Marxist View of the Drugs Trade | Agora
Marxist View of the Drugs Trade
Why we need to see drugs in a different way
Today, if you ask a member of the British public what they think of
drugs you will often find that those who deal and consume drugs are
often viewed in a criminal way, as a blight on an otherwise good society
and that every ill in society would solve itself if it wasn’t for the
drugs trade. It is also the view that the agents of law enforcement
benevolently try their best, in vain, against what is perceived
to be the “social scourge” that individuals who usually trade these
narcotic consumer goods are portrayed to be. This view is so universal
that it is hard to dislodge, since every institution from the corporate
media to the church denounces the drugs trade and urge the keeping of
the prohibition. This is where a sober analysis of this trade becomes
crucial. What is missing is an analysis which looks for much larger,
intractable problems than the simple Hollywood inspired ‘good cop vs.
bad dealer’ and this is what a Marxist analysis does. It aims to show
the real effects the war on drugs has and how the drugs prohibition
helps to keep the profits flowing for the mega rich and how it keeps the
powerful in power.
