Unseen Damage: How The War On Drugs Accelerates Climate Crisis, New Report

A recent 63-page report from the International Coalition on Drug Policy Reform and Environmental Justice reveals the hidden and insidious connection between global drug prohibition, the war on drugs and environmental destruction.

This coalition is composed of individuals and organizations like Health Poverty Action, LEAP Europe, SOS Amazônia, the Transnational Institute (TNI), and the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) from countries including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Myanmar the Netherlands and the U.K.

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The report underscores the "missing link" in climate justice and asserts that “their efforts will fail as long as those committed to environmental protection neglect to recognize, and grapple with the elephant in the room.” Drug policies have driven illegal operations into ecologically critical areas, notably the Amazon rainforest and Southeast Asian jungles, promoting environmental harm, reported Marijuana Moment.

Illegal profits are known to fuel a network of crimes, leading to environmental degradation.

The report cites instances like drug trafficking in Peru linked to illegal gold mining, and the cocaine trade fuelling the destruction of the Upper Guinean forest of West Africa. It emphasizes that the drug war has been “disastrous,” leading to increased drug availability, decreased prices, and a rise in drug-related health issues.

The paper paints a stark picture of the direct and indirect environmental impacts of drug prohibition. It highlights the struggle of an estimated 200,000 families in Colombia, who, caught in a cycle of poverty and persecution, rely on growing coca for survival. These farmers face police and military persecution, while the powerful elites at the top remain immune.

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The report recommends holistic drug regulation rooted in human rights and environmental justice to mitigate these harms. It stresses the need to acknowledge that “current drug policies are one of the main drivers of this economic and institutional dysfunction.”

On a hopeful note, global trends are shifting, with reforms underway in various jurisdictions. The report notes that “more than half a billion people will soon be living in jurisdictions where cannabis is legal,” highlighting legal markets for coca leaf in Bolivia and ongoing debates for legal coca and cocaine markets in Colombia.

Read the full story here at Marijuana Moment.

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