Illegal war trade, and its effect on society - Research Paper Example

hereas the problem was being addressed, during the 19th century, locally at different countries of the world, now-a-days, it has assumed a global aspect. Therefore it is evident that modern transportation system has significantly contributed to the increase of the illicit drug-trade. As a result in the international drug market, the trade in drug is a highly profitable business, as Presidents Commission on Organized Crime notes, “Drug trafficking accounts for almost 38 percent of all organized crime activity across the country and generates an income estimated to be as high as $110 billion” (4).

A report prepared by the National Institute on Drug Abuse shows that the abuse of drug like any illegal drugs, except the smoking and alcohol, exerts a toll of averagely $161 billion dollars on the economy of the United States in the years 1999, 2000 and 2001 (NIDA). If alcoholism and smoking are counted within the statistics, the cost will rise up to approximately $487 billion dollar. Out of this $161 billion dollars, about $110 billion costs in lost productivity, whereas $12.9 billion is spent in healthcare issue.

In the UK, the total economic cost of illicit drug abuse fluctuated between £2.9bn and £5.3bn in the past decades. If the social costs are added to this economic cost, the total amount will range between £10.1bn and £17.4bn per year (Godfrey et al. 7). In a study Collins and Lapsley (2008) report that Australian socio-economy has to bear the cost of $30 billion per year. But a global comparative statistics of the effects of drug on the economy of the countries is still a matter of investigation (87).

The UK Drug Policy Commission approximates that there are about 23.1 million natives of the total British population who are addicted to at least one drug in the year 2010 (Reuter and Stevens, 2007). According to the British Crime Survey 2005, about 45% of the population (aged between 35 and 44) were addicted to at least one drug, whereas 50 percent of the