Adaptability of Drug Traffickers Makes Demand Reduction the Obvious Solution
Over the last couple of decades, drug trafficking organizations have shown themselves to be clever businessmen capable of adapting to market conditions. When the heat gets too great in one area, they shift their activities to a different area.
When there was too much Drug Enforcement Agency attention on cocaine coming through South Florida, the Columbian manufacturers hired Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) to smuggle their wares across the border into the States. It is assumed that they estimated the cost of having Mexican DTOs get a cut of the profits was less than their costs to evade interdiction.
When border security tightened after September 11, 2001, drug traffickers began to dig tunnels under the Mexico-U.S. border. One of the largest ones detected was seven-tenths of a mile long and held two tons of baled marijuana.
When law enforcement pressure got too heavy in Philadelphia, local drug lords moved their stash houses to the suburbs. And in Washington State, indoor grows of marijuana escalated as a solution to increased destruction of marijuana crops in national forests. And in the last month, federal drug authorities have described Atlanta as the new gateway for the movement of drugs to eastern U.S. regions.
“The ‘balloon theory' is used to explain situations like this,” stated Derry Hallmark, Director of Admissions and Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor at Narconon Arrowhead. Narconon Arrowhead is one of the country’s leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, located in Canadian, Oklahoma. “When you pinch a balloon in one area, the air in the balloon simply moves to a different part of the balloon. If you increase drug enforcement in one area, the drugs will flow through a different area. Thus the solution to drug problems in this country must include effective means of reducing demand. And that means rehabilitation that offers a lasting solution plus drug education for the young.”
Narconon Arrowhead has been part of the solution for more than forty years. At more than 100 centers around the world, seven out of ten Narconon graduates have gone on to live drug-free lives. And in the last year, Narconon Arrowhead’s drug education staff reached more than 65,000 young people in four states with their proven drug education curriculum.
“We are dedicated to a drug-free future for America,” added Mr. Hallmark. “Decriminalizing drugs is only an option when demand has been greatly reduced first. What message do we want to send to our young people? They should understand that life is better when one is drug-free. Let’s send that message first.”
To find immediate help for someone who is having a problem with any kind of drug or alcohol, contact Narconon’s free addiction consultation and referral helpline at 1-800-468-6933 or visit their website at www.stopaddiction.com. The Narconon program was founded in 1966 by William Benitez in Arizona State prison, and is based on the humanitarian works of L. Ron Hubbard. In more than 80 centers around the world, Narconon programs restore drug and alcohol abusers and addicts to a clean and sober lifestyle.
