DRUGS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

We know that illegal drugs do a great deal of harm-to our bodies, our minds,
and our communities. We also know about the negative impact drugs can have
on our kids and our families. But there's another harm associated with
illegal drugs that more and more Americans are beginning to understand: the
billions of dollars Americans spend on drugs each year are taking a horrific
toll on some of the most fragile and diverse eco-systems on the planet.

When people use illegal drugs, they are contributing to the destruction of
land and countless species of animals and plants, placing the public at risk
and supporting the disappearance of rain forests around the globe. The loss
of these rainforests contributes to changes in the global climate. And
pollution of waterways will perhaps permanently eradicate species of plants
and animals, in addition to releasing carcinogens into drinking water for
generations to come. Illegal drug manufacturers, obviously, follow no
environmental or safety rules. Reducing the demand for illegal drugs is one
way we can ease the pressure on some of our most fragile natural habitats.

Methamphetamine Methamphetamine or "meth" labs, using inexpensive
over-the-counter chemicals to process the drug, can cause soil and water
contamination, threaten fish and stream wildlife and create fires. For each
pound of "meth" produced, five to six pounds of hazardous waste are
generated, posing immediate and long-term environmental and health risks.
For example, National Forest Service employees who have been in contact with
meth dump sites have become ill. The waste contains chemicals such as lye,
red phosphorus, hydriodic acid and iodine. Some of this hazardous waste is
dumped directly into domestic water wells, farmland and mine shafts,
creating broader public health risks from contaminated water. And in
California, for example, chemicals from large meth lab dump sites have
killed livestock, contaminated streams, and destroyed large areas of trees
and vegetation in that state. Cocaine

The U.S. consumes nearly 260 metric tons of cocaine every year, which is
grown and processed in the fragile environments of South America. The result
has been the destruction of almost 6 million acres of fragile tropical
forest over the past 20 years in the Andean region of South America, one of
the planet's most valuable ecosystems. Each year, millions of pounds of
chemicals are used to process coca and then dumped into waterways or onto
the ground in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. Terrorist groups in Colombia
linked to the narcotics trade frequently bomb oil pipelines resulting in
toxic spills. One pipeline has been attacked more than 700 times since 1986
resulting in an overall spillage of 2.2 million barrels of oil into the
surrounding ecosystem.

In Colombia, which contains roughly 10 percent of the Earth's biodiversity,
roughly three million acres of tropical rain forest have been ruined by the
coca trade. In Peru, ten percent of the total rainforest destruction in the
last century is due to illegal drugs. The rapidly eroding rainforests may
mean that scientists may not find potential cures for deadly diseases, (one
in six prescription drugs has a tropical source).

The loss of rainforests also contributes to changes in the global climate.
Pollution of waterways will perhaps permanently eradicate species of plants
and animals, in addition to releasing carcinogens into drinking water for
generations to come.