Research of to What Extent Technology Has Reduced The War on Drugs

Rationale

Technology is taking over our world. With ever increasing coverage and ease of use, we use it not just during our waking hours, but when we are sleeping as well. Does technology have a positive impact always? In case of drugs, it seems to be having a negative effect. As evidenced from different studies conducted, drug usage is either same or increasing in different parts of the world. This is effect is largely to due to the advancement in technology.

The main aim of the war on drugs is to cut supply. This strategy in reducing drug consumption has never worked. Instead the drugs are always highly in demand. Curtailing supply from one region, increases the supply from another region. Dismantling one organisation gives to another or may be two organisations, crossing borders and becoming smarter each time. This is also called the “balloon effect”. Where Law enforcement agencies have new tools of technology at their disposal, the war on drugs has made drug traffickers more ruthless and efficient in their use of technology. The war on drugs has been termed as a failure.

War on Drugs – Impact of Technology

Technology has allowed the world to connect better. Drug traffickers have used this to a great advantage. New means of production, transport and distribution have helped them spread their wings far and wide. Drugs have become cheaper to produce, harder to detect and more potent than before. Smaller doses promise a high. The people who survive the trade are cunning, smart, innovative and adapt to technology better. Finding safer means of doing business either through crypto currency payment channels or trading on the dark web, the drug economy has evolved at a lightning pace.

Technology – A Boon for Drug Traffickers

Where technology has proved beneficial to drug enforcement agencies, it has also made their life difficult. Drug cartels in various countries have invested millions in technology. They have the cash to buy the best equipment and the best minds to run their complex organisations and supply chains. Columbian drug cartels use sophisticated technology and warehouse data on anti-drugs efforts. Information is power, and this information gives helps them be 10 steps ahead of the agencies fighting them. From information about informants, tracking moves of diplomats and law enforcement agencies, managing supply chain routes and logistics, Big Data has helped these cartels manage this data in an organised manner and channel it to their benefit.

How to Fight the War?

A fix is not something that will come easily. Some of the steps that can be taken to fight the war effectively are:

• Legalisation has the strong possibility of solving many of the violence and corruption issues in the producer and trafficking nations.
• Drug addiction is also connected to social conditions. Educating the society is another step.
• Making harm reduction a central pillar of health services. Harm reduction is investing in areas where the harmful effects of drugs can be reduced.
• Investment in drug treatment for drug users.
• Fund research on drug policies.

How can Technology Help in these Areas?

Literacy campaigns

The Internet with its wide coverage can help run literacy campaigns to educate drug users. UNESCO for instance has come up with a detailed study of drug education and how it could help reduce drug usage.

Media campaigns

Media plays a significant role in spreading information and awareness. Radio, Television, print could all contribute to making people aware of the consequences that drug addicts suffer because of drug consumption. Its campaigns can aim at a larger audience and hence can be more successful.

Mobile applications

Mobiles phones could reach out to our audience instantly and with profound messages. RMCP Drugs awareness app is an app that's making a great impact on reduction of drug addiction, supporting the movement of educating and raising awareness of the harmful effects of drugs. RMCP showcases the information in a straightforward, user-friendly manner to provide you with a clear picture of the subject. There are many other apps focused at helping drug abusers overcome their problems. These apps engage users in ways that lead to effective results

Drones to help law enforcement agencies

Drones these days are highly regarded as invaluable assets by security forces, believed to be invaluable eyes lurking in sky aiding surveillance operations. In Mexico, National Defence Secretariat, the Federal Police, the Procuradoría General de la República (the Attorney General’s office), as well as the Army and Air Force assemble drones to collect information and to combat illegal smuggling.

Narcotics Detection Equipment

Technology has enabled creation of various sophisticated narcotics detection equipment which are portable and easy to use. They are used at checkpoints, airports, borders of countries etc. These instruments allow drug enforcement officers to detect and confirm presence of drugs on the spot. Drugs dealers are now aware of such detection instruments and are wary of it.

