In the past few years cocaine abuse and use has slipped “under the radar” as compared to prescription drug abuse. Cocaine addiction, however, is still a major problem in the United States. Since 2000 there has been an ambitious anti-drug agreement between Columbia and the United States called “Plan Colombia.” The United States has spent around seven billion dollars trying to combat the inflow of drugs from Columbia without much success. In spite of the agreement and the vast amount of money spent, Colombia still produces about 535 metric tons of cocaine a year. Most of the cocaine is shipped to the United States. In fact, roughly 90 percent of all the cocaine sold in the United States comes from Colombia.
According to the World Health Organization, approximately sixteen percent of Americans have experimented with cocaine. Cocaine addiction has taken a “back seat” to prescription drug addiction but it still remains a large problem. The demand for cocaine in the United States has been fueling the drug’s production in Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru for years. One of the reasons for the United States’ failure to curb cocaine production is the demand created from those who suffer with cocaine addiction. The quantity of the drug produced in Colombia has been about the same for the past ten years. In light of the disappointing numbers, it seems that America’s current strategy against drug abuse has proven to be inadequate. According to the U.S. drug czar Gil Kerlikowske, there needs to be a focus not only on production but also on prevention and demand.
Debbie Ross, the executive director of a Florida drug rehab claims that cocaine addiction is major problem. Ms. Ross also states that in the past couple of years her drug rehab program has seen an increase in those who are seeking help with prescription drug addiction than with cocaine addiction. The Florida drug rehab executive director warns, “We may be seeing more people suffering from prescription drug addiction than cocaine addiction; however, that does not reduce the seriousness of the cocaine addiction problem in the United States.”
