Drugs And Drugs : The Use Of Drugs In Brazil

The United Nations has kept a vibrant presence in Latin America as a way to combat issues such as inequality, poverty, prevention of domestic violence and gender violence, along with actions to reduce cartel interactions with Latin American society and infrastructures. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime have detailed reports regarding various drugs and the progress made to eliminate their production. The main countries monitored by this report are Colombia and Peru, as they are the largest producers of cocaine globally. In Colombia, government records displayed proof of various regions being sprayed in

While the United States and Europe are the main importers of cocaine, the main exporters of cocaine are found in Latin America. Latin America has among one of the most impacted nations involved in narco-terrorism. In Latin America, cocaine is known as the “atomic bomb”. The most impacted countries of narco-terrorism are Columbia, Mexico, and Peru.

Crack cocaine has been popular since the 1970s and mid 1980s. Crack cocaine is not a new drug; this drug is obtained from coca plant which grows mainly in South America. For many years, the native South American Indians chewed its leaves to develop strength and increased energy. By the 1800s, the cocaine was secluded from its leaves and used as a medicinal drug. By the late 1800s, it was used as an anesthetic and to avert surgical hemorrhage. The next century, people recognized crack cocaine an addictive narcotic and its non-medical use of the drug was ended by the Harrison Narcotics Act in 1914 (“How crack cocaine works?”).

Most of the common drugs that the cartels produce is Cocaine, Marijuana, Meth, and other chemical formulated drugs produced with stronger chemicals everyday. “ About 65% of the drugs, known as Crystal, Ice, Glass, Tweak, Zip, or just Meth is now either being made in

Criminal organizations operating from South America smuggle cocaine and heroin into the U.S. via a number of routes.

From the third world of many South American countries, to the third street projects in the inner-city, to the third floor of a downtown luxury loft, cocaine is prevalent and being used. The business of the coca leaf is a billion dollar a year industry, if not more. Our foreign counterparts are profiting in full off of the drug. Mexico, Peru, and Colombia are some of the countries in Central and South America that are profiting and manufacturing cocaine.

Social conflicts and struggles are an inevitable part of any society in any country. These struggles can include an increased rate in crime, unemployment, domestic/general violence, and overall civilian depression. When governments cannot seem to find a means to an end, they often turn and look for something to blame for their struggles, and that thing is more often than not, drugs. For many years, several opiates and drugs were primarily used for medicinal purposes, were seen to have an abundance of health benefits and was widely accepted among communities. Although, with the increasing social conflicts and economic conditions, authorities turned to and targeted many different forms of once accepted drugs, and made them the scapegoat for the problems they were facing.

bia. Both these countries have given birth to some of the most notorious “Cartels” the world has

Today, cocaine is commonly derived from the coca plant that is most commonly grown in Columbia but also Peru and Bolivia. It is harvested and processed into a “coca paste” which the base of is extracted and turned into the white powder form of cocaine. Once the powder is made it is often mixed with laundry detergent, laxatives, or boric acid to cut down the potency and have more to distribute. Cocaine can be used snorting, smoking, injecting or swallowed. The United States outlawed cocaine in the early 1920’s but it wasn’t until the 1970’s and middle of the 1980’s that cocaine was at

South America: The article "Brits Behind Bars: Cocaine Smugglers," was published on telegraph.co.uk on August 10, 2015 by Jane Shilling. Over the past few years, more arrests have occurred for cocaine smuggling which makes Peru now one of the largest producers of cocaine. Smugglers have now gained more access to drug trades, though drug mules who have their own way of smuggling. The mules are persuasive and gain other smugglers trust to carry the bricks of cocaine, and then use a spray to keep sniffer dogs from catching them. But thankfully, two smugglers were spotted by Maria, an anti-narcotics profiler, who found the £1 million of cocaine they were carrying.

According to the U.S. Department of State, coca growth and cocaine production in Peru started in the 19th century, when profits were high from exporting to the United States. In 1948, Peru outlawed cocaine and the production of it, prompting illegal growth in the largely uninhabited Hullaga Valley. The Hullaga Valley consists of incredibly rugged terrain, making it difficult for the government to control the growth of coca, ultimately leading to an increase in cocaine production in Peru. A large proportion of this cocaine was shipped southward out of Peru, through Chile, until roughly 1970 when an increased military presence near shipment routes caused a reroute through Colombia. By 1980, Peru was considered to be the world’s

Correspondingly, Colombian influence on the drug market has been primarily documented as a nation involved in the production of illicit substances. Initially, a successful drug-producing nation must possess access to an abundant amount of land for cultivation. As reported by the United States, Colombian land dedicated to coca, one of the major narcotics produced there, cultivation is approximately 112,000 hectares, which is a significant increase of 39 percent from the previous year (2016 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report). Subsequently, once there is sufficient land, the nation can begin the process of manufacturing. According to the International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (2015), “potential pure cocaine production in 2013 increased 12 percent to 190 metric tons (MT), an increase of 20 MT from 2012” (136). To convey the significance of this nation’s influence, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration declared that over 90 percent of the cocaine confiscated out of the U.S. drug economy was from Colombia (2015 International Narcotics

Brazil is located in Eastern South America and borders the Atlantic Ocean. Brazil is very comparable to the USA, being only slightly smaller in size. The economy is well-developed in agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, and it has an expanding middle class. Brazil was under Portuguese rule until it gained independence in 1822 and maintained a monarchical system of government until the abolition of slavery in 1888.

What is the first thing that comes into your mind when you hear of the region Latin America? Poverty, violence, drugs? Latin America is a major region where drugs are generated, imported, and exported. The general stereotype with regards to Latin America is that the region is drug infested due to the history of use, the problems regarding drug trafficking, and the continued statistics proving the ongoing use of drugs. Despite the fact that not every country in Latin America fits in this mold, history and data supports this impression.

The use of drugs has been an issue for decades, but in 2001 Portugal decided to take the lead and decriminalize the use of drugs. By doing so they have been able thus far to drop down the drug overdose rate, prevent the spread of drug related diseases and have been able to steer the money more to helping people with treatments rather than incarcerations. It is now treated as a health issue rather than a criminal one. Although drugs are still illegal in Portugal if caught with them you are offered treatment rather than incarceration because it’s drugs are now the least common cause of death in Portugal. By decriminalizing all drugs, governments can minimize overdose rates, stop the spread of drug-related diseases like HIV and Hepatitis C, and spend less money by offering drug offenders treatment versus incarceration.