Trafficking in Usa

The United States is a country where opportunity knocks. There are many people who thrive off of the economy and what the country has to offer. One aspect of business that has a massive economic advantage would be import and export of goods and products. However, not all business is good business in import and export. The illegal trafficking of goods and products in and out of the country is becoming a too familiar issue recently. According to the USDEA, "More than 90,000 merchant and passenger ships dock at U.S. ports. These ships carry more than 9 million shipping containers and 400 million tons of cargo. Another 157,000 smaller vessels visit our many coastal towns. Amid this voluminous trade, drug traffickers conceal cocaine, heroin, marijuana, MDMA, and methamphetamine shipments for distribution in U.S. neighborhoods". (U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency 23) Many people do not realize illegal trafficking has a negative effect on the country as a whole. Eliminating drug trafficking in the United States would lower government costs for inmates, reduce crime rates and bring revenue back into poverty stricken neighborhoods.

To begin with, eliminating drug trafficking in the United States would lower government costs for the inmates they house every year. Every year there are countless men, women and children who are hauled off for incarceration due to various drug offenses. According to the Bureau of Justice, "Local jails held 785,556 persons awaiting trial or serving a sentence at midyear 2008. An additional 72,852 persons under jail supervision were serving their sentence in the community". (The Bureau of Justice 26) The government pays thousands of dollars yearly to house these inmates individually. "The average prisoner costs the taxpayers $33,615 a year to imprison". (Feigley 11) The money that is spent for the upkeep of these facilities and the money spent to house those inmates are the United States citizen's tax money. Eliminating drug trafficking would reduce the number of individuals incarcerated, therefore reducing the amount of tax payers money sent towards the cause. Saving that money would be a great advantage for the people. It would provide an abundance of opportunities that were not able to be carried out because the money was not available. The government can step in and provide new opportunities for those who have already been incarcerated to insure that they are not repeat offenders. It has been reported that, "56% of violent felons are repeat offenders and 61% of all felons are repeat offenders". (Seabrook 1) In providing respectable opportunities for individuals who have already been incarcerated, this in turn increases the probability that those individuals are able to make a decent living and do not resort back to another illegal act just to survive. For those who have not been incarcerated, the government can assist in future planning, allowing those individuals to live out to their full potential and be much greater than those before them. The saved money should go to those programs as well as education and housing redevelopment, community maintenance and jobs should be created with that excess of funds.

In addition to lowering government costs for inmates, if drug trafficking was eliminated it would also reduce crime rates in the United States. Trafficking drugs into the United States is the only way the people are able to gain access to the drugs. Accessibility means power. Those who are interested in making a living by the illegal sale of narcotics are willing to be successful at it at any cost. Those individuals who are in this illegal transport of narcotics have a relentless and ruthless attitude that aides in the increase of drug related crimes. According to the FBI, "In 2009, an estimated 1,318,398 drug related violent crimes occurred nationwide". (U.S. Department of Investigation - Federal Bureau of Investigation 57) The crime rate is heightened in the business of the illegal sale of drugs because in running such a business, there is no loyalty or set of morals that people abide by. People will steal, harm and even kill to be the person on top. This is what brings attention to the areas where it is commonly occurring. The people of those areas everyday are victims of some sort of drug related crime. Eliminating drug trafficking would help those areas greatly. It would also give other outside programs and government operated businesses the opportunity to come in and help with restoration of those areas. The government could provide awareness to the people to educate them on the violence and how it is/was affecting their children, and community. In providing awareness the government could also give those affected areas the attention and monies to be rebuilt. So far, according to ABT Associates, "the following revitalization efforts have been put in place: Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Communities (EZ/EC), Community Development Block Grant, Neighborhood Revitalization Strategies (CDBG), Community Outreach Partnership Program (COPC), Living Cities, Neighborhood and Family Initiative, Rebuilding Communities/Making Connections, Pew Partnership Small Cities Initiative, Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP)". (Turnham and Bonjorni 9) Those programs along with many more would allow those communities to have the fresh start they never honestly received. Eliminating drug trafficking