The War on Drugs – Wealthy Countries Recently Dedicated Over $1 Billion Says New Report

A report by Harm Reduction International (HRI) reveals that between 2012 and 2021, wealthy countries allocated $974 million to the global war on drugs, primarily for law enforcement and military purposes. A portion of this aid supported countries with harsh drug penalties, including the death sentence. The U.S. was the largest donor, with funding increasing significantly under Biden.

A recent report by Harm Reduction International (HRI) highlights how the wealthiest countries, such as the United States and Europe, continue to provide substantial foreign aid to the global war on drugs, primarily allocated to law enforcement and military efforts.

HRI calls on governments to “stop using money from their limited aid budgets” to support war on drugs policies that negatively affect people who consume drugs.

Key Findings from the War on Drugs Report

The Aid for the War on Drugs report reveals that between 2012 and 2021, 30 donor countries allocated $974 million in international aid to “drug control.”

A portion of this aid for the war on drugs, totaling at least $70 million, was allocated to countries that impose the death penalty for drug-related offenses.

As the report points out, in 2021, aid funds were allocated to Indonesia to support a “drug control training program,” the same year that Indonesia issued a record number of 89 death sentences for drug-related offenses. Japan donated several million dollars to Iran to help finance its drug-sniffing dog units, while Iran executed at least 131 people in its war on drugs in 2021.

Major Contributors to the War on Drugs

In a decade, the United States became the main contributor, with over half of the global funding for the war against drugs, amounting to $550 million. They are followed by the European Union ($282 million), Japan ($78 million), the United Kingdom ($22 million), Germany ($12 million), Finland ($9 million), and South Korea ($8 million), as reported by Cannabis Moment.

The war on drugs receives more foreign aid than school feeding, early childhood education, labor rights, and mental health care. During the period described in the report, 92 countries received aid for “drug control.” The main beneficiaries were Colombia ($109 million), Afghanistan ($37 million), Peru ($27 million), Mexico ($21 million), and Guatemala and Panama ($10 million each).

War on Drugs History and Current Implications

“There is a long history of global powers using drug policy to reinforce and exert their control over other populations and target specific communities,” the war on drugs report reads. “Racist and colonial dynamics continue to this day, with the wealthiest governments, led by the United States, spending billions of taxpayer dollars worldwide to strengthen or expand punitive drug control regimes and related law enforcement measures.”

“These funding flows are misaligned with existing evidence, as well as international commitments to development, health, and human rights, including the goal of eradicating AIDS by 2030,” the war on drugs report emphasizes. “They rely on systems that disproportionately harm Black and indigenous populations worldwide and reinforce them.”

Changing Funding Patterns

While some countries, such as the United Kingdom, have reduced their expenditures for foreign drug control initiatives, others have chosen to increase their funding for the war on drugs. For instance, the United States significantly increased its support for the war on drugs at the beginning of President Joe Biden’s term.

While the United States is the leading global contributor to the war on drugs, the HRI report highlights fluctuations in these figures. For example, in 2021, the United States allocated $301 million in aid for “drug control,” a significant increase from the $31 million the previous year. According to the report, Colombia became the main beneficiary of this aid.

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(Featured image by Diego González via Unsplash)

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