Why The War On Drugs Is A Losing Battle, According To Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson

Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, has a stark assessment of the war on drugs: it’s unwinnable. He voiced this concern early on, questioning the strategy of involving the military in a fight that, in his view, cannot be won. The best we can hope for, he suggests, is a minor disruption in supply, perhaps a 10-11% reduction, which only leads to a slight price increase on the street.

• The military involvement in the drug war is a flawed strategy.
• The focus on supply reduction yields minimal results and has significant negative consequences.
• The true center of gravity – the people using drugs – is being ignored.

Wilkerson points out that the drug war strategy primarily targets the supply chain. However, this approach has historically failed to make a significant dent. "We have never judge never in the whole history of this stupid drug war reduce the rate by more than 10 11%," he states. While this might have been seen as an achievement because it nudged prices up a bit, it’s a hollow victory.

The consequences of this strategy are far-reaching and damaging. Wilkerson highlights how this approach corrupts countries like Mexico and turns regions like the Caribbean and the Pacific into danger zones. The focus on interdiction and military action, rather than addressing the root causes or the demand side, creates more problems than it solves.

The core issue, according to Wilkerson, is that the strategy doesn’t go after the "center of gravity of the drug war, which is the people taking the drugs." By not addressing the demand, the efforts to cut off supply are ultimately futile. The current approach is described as "absurd" when considering the minimal impact and the significant collateral damage it causes.