The Forgotten War on Drugs
Colombia Steers Away from U.S. Plan to Kill Coca()
July 3, 2007 The Colombian government reportedly has had it with the Bush administration's coca fumigation program. Coca hasn't been cut back, and cocaine trafficking continues unabated. The punitive approach also has driven poor farmers to grow more coca and to help the guerrillas. The state says manual eradication is far less venomous, and it is moving in that direction, quietly.
Part 5: Drug Czar Blasted for Lack of Leadership()
April 6, 2007 John Walters is the public face of the drug war, the nation's drug czar. But many activists blame Walters for a lack of leadership, and experts are concerned that the war on terrorism has pushed the war on drugs off the nation's radar.
Part 4: Release of Drug Offenders Strains Communities()
April 5, 2007 In the 1980s and '90s, more than a million people in the United States were arrested each year on drug charges. Most went to prison. Now hundreds of thousands of inmates are returning to their neighborhoods, and many communities are collapsing under the burden.
Part 3: Winning the War on Drugs One Life at a Time()
April 4, 2007 In America's war on drugs, more federal resources have gone into foreign operations and law enforcement than into demand reduction at home. But policy experts, community activists and recovering addicts say only a combination of strategies will work.
Reporter's Notebook
Remembering the Forgotten War()
April 4, 2007 NPR's series on the drug war began in a tiny Miskito Indian fishing village, on Nicaragua's Caribbean coast, that relies on cocaine for its livelihood. Such dependence, John Burnett writes, is a visceral reminder that nothing the U.S. does abroad will shut down the drug trade.
Part 2: In the Colombian Jungle, Coca Still Thrives()
April 3, 2007 For seven years, the United States has sprayed a deadly defoliant on Colombia's coca fields. Some credit the program with a sharp drop in violence in that nation. But in remote, lawless regions, cocaine production — and the violence it entails — remains strong.
Timeline: America's War on Drugs()
April 2, 2007 Four decades ago, the U.S. government declared a "war on drugs." From the rise and fall of kingpins to current efforts to interdict and stamp out drugs, follow events so far.
Part 1: War on Drugs Hasn't Stemmed Flow Into U.S.()
April 2, 2007 Despite decades of U.S. interdiction efforts, cocaine, heroin and other illegal drugs still stream into the country. Critics say America would improve its chances of "winning" the war on drugs if it revamped anti-drug policy to focus more on stamping out demand.
America's Forgotten War: A Series Overview()
April 2, 2007 The war on drugs has been waged for 38 years, through seven White House administrations, in foreign coca fields and on America's streets, at an estimated annual cost of $40 billion. But what has it accomplished, and where does the U.S. go from here?
Voices: Ex-Addicts, Dealers & Others Share Their Stories()
April 2, 2007 America has been waging a war on drugs for decades; the battle has affected people from all walks of life. Hear analysis from federal drug officials, as well as the personal experiences of a former drug dealer, a recovering drug addict, a former drug prosecutor and a mother who lost her son to heroin.
