Law and Policy: Controls on Drug Trafficking
The United States is one of the largest and most profitable drug markets in the world. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Americans spent approximately $64 billion on illegal drugs in2000. About $35 billion of that total was spent on cocaine, $10 billion each on heroin and marijuana, and $5 billion on methamphetamine. Major sources of heroin include Afghanistan, Pakistan, Burma, Mexico, and Colombia. Most of the cocaine supply comes from Colombia. Marijuana is grown across much of the globe, including in the United States, with Mexico currently being the most important exporter to the U.S. market. Methamphetamine supplies come primarily from Mexican and domestic sources.
According to estimates from the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 2.8 million Americans are dependent on illegal drugs, and 1.5 million are classified under the less severe category of abuser. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reports that there are an estimated 11.5 million marijuana users in the United States, and that one-third of Americans have used marijuana at some point in their lives. The University of Michigan conducts an annual survey, "Monitoring the Future," about drug use by young people. The most recent survey indicates that more than 50 percent of high school seniors experimented with illegal drugs at least once before graduation.
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