Thursday, June 10, 2010

Solution for Drug Smuggling

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I keep hearing about the street value of cocaine whenever trafficking or interdiction is talked about but I never get to hear the intrinsic value of the drug. If it were legal to manufacture, what would the price be? This is critical in understanding how to combat the trade and use of this drug.The street value of 1kg of cocaine is $500,000 (from the above text). If the cost to manufacturer (if legal) were say $500, it means that a smuggler can spend more that $400,000 per kg of cocaine in technology, bribes and other such costs and still generate a HUGE profit. That is what ultimately drives the cocaine business. If the profit margins are so huge, it behooves us to come up with better (smarter) techniques to combat cocaine usage (there can be no smuggling without usage).

For example, if say Germany were to setup its own cocaine production and allow addicts to purchase small quantities at a nominal profit, the entire supply-chain of cocaine smuggling would simply atrophy. Alas, we are so gung-ho at appearing to be "tough on drugs" that we have left our capitalist brains behind..."

-Heretic. A commentator on this article


Ensuing Discussion

X: Imagine if cocaine were available cheap how many would be addicted! Aur kuch nai tu $ consideration hi kitnon ko bacha laity hogi! :p (if nothing, the cost of it will make people think befiore using it)

I: Would you use cocaine if its cheap?

X: How many youngsters have u been able to prevent from smoking!? Morphine!?

I: And do you think increasing costs is stopping them with their use?

X: Im just saying the target market will be different & also the no. of users will increase drastically & do u honestly think we can deal with that many addicts!

I: The solution is that sale and production will be ‘legal’. That means reduced production and controlled use

X: As is the case with wines!?

I: I am not talking of pakistan! Nothing works proper here!

X: I was not talking of Pakistan either! V defy all logic!! :p

I: Holland is the country whre drug use is legal. Its no where in the list of drug abusers

X: That’s cuz its legal there!

I: Hence the argument.

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