Episode one digs into the cocaine business. Fox briefly introduces herself before sitting down with a ski-masked Los Angeles drug dealer whose name is only “Roy”; his father was dealing cocaine, and now he is, but in small quantities, because if he is arrested, the charges will not be as severe. The Colombian government spends much money on withdrawing five tons of coke per year out of 1,400 tons distributed. Cartels sell $24 billion of cocaine annually to the United States alone (Fox, 2020). The episode focuses on aspects of the production and distribution of business and reduces the consequences of this business — death and poverty — to a few brief conclusions. This is black market trading, so it has a detrimental effect on the structure of society and people. The episode is a sketch overflowing with facts and a fair amount of intoxicating analysis, but it does not contain any information about the impact of cocaine on humanity.
Another episode tells the audience about the cannabis trade industry. Fox is investigating the legal cannabis trade in America. There have been so many armed robberies of marijuana plants in the United States that a Drug Enforcement Administration agent sadly confirms that he has never seen a drug that would cause more violence and firearms on the table than marijuana (Fox, 2020). Big alcohol and tobacco companies have flooded the cannabis market in America, each striving to become the new Coca-Cola or Budweiser among pot since, after legalization in several US states, more and more people are turning to pot rather than tobacco and alcohol. Along with cartels, these large enterprises can outlive and outperform everyone in the cannabis market.
Despite the fact that I did not know much about drugs, the series did not give me much information on this issue. I expected more analysis and thoroughness from this show. Still, it boils down to well-known theses: poor farmers have no choice, there is great inequality in the countries of origin, everything is determined by demand in the United States, efforts to reduce drug trafficking are meaningless, and criminalization does not take into account the therapeutic effects of drugs. Some suggestions are that legalizing cocaine could curb the black market. This would not be true (production costs, transportation, taxation), and the black market would continue to flourish. In addition, legalization will only introduce the product to more consumers, as we see with cannabis. With the advent of legal marijuana, I now see how, with legalization, some previously ordinary people have become drug addicts who rarely leave the house – harm is not necessarily to themselves – but to their families. I also do not understand some solutions, like allowing pharmaceutical companies to get MDMA for poor people suffering from post-traumatic stress. Pharmaceutical companies have shown themselves irresponsible and can cause as much harm as illegal drugs.
As a teacher, I can use the information I receive to carry out preventive measures among students. Prevention is the best strategy to prevent drug addiction in childhood or adolescence. Prevention programs can help increase protective factors and eliminate or reduce risk factors for drug use (NIDA, 2020). As we can see from the example of Roy’s story from the first episode, children whose parents use illegal drugs, abuse alcohol, or are tolerant of use are more likely to use drugs themselves. Adolescents tend to spend more waking time in the school environment with teachers than at home with their parents, which makes the school social environment a key factor influencing the development of young people. As a teacher, I can help by correcting common misconceptions of young people about alcohol and other drugs. It is possible to carry out preventive practices by talking to young people about drug use, and it is most beneficial to report the facts without teaching or exaggerating openly. The information obtained from these episodes can help in the accessible reporting of statistical information about drugs and provide illustrative examples.
Works Cited
Fox, Amarylliss. The Business of Drugs. Watch The Business of Drugs | Netflix Official Site, Web.
NIDA. “Preventing Drug Misuse and Addiction: The Best Strategy.” National Institute on Drug Abuse, Web.