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 roun

The Caribbean plays a very minor but important role in the drug trade. Very little drugs are produced in this region, although marijuana is produced in Jamaica and Belize. However this region mainly functions as transhippers, pit stops and banking for drug lord's money. The thought of the drug trade is very intriguing to many of these countries because of the money involved. Getting involved in the banking is a very important role in the drug trade. Without it drug traffickers would have more difficulty evading enforcements and laundering their profits. It is easy for immigrants to come into the country and along with the immigrants come the drug problems in the U.S. These countries, especially Cuba and the Bahamas, are some of the best places to smuggle drugs into the U.S. because of their location to us and their resentment to the United States government.

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 became very lucrative and demand was higher. Colombia started to ship more and more cocaine to Cuba and by 1965 supplied 100 percent of the cocaine that Cuba was selling into the States Then by 1978, Colombians realized they were losing money to the Cubans by having them actually do the trading and Colombia just being the supplier. So Colombia cut all ties with Cuba and moved many people there to take over the trade ands assume the role as the dominant cocaine supplier in the world.

The Latin American drug trade is the main source of the world's most lucrative industries. Their ability and capability to work together as a system and create such a mega industry proves that the war on drug is far from over. Though there are many reasons why drugs flourish here, the main reason is the poverty. The drug lords are able to make more money themselves than the government itself can. It is hard to believe that an illegal business can be so lucrati

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Approximate Word count = 1575
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)