Drugs are a worldwide concern and can be found in probably every society on the planet. There is so much done to prevent drug trade but yet it still flourishes all over the globe. The drug trade is a $100 billion industry annually that will always be based on supply and demand. Although every continent can claim to be involved in the drug trade, the most productive region is Latin America. In fact, the United States is the number one drug consumer in the world, with all the cocaine, a third of the heroin and more then 80 percent of the marijuana we purchase coming from Latin America. The majority of Latin America is involved in different ways. Some countries grow the drug, some act as transfer stations and pit stops and some are little involved as having their banks hold "drug money." Then there are the few countries that are involved in all those aspects. In most of these countries drugs aren't only their leading industry but are a way of life. The book Dancing on a Volcano: The Latin America drug trade by Scott B. Macdonald, breaks down this mega industry that causes problems worldwide.

Latin America is the ideal place for drugs to thrive. The climate is warm year round, the ground is heavily sheltered by enormous trees and brush, and the government is basically run by drug lords in these countries, due to poverty and a peripheral government. In fact most governments in these countries are supportive of the drug trade because it brings in vast amounts of money and offers numerous jobs to many of the natives. Drugs also thrive in Latin America because of their countries similar resentment towards the United States. The United States is one of the most powerful nations in the world and strongly disapproves of the drug trade and points fingers at these Latin America countries. However, with the United States being the number one drug consumer in the world, Latin America points their finger at us because we keep the drug trade continuous. This is a problem that is clearly out of the United States control due to the many countries that are involved and find nothing wrong with the drug trade.

First to start off with the main country in control of the Latin American drug trade is Colombia. Colombia has emerged as the center of the Latin America drug trade because of its high level of involvement in the production, processing and marketing of cocaine, marijuana and other drugs. "In the analogy of the drug trade being a volcano, Colombia is the core from which the lava erupts."(pg.27) Colombia's role in the drug trade was aided by the Cubans. Cuba started trading cocaine into the U.s. in the late 1950's. The market bec