Drug Trafficking and Its Effects on Different Spheres of Life

Drug trafficking affects many parts of our lives. Drug trafficking is an illegal trade involving the cultivation, manufacture, and distribution. It has caused many problems for others. International conflict is being fought daily. It affects our social, mental, and academic life.

Counter Argument

There are pros to drug trafficking. “Internalization of targeted therapeutics is often needed for efficacy, but also alters drug penetration of tissue. A new model explores the trade-offs of intracellular drug trafficking” (Stokes, 1995, p.1). This is a problem because money is put towards the fences that are up to stop this. “Then came the fences. One perimeter, then a secondary. The fences helped the Border Patrol reclaim this little sliver of the country” (Solis, 2019, p.1). Drug smugglers started going to the ocean, underground tunnels, and ports of entry. If they are figuring out different ways, we should save that money instead.

Effects on Young People

Drugs affect young people’s lives the most. According to the Better Health Channel, “around 1 in 5 having tried it (cannabis) at least once” (Victoria, 2019, p.1). Drugs have a major impact especially on young people who are still developing. The consequences of drugs are widespread. Drug trafficking affects our social lives. Drugs become a distraction for a lot of people. This leads to bad habits like avoiding going to places because they would rather be doing drugs. “When someone feels trapped and doesn’t know what to do with themselves, getting high or drinking can provide the same kind of mental stimulation as doing a fun activity” (Holloway, 2019, p.1). Drugs affect young people’s lives because that’s the way they socialize. “Some people think that using drugs or alcohol is a good way to relax and be more comfortable in social situations” (Bellum, 2018, p.1). Most importantly, drugs affect the family the most I think. They hurt your relationship with the people closest to you. “If using drugs start to consume your life, your relationships become less important, and you lose interest” (DEA, 2019, p.1). This can impact your life more than you think.

Effects on Economic Life

Drug trafficking affects our economic lives too. They have a major impact on the economy. “Globally, organized crime accounts for 1.5 percent of global gross domestic product and is worth around $870 billion and of that, drugs account for 50 percent of international organized crime income” (Ellyatt, 2013, p.g 1). This is a problem for global authorities. Drug markets are pretty flexible. They can regroup somewhere else. “Drug trade routes had shifted due to interdiction by certain authorities, while uncontrolled synthetic drugs that can be created in labs anywhere are on the rise” (Ellyatt, 2013, p.g 1). This proves they can find ways around it. Authorities have been trying to figure out ways to go stop this. They have still not come up with anything. “We need a different approach by governments to take the trade out of the hands of organized criminals and the illicit market” (Ellyatt, 2013, p.g 1). Hopefully, they will be able to solve this in the near future.

Effects on Education

Drug trafficking affects our children’s educational lives also. It can affect any age of kids. “Thousands of children in Britain are estimated to be used to carry drugs from cities to rural areas - most aged between 15 and 17” (Guilbert, 2019, p.g 1). A lot get stuck in this cycle because of debt bondage or threats of a kind app. The victims are sometimes not as innocent as you may think. On occasion, there are kids who volunteer to get involved. “Young people recruited by gangs do not see themselves as victims, but are flattered by the attention and gifts they receive, so are less likely to speak to police” (Guilbert, 2019, p.g 1). This opens a door to a whole new list of problems. There are people helping this problem though. “Britain last year launched a 2 million pound ($2.6 million) scheme to help protect children from sex and drug trafficking” (Guilbert, 2019, p.g 1). Targeting the root causes of violent crime and getting involved early can help prevent young kids from going down that path.

Conclusion

Drug trafficking affects many parts of our lives. The problem is growing more and more as time goes on but we are coming up with ways to solve this problem daily.