PROHIBITION AND THE "DRUG WAR” IN THE AMERICAS

Abstract

Abstract:Since the early twentieth century to the present day, the prohibition of a collection of psychoactive  drugs  has  allowed  the  emergence  of  a  powerful  illicit  economy  in  the  world, occasioning  serious  political  and  social  consequences  in  Latin  America.  This  article  seeks  to present a brief analysis of prohibitionism in the Americas, in order to understand the historical-political process of creating the topic of "drugs" as a matter of public health, public security and also -since the 1970s, after declaration of the "war on drugs" by the United States -as a nationaland  regional  security  issue  that  mobilizes  armies,  police  and  economic  and  social  projects  of great impact on the continent.

Keywords:Latin America. Drug Policy. Health. Safety.Drug Trafficking