war on drugs

U.S., Britain Part Company in the Poppy Fields

Jun 29, 2009
The U.S. has decided to stop funding poppy field eradication in Afghanistan, declaring the policy a failure and a waste of money. Since 2003, opium production has gone up 40-fold in Afghanistan, making it the producer of 90 percent of the world's heroin. But Britain, backed by the Afghan government, will continue destroying poppy fields as a way to stem the drug trade.

Mexican Mayors Arrested

May 27, 2009
Twenty-seven politicians in the western Mexican state of Michoacan were arrested by police in the largest operation to target mayors and other officials in Mexico's drug war. The politicians are suspected of collaborating with the state's powerful narco-syndicates.
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FBI Runs for the Border

Mar 25, 2009
In a move that further militarizes a bloody drug war that left 6,300 people dead in 2008 alone, the White House is sending FBI agents and equipment to the US-Mexico border to defend against the "spillover" of drug violence The relocation of federal agents to the U Southwest follows the dispatching of thousands of Mexican soldiers to combat drug cartels earlier this year.

Mexico Militarizes Border Town

Mar 4, 2009
The confrontation between the Mexican state and violent drug gangs is escalating, with the Mexican government moving to stomp out the bloody drug-related conflict in the border town of Ciudad Juarez. The first of some 7,000 troops have moved in to try to take control of the city.

Mexican Drug Lords Depend on Gun-Crazy America

Feb 26, 2009
More than 6,000 people died in Mexico's drug war last year, far too many as a result of US-purchased firepower Though Mexico has strict gun laws, smugglers have no trouble legally purchasing military-grade weapons, such as AK-47 rifles, in the U, and then shipping them south of the border, where they are used with devastating effect.

Mexican Drug Wars Claim 5,000 Lives in 2008

Dec 5, 2008
It's been a creeping tragedy that has escaped serious attention by many major media outlets, but the recurring waves of drug violence in Mexico have taken the lives of about 5,000 people in 2008. In response, the Mexican government has deployed more than 40,000 troops, though corruption within the state's security forces remains a grave problem.

U.S. Puts Fresh Cash Into the Drug War

Dec 4, 2008
While the rest of the world has been preoccupied with a financial meltdown, a handful of wars and a terrorist attack or two, Mexico has been waging war on its homegrown drug industry, and the death count is mounting. U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza announced that El Norte is sending a couple hundred million down south to aid the cause.

Bolivia Puts DEA on Hold

Nov 2, 2008
Bolivian President Evo Morales on Saturday made another move to signal his administration's displeasure with the United States, announcing that he is "indefinitely" halting all activities of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency within his country.

The U.S. Role in Mexico’s Drug War

Jul 30, 2008
Washington's role in Mexico's drug war, from the $400 million in annual military aid to the U.S. security contractors teaching torture techniques to Mexican police, is often ill-reported in the mainstream media. Canadian journalist Avi Lewis and the "Inside USA" television crew look critically into the conflict that has killed 1,800 people so far this year alone.

So Much for the War on Drugs

Jul 2, 2008
Despite spending countless billions and passing draconian laws, the United States is anything but a drug-free zone The percentages of those in the US who have tried marijuana or cocaine are greater than the percentages of any other country surveyed, according to a new study The Netherlands, which has notoriously lax drug policies, had less than half the percentage of marijuana users and an even lower level of cocaine dabblers relative to the U.