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 navy the proper reply?
In keeping with the 2024 Nationwide Survey on Drug Use and Well being, about 1.5% of Individuals ages 12 or over (4.3 million folks) used cocaine within the prior yr. How a lot are we spending to assist these folks?
Mark Cancian, a senior protection advisor on the Middle for Strategic and Worldwide Research, lately advised the Washington Submit that it may possibly price as a lot as $8.4 million per day to function an plane provider. The united statesGerald R. Ford entered Latin American waters on Nov. 16, together with a variety 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 lots of of hundreds of {dollars}.
May there be a less expensive approach to assist cocaine customers instantly? Or, additional, is that this even our largest drawback? What concerning the main reason for youth loss of life within the U.S. — which is firearms, not cocaine? Why is stopping cocaine use apparently extra essential than saving youngsters?
The associated fee to fully destroy cocaine trafficking from Venezuela and Colombia through naval operations may very well be appreciable — and I don’t suppose it can diminish demand right here or cease this drug from being trafficked from different international locations.
Utilizing the navy to unravel home issues is wildly costly, dangers our troopers’ lives and, given the legally doubtful nature of those strikes, dangers our navy leaders’ careers as nicely.
Barbara Snider, Huntington Seaside
