Trump and Biden ignore how war on drugs fuels violence in Latin America

On the final stretch of the U.S. presidential campaign, Democratic nominee Joe Biden acknowledged the harmful effects the war on drugs has had on racial minorities in the country, due to incarceration and police violence. He even suggested that decriminalizing cocaine for personal use could be a solution.

But when the debate turned to immigration, both candidates followed familiar lines. Mr. Biden focused on the innocent children separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border. Meanwhile, incumbent Donald Trump focused on the “coyotes” — illegally migrant smugglers — and drug cartels.

Neither made the link between immigration and the drug war, despite the substantial impact the U.S.-led campaign to reduce drug trafficking has had on the lives of people in Latin America.

Increasingly, people are crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to escape a cycle of violence to which Washington continues to contribute. Immigration is just the tip of the iceberg.

Murder rates in Latin America have skyrocketed since the 1980s and are still among the highest in the world. This, because Latin America has been the biggest battleground for the war on drugs.

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American crackdown on drugs

Over the last 50 years, the U.S. government has pushed for increasingly restrictive international treaties on drugs, which paradoxically increased the profitability of cocaine.

In the 1980s, while Americans were locking up their...