Animals And The War On Drugs
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM Jacob Lichty, Faunalytics.org
February 2020

There has long been a call to end the War On Drugs due to its disregard for human life. Now, this paper provides an additional layer of analysis that frames it an animal rights issue due to the impact on animals that its militarized response has had.

The large scale at which these injuries and deaths occur leads to the conclusion that the war on drugs is also a war on animals. This is a great example of the intersectionality of issues, and a way that advocates can build coalitions with each other to help both human and animal life.

marijuana plant

The War On Drugs is the colloquial name for a decades-long campaign against illegal drug trafficking and drug use in the United States, and beyond. This campaign has been fought through the increased criminalization of activities related to illegal drugs using both police and military involvement. Many people and organizations have classified it a failure, in part because of how it has framed human lives as dispensable.

There has long been a call to end the War On Drugs due to its disregard for human life. Now, this paper provides an additional layer of analysis that frames it an animal rights issue due to the impact on animals that its militarized response has had.

Points:

  • to launder money, drug cartels have taken up ranching cows
  • drug trafficking has also been associated with the illegal wildlife trade
  • military planes have been used to spread harmful chemicals over coca plantations, harmful not only to local populations of humans but also to animals living in the vicinity

For more details, please read Animals And The War On Drugs.

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