Economic Influence Of Drug Trafficking In The United States

The ability to be able to have so much power and influence over so many things that affect our lives is inconceivable. From simple activities of a normal daily life to how a country can run and how it may flourish, the effects that drug trafficking has grown to new heights. The war on drugs has long been a struggle in many different countries and goes across the entire world. While some countries have been able to limit the trafficking, others struggle to contain it and simply cannot stop it. Drug trafficking has a great power and influence over how many things function such as the economy, daily living, and politics, but could be combatted with different strategies such as legalisation. There has always been corruption, but because of drug

According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, in 2007, the economic costs of drug abuse in the United States was $193 billion (How Illicit Drug Abuse). Of these costs, $120 billion is in lost productivity, due to labor participation costs, participation abuse treatment, incarceration, and premature death. Another $11 billion was in total healthcare costs. $61 billion was for criminal justice costs due to criminal investigation, prosecution, incarceration, and victim costs. Even though these estimates and costs may make drug trafficking appear to do more harm than good, that is not exactly the case in Mexico or many Latin American countries. On drug trafficking’s effects on the Mexican economy journalist Jacobo Zabludovsky said, “ If the heavens allowed for drug trafficking in Mexico to end tonight, tomorrow we would be dying of hunger. Or almost” (Que Seria De Mexico). Drug trafficking has a significant impact on how the economy runs in Mexico. Drugs alone bring in about $40 million dollars into the Mexican economy (Que Seria De Mexico). Without this amount of money due to drugs, the Mexican economy would most likely suffer or struggle without the substantial income. This revenue due to drugs is significant in comparison to other economic revenues. The Mexican revenue in 2009 for remittance was $21.181 million, tourism was $11.275 million, oil was $30.882 million, and foreign investment was $23.179 million (Que Seria De Mexico). The revenue is outstanding in comparison to the other sources of income for the country. These comparisons show how massive the industry has grown in Mexico and Latin America and how much it affect its economy. The estimated size of the drug business in Mexico is approximately $10 to $15 million (Que Seria De Mexico). This estimate is recognized in private by some agencies of the Mexican government ( Que Seria De Mexico).