Effects of US Drug Policy on Central America

Central America is in the midst of the effects of US Drug policies. In countries such as El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Panama have over 70% of violence in their country attributed to drug trafficking. US policy has been to pressure these countries to strictly enforce dangerous tactics to interrupt the flow of products. While drug laws in these countries are not strongly enforced, being in the possession of drugs entails long prison times, from the lowest amount possible being 4 months. The US-backed military forces of these countries then ensue in violent measures, often impeding on liberties and human rights.

Guatemalan President Manuel Zelaya has been advocating for the US to decriminalize drugs or even the legalization of drugs. He states that due to Guatemala's geographical location, it is the center point of where drugs leave producing countries in the South and consumers in Northern Mexico and the US markets. By stating that the US’s current policy is ineffective, he considers that without legalization, the United States, “does not seek a remedy Permanent for that problem,”, while criticizing its policies for the death of thousands of Central Americans.

Guatemala is at the heart of the Northern Triangle, along with Honduras, as well as El Salvador. Drug trafficking has already caused widespread corruption and threatens the democracies in the region. With 95% of heroin entering into the United States coming from the South and an increase of 40% volume over the past 5 years, serious policy changes must be put in place to control the amount of narco-trafficking in the region. By enforcing a positive approach to drug policy here in the US, we can limit the financial support of narco-traffickers before hardline governments are influenced by Russian and Chinese interests, which have made their interests known by trade, and the financing of the Nicaraguan canal. The way the department of defense views the solution is to combat narco-traffickers and producers as if they were a communist organization. By implementing the same strategies that the US utilized in Colombia during the cold war, training and supplying government forces can lead to a stronger military force that combats narco-traffickers, but at the same time can lead to greater authoritative regimes in Central America.

While critical of the US’s War on Drugs, members of the high elite benefit from the oppression the War on Drugs and show us how US military aid for combating narcotics can be detrimental to society. After a bloody civil conflict in Guatemala, and high-income inequality, the Department of Defense continually send contracts, training, and supplies to the Guatemalan government. This turned Guatemala into a semi-militaristic state, with checkpoints, and the ability of the armed forces to enforce laws. Guatemala utilized a special battalion in their command known as Kaibiles to engage in counter-insurgency and combating drug trafficking, and are often trained by US Marines in crowd control techniques and hand to hand training. Kaibiles have been known to train the Zeta drug Cartel, and engage in genocidal acts in the past. With the building of bases and vehicles for the use of drug trafficking, it has militarized the Guatemalan society to a point where martial law is permanent.

Militarized response of Colombia and Mexico, financed by the US, has created a security threat in the region by shifting the traffic routes through Central America once again. With fragile governments and democracies, the countries of Central America are suffering from organized crimes, gangs, and corruption. While once thought to be a drug hub for narcotics, since 2011 police have found processing labs for the Sinaloa cartel, and Cartel influence can be seen at the top of the governmental institution and among the elites of the countries. Whereas the Guatemalan government would execute the indigenous population with the excuse of fighting rebels, now they commit human rights violations in the name of combating drug trafficking. In Honduras after a US-backed coup, drug traffickers ran rampant due to the effects of unlawfulness that occurred during the change in government. This lead to greater violence in the country, and oppressive leadership.

With a vague outlook, Central America can look more like a series military dictatorship if the US continues with not only its foreign Drug policy but also by its own oppressive laws regarding Drugs in relation to the rest of the world. The War on Drugs has been tested not to work by oppressive means, so now we must focus on new ideas and practices we can use to combat the problem. A solution in Central America can come from the end of US military aid, and supporting policies that show long term benefit in dealing with narcotrafficking, such as gun-control policies which would limit the number of weapons available to drug traffickers in the region, and a cooperation with the region on the ground and through intelligence. Responsibility from the US government should also come after the passage of the Leahy amendment, which calls for the DOD to stop any military aid to governments with human right abuses, this must be enforced so that the Guatemalan politicians can decide whether to receive aid to combat narco-traffickers, or continue its oppressive model of governance and deal a greater deal of unrest. Pressure on governments to persecute individuals without the interference of the military conducting police duties is also essential in limiting human rights violations. If Central America wants a solution to the problem of drug trafficking, there must be an amount of cooperation between countries and the US, as well as programs that make jobs and education a more attractive way of life than in gangs and Cartels.