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International Drug Trafficking: A Global Problem With A Domestic Solution, Matthew S. Jenner

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

Forty years ago, the world declared war on drugs. Today, after decades of failing to adequately control drug consumption, an even graver problem has emerged: violent drug traffickers have taken the industry hostage and will stop at nothing to preserve their power. Governments have instituted dozens of programs to dismantle the illicit drug industry, but they have seen only marginal success. One strategy, however, has yet to be fully tested: universal legalization. Universal legalization of all drugs would attack the illicit drug market head-on, destroying the profit incentive for drug traffickers and placing control of the industry in the hands …