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Drug Production and Traffic: An Inventory and Ways to Eradicate This Problem

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Forum: Advisory Panel on the Question of the Indochinese

Introduction
Drug production and trafficking is a widespread issue that has proven to be extremely difficult for individual governments. The black market for illegal drugs has become almost omnipresent in modern society as the production and distribution of drugs has evolved into one of the most profitable industries. United Nations (UN) reports from 2003 value the illegal drug market to be approximately $320 billion and growing. Governments try to prevent the issue through legal restrictions such as prohibition which has caused the formation of the black market. In their efforts to prevent drug trafficking, governments face many obstacles such as the implementation of …show more content…

Golden Triangle
A region in Asia known for its production of opium that consists of four countries: Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Thailand.
Golden Crescent
A region in Asia known for its production of opium that consists of three countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran.

History
As drug prohibition laws came into action, a black market for newly illegal drugs became prevalent. In 19th-century China, the two “Opium Wars” broke out because of disputes between the British and Chinese. Decades earlier, the British produced large amounts of opium in Bengal, in Northeastern India, and illegally exported it to China; the Chinese Emperor became wary of the increasing use of opium and rising number of addicts. In order to control the issue, seeing as the prohibition laws had not been effective, the emperor demanded that foreign companies surrender their opium to the government. However, when the British firms refused to comply, the emperor banned all importing and held foreigners in the country until firms were forced to hand over their opium. In response, the British sent troops from India that caused havoc to the coastal region of China, initiating the first Opium War that resulted in the Treaty of Nanking. The second Opium war followed soon after caused by arguments about the Treaty of Nanking, therefore resulting in another treaty, the Treaty of

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