The social effects of drug abuse

Abstract

Drug abuse and trade have increasingly been securitized. The world's biggest international criminal issue, drug trafficking is a transnational criminal activity. The annual value of the world's drug traffic is estimated to be $400 billion USD. The transnational crime of drug trade is linked to other types of transnational crime. It is the main technique used to launder money and is linked to illegal immigration, terrorism, organized crime, corruption, and the trafficking of weaponry. Due to the rise in drug use and addiction, the level of violent crime, the impact on consumer health, the spread of HIV/AIDS through intravenous drug use, and the breakdown of family structures, drug trafficking is also seen as a danger to societal security. Drug trafficking has major economic and political repercussions in addition to its social effects. In addition to fostering the issue of money laundering, it undermines national economies, corrupts financial institutions, and generates shadow economies. Additionally, it weakens national security, encourages corruption, and undermines the rule of law.