National reforms and Regulation

Governments can use technology coupled with regulation to help the war on drugs in a big way. The image shown below depicts the usage of various drugs over the 12 months, indicating the decrease in the various types of drugs available in the market that are consumed by individuals, decreasing the seriousness of the situation. Government officials have imposed strict rules that involve use of technology concerning the amount of consumption of alcohol, these rules have successfully reduced the consumption of this drug. Moreover, the recorded rates of alcoholism are decreasing (18.1 million people in 2002 to 16.7 million in 2011), depicting the success resulted in lowering drug consumption rates, but the addiction is still a cause for concern.

National Perspective

The United States alone spends some $40 billion each year on trying to eliminate the supply of drugs with the aid of the technology. It arrests 1.5m of its citizens each year for drug offences, locking up half a million of them. The United States Border Patrol utilizes broad set of new technology aimed at the transportation of highly illegal drugs by smugglers. The tightening of security with the aid of technology in various airports as well as underground metro’s around the world has played a significant part in the reduction of transportation of drugs, from one country to another.

Global Perspective

Globally, governments have recognised the menace of drugs and have come together to fight it. A Global Commission has been set up to form a global strategy to reduce the use of illegal drugs. With changing times and newer regulations, the strategy to keep the fight going needs to evolve with time.

Governments also need to share data collected during their investigations and share this data so that people are better informed. Sharing real time information on cross border money transactions, bank accounts, suspect shipments will create a way for governments to win this war.

In Mexico for instance the government is turning to high tech spy technology in the drug war. From analysing text messages from mobile phones, intercepting voice calls and emails and even covertly turning on the mobile phones microphone to record and transmit calls.

Columbian drug cartels themselves are very tech savvy. They have embraced technology to grow their operations and business. It has taken governments affected by this sometime to realise this and react to it.

Closer to home in Asia, in Philippines, the new government has made it, its number one priority to curb the use of drugs. It has ordered a brutal crackdown on drug dealers. It has on the other hand set up state of the art rehabilitation centres for people addicted to drugs.

Personal Perspective

After Leafing through many websites in order to find relevant information to the topic, I believe that the rise in technology will certainly have a negative effect on smuggling of illegal drugs in the future. With the advancement of technology, there are less instances of human losing their lives due to drug addiction. The strict laws imposed by government officials have certainly, successfully reduced the possibilities of drug smuggling. Raising of awareness through different platforms of social media have proved to be successful. Further stress needs to be on educating people about the consequences of such action being carried out. With the advancement of technology smugglers are finding it more difficult to complete their objective.

Drug trafficking groups utilize new technologies in two distinct ways: to improve the efficiency of product delivery and distribution; and to protect themselves and their illicit operations from investigation by law enforcement agencies. New technologies enable drug trafficking groups to commit traditional crimes with new methods — for example, to conceal information about the shipment of illicit drug consignments by means of encrypted messages or to launder drug-related funds by electronic transfer.

My personal view is that in the war on drugs it is important to go after these drug trafficking organisations and not the people who use drugs. Punish the distributors and not the consumers. Help the consumers get over the addiction. Provide them with healthcare and ways and means of overcoming drug addiction. Help them to fight the stigma in society about drug addiction. Help them to integrate in society as normal human beings. Give them a chance.

Cyber-crime units need to be setup. The crime units can hack through drug traffickers’ networks. Trained resources in these units and the best minds at work are needed to be able to make the best use of technology. New Technology has the ways and means of fighting the drug cartels, use it in the most effective way to root out this evil.

Future Course of Action

It is difficult to determine whether the future drug treatment lies in the hands of technology, but it will have a powerful impact on our future. The rise in the usage of smartphone could be the key to spreading further awareness about the harmful effect of consumption of drugs in the future. The creation of particular wearable technologies has made a significant impact by reaching out to the patients through their cell phones.

The world already loves apps. In 2009, approximately 2.52 billion were downloaded globally, this year the number is expected to reach 268.69 billion. The possibilities of creation of educational apps educating various individuals on the harmful effect of each drug could prove to be extremely useful as well as successful in further reducing the usage of drugs as more and more people will be aware of the damaging effects it has on human body.