To the editor: President Trump is threatening to assault Venezuela and apparently contemplating the identical for Colombia, supposedly as a result of it provides cocaine to U.S. residents (“In Colombia, anger and disbelief at Trump threats of U.S. strikes,” Dec. 3). Cocaine use is an issue for many individuals and drug dependancy can break an individual’s life. However is utilizing the army the correct reply?
In accordance with the 2024 Nationwide Survey on Drug Use and Well being, about 1.5% of People ages 12 or over (4.3 million individuals) used cocaine within the prior 12 months. How a lot are we spending to assist these individuals?
Mark Cancian, a senior protection advisor on the Heart for Strategic and Worldwide Research, just lately advised the Washington Put up that it may possibly price as a lot as $8.4 million per day to function an plane service. The usGerald R. Ford entered Latin American waters on Nov. 16, together with plenty of destroyers. Per Cancian’s estimate, 20 days of working the plane would possibly are available in at round $168 million. Every strike, in the meantime, prices a whole lot of hundreds of {dollars}.
Might there be a less expensive method to assist cocaine customers instantly? Or, additional, is that this even our greatest drawback? What in regards to the main explanation for youth loss of life within the U.S. — which is firearms, not cocaine? Why is stopping cocaine use apparently extra vital than saving youngsters?
The fee to fully destroy cocaine trafficking from Venezuela and Colombia by way of naval operations could possibly be appreciable — and I don’t assume it can diminish demand right here or cease this drug from being trafficked from different international locations.
Utilizing the army to unravel home issues is wildly costly, dangers our troopers’ lives and, given the legally doubtful nature of those strikes, dangers our army leaders’ careers as effectively.
Barbara Snider, Huntington Seashore
