Research Proposal

  “Addiction, Violence, and Injustice: The Social Toll of Drug Trafficking"

Drug traffic is the illegal trade in drug production, manufacture, distribution, and sale of drugs like heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamines. It is an international crime business typically operated by cartels and organized crime organizations, using bribery, intimidation, and violence to organize distribution and production lines. These groups use porous frontiers, weak institutions, and socio-economic volatility to consolidate power and maximize profits. Drug traffic, then, not only fuels mass addiction, but also corruption, gang wars, and mass incarceration, most dramatically in poor communities. With drug traffic laws and policies on drug traffic everywhere on the books to exclude it, and billions spent to do so, drug traffic persists—on the increase in some areas. Demand for drugs, great in wealthier nations, created a vicious cycle in which poverty and opportunity gaps in producing countries drive supply. Despite wholesale government crackdowns, drug-related mortality, most notably from overdoses, has grown exponentially, calling into question drug war strategies as a response. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (n.d.), "Drug trafficking is a global illicit trade involving the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, and sale of substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws," and it "continues to represent a major threat to health and security around the world." In my research, I will examine greater societal effects on drug traffic, such as its impact on public health, political stability, and economic development. I will also investigate various policy responses—from the drug war model to ones grounded in public health—and outcomes. I am particularly interested in comparing responses by countries such as the United States, Mexico, Portugal, and Colombia to this crisis. My background is in knowing how the drug trade operates and its impact on society. I am building on that by learning responses to trafficking and how effective different intervention strategies have been. I am looking to investigate limitations on enforcement methods and where alternative strategies such as harm reduction, decriminalization, and programs for treating drug addiction factor in. The National Crime Agency (Panlogic, 2025) indicates that “Organised crime groups involved in drug trafficking are often also involved in other types of serious crime,” and how drug networks destabilize communities in ways that have little or no direct correlation with use or abuse of drug substances. Growing up in a country where drug addiction and overdose have become health concerns, I have witnessed how these are addressed more as crime concerns rather than health concerns. This has motivated interest in learning about underlying causes and potential fixes to this crisis. I have had personal experiences with these concerns that have motivated an interest in learning how global policies and societal response may better address the supply and demand elements of drug trafficking. Informing this perspective, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2023) indicates that “Addiction is a chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences,” affirming that health- oriented policy and educating individuals about drugs is required. I will use peer-reviewed journal articles, governmental reports, and national news sources analyzing both historical and contemporary perspectives on this issue. I will contrast case studies and statistics reports on policy success or failure. I would like to write a researched essay that not only informs readers on what is going on with drug trafficking globally these days but also makes educated, research-supported suggestions on how to put an end to it. The format for my essay will be an introduction to drug trafficking and how large it is globally, and then sections analyzing its origins, impacts, and global responses. I will include a section on comparing policy responses supported by statistics and opinions. In conclusion, I hope to educate readers and provide suggestions that value human health over incarceration.