ABSTRACT
The cocaine industry is "a crime network that begins in the Andean countries and extends across the world" (Duzan, 1990: 10), but most Americans believe it consists solely of the drug cartels in the cocaine producing countries of Latin America, especially Colombia (Marsh, 1991). Sixty-four percent of Americans support fighting the war on drugs overseas, and they also believe it is more important to attack supply rather than demand (Balmforth, 1996). However, there are three policy issues with which the United States must deal to effectively resolve the drug issue: "First, U.S. interests in cutting the supply of cocaine are not necessarily compatible with the interests of producer nations. Second, U.S. drug diplomacy as currently practiced probably will exacerbate tensions in U.S.-Latin American relations. Third, the marginal impact of expanding supply-side programs is likely to be low .... [Therefore,] the six million people who now consume cocaine must be persuaded to change their habits and preferences" (Lee, 1989:2-3).
