{news} DRUGS: A BUSINESS FOR OUR TIMES

[Clifford Thornton]

At the local, state and federal level we spend 50 billion and year to interdict drugs.
The drug enforcement agency readily admits that they capture less than ten 
percent of all illegal drugs.  Does a 50 billion dollar investment for ninety percent
failure rate sound like a good investment to you?

This is the number one problem black, Latino and poor whites face in this
country.  Mark my words--it is going to get exceedingly worse.

With the financial crisis that will have far reaching affects,
look at one business that is not affected at all.



    DRUGS: A BUSINESS FOR OUR TIMES
     
    Sam Smith, Progressive Review - Since there is so much bad financial news
    these days, we thought this might cheer you up. The drug business is doing
    extremely well, thanks in large part to years of de facto subsidy by the
    perversely misnamed "war on drugs." 
     
    A recent CNN report said the Coast Guard had seized $4.7 billion worth of
    cocaine last year. That's only the amount the Coast Guard seized and it's
    only the value of cocaine, not all the other drugs. 
     
    The value is just shy of the $4.83 billion Google earned in the last quarter
    of last year. At the time Google had about 16,000 employees. 
     
    When you are able to lose $4.7 billion a year in just one product line and
    still keep growing, you've got an impressive business. 
     
    Back in 1997, I interviewed Billy Bear Bottoms, the pilot for one of the
    biggest drug importers of the time, Barry Seal. Bottoms told me that Seal
    had made about 50 trips of 300 kilos each, or approximately 16 tons total. 
     
    The Coast Guard recently seized one vessel - a self propelled
    semi-submersible that costs up to a million bucks to build - and found seven
    tons on the craft or 21 times as much as the notorious Seal was able to
    transport on one trip. Another of this year's seizures amount to more than
    Seal was able to import on 50 flights. 
     
    One day, and sadly far too late, we will finally learn that the biggest
    driver of the drug trade is US law enforcement. 

    Cliff

    Efficacy
    PO Box 1234
    860 657 8438
    Hartford, CT 06143
    efficacy at msn.com<mailto:efficacy at msn.com>
    www.Efficacy-online.org<http://www.efficacy-online.org/>
     
    "THE DRUG WAR IS MEANT TO BE WAGED NOT WON"

    Working to end race and class drug war injustice, Efficacy is a non profit
    501 (c) 3 organization founded in 1997. Your gifts and donations are tax
    deductible
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