Drugs and the Environment

10/30/05

Env. Studies

Drugs and the environment

There is no question that cocaine and heroin production is a problem for everyone. Many people die every year from these drugs, either from drug use or being killed in some drug related situation. There are many ways to fight this very difficult problem but none will completely destroy the drugs.

Along with standard methods of catching these criminals, there has been many unorthodox methods in use. My favorite and most likely the best way to stop the production of coca is by aerial fumigation. But even this mas many adverse affects. It would be impossible for a plane to drop chemicals just on the coca plants and kill just them. Everything in the area is affected. This is a good method to remove that crop, but since the demand for the drug is still there, the growers will find someplace else to grow it. Unfortunately this place is deeper into the forest which requires removal of vegetation and trees.

In the production of cocaine there are three steps, many of which require many chemicals that cause damage to the environment when improperly disposed of. Kerosene, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid are a few of the many environmentally damaging chemicals in the process. If responsible taken care of, these chemicals would have no effect on the environment because they would never get that far. But due to the nature of the drug business, the producers do not do things by regulations. When they are done with a chemical, they simply dump it into a nearby river or onto the ground. This is horribly damaging to the environment and the local people. Dumping the chemicals the way they do has a huge affect on the locals because they have to use this water to survive. If they are farmers (which many in this area are) they would use this tainted water to irrigate their crops or use the water for drinking or bathing. I know I wouldn’t like taking a bath in water with hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid in it.

This is only the beginning of the problem for the environment. Since the drug producers use the land in such a harsh manner, the only way for them to have a continual growth is to switch growing places after about 3 or 4 years. After