood. Rights groups are focusing on these people and making the big point that Latin American governments should take care of their people and never reach a point where a large part of the population is dependent on the drug trade. I'm missing it.
According to the Congressional Research Service, “drug related crimes In the Americas, human trafficking has replaced political and regional conflicts as the main cause of public insecurity. ” Currently, falling drug prices are exacerbating the predicament.
Across Latin America, governments fail to address their own economic and social problems and curb crime, often blaming the United States instead.Some people support legalization of hard drugs, mistakenly believing that it will solve all problems. They claim that legalizing the drug in the United States will bring down prices. Weakening the cartel and reducing violence in Latin America.
However, evidence from marijuana legalization Parts of the U.S. signal decriminalization of hard drugs increase in drug use and Overdose.Additionally, because legal drugs are taxed, tested, and certified, illegal drugs remain cheaper and criminals Illegal drugs controlled by organized crime groups The market will continue unchanged.
Meanwhile, corruption is rampant from Mexico to Colombia. among law enforcement agencies, courts, and politicians facilitate the drug trade.legalization of drugs US or Latin America These countries' problems will not be solved.
Despite falling drug prices, opium continues to be grown in Guatemala's poorest mountain regions, where the mature plants are processed into gum. The gum is then shipped across the border to Mexico, where cartels refine it into heroin for distribution in the United States. And the United States continues to fund anti-drug programs because local governments are unable or unwilling to control cartels.
Since the 1970s, the United States billions of dollars Urged Latin American governments to fight drug production and smuggling. American taxpayers fund the provision of weapons, training, equipment, and vehicles to local security forces.The US allows it in Guatemala alone. $10 million to $20 million It is held annually to support the military and law enforcement. With this funding, Guatemala will be able to eliminate seven acres of opium plantations by 2023, up from more than 2,000 acres in 2017.
The United States was also funding aerial spraying of herbicides in drug-growing areas. However, human rights groups sent a letter to President Biden asking him to end funding for these programs. They believe that such behavior iscruel messageInsensitivity that the US should no longer have anything to do with. ”
Villagers in Guatemala complain of widespread damage caused by spraying and other eradication efforts. their livelihood. Fortunately for them, Guatemala still serves as a transit country for cocaine smuggled from the Andes and fentanyl precursor chemicals from China. Given that the US pays for everything else, no one has suggested that the US fund a retraining program for displaced opium farmers, teaching them how to smuggle other drugs into the US. It's surprising that there wasn't.