Since the 1980s, the control of illegal drugs has played an important role in the U.S. government's foreign policy, or dealings with other governments. The use of drugs in the United States has led to ad- diction, crime, family violence, and social disintegration in some communities. The United States has fought to stop the production, trafficking, and sale of illegal drugs that fuels these social problems through agreements with other countries, the funding of crop elimination efforts, and aggressive efforts to stop drugs from crossing U.S. borders.

During the 1990s it became apparent that drug cartels gained un- official control in some countries and sometimes used money from the production and sale of drugs to fund terrorist activities. Analysts began to see connections between drugs, money laundering, and international terrorism. These developments have forced...