The use of cocaine can be traced back to an approximated period of three millennia before the coming of Christ. The Incas of the Andes consumed the drug as a way of surviving in the highlands that were characterized by thin air and low pressure. While the drug has one among the longest histories among natural intoxicants, it is generally recognized as the most potent and hazardous stimulant of natural characteristics. Today, cocaine is arguably one among the most profitable drug in the global black market. While this is the case, the drug trade is valued at $110 billion. Drug trade is the most widespread form of organized crime in the United States, accounting for 40% of the entire organized crime in the US. Cocaine gained exceptional popularity in the 1970s. The period between the late 1960s and the late 1970s saw cocaine trade develop into a multibillion trade bonanza with the drug lords, mostly of Colombian origin emerging as world tycoons (Sagert, 2007). This paper seeks to explain some of the main events that took place in the 1970s making cocaine trade the single most lucrative venture in organized crime.
One of the most prominent events that made cocaine the most profitable drugs of the 1970s was the War on Drugs (WOD) initiated by President Richard Nixon in the year1972. According to Zaitch (2002), the effect of the war on drugs on the cocaine trade can be explained from two points of view – the economists’ view point and the psychologist’s viewpoint. From the point of view of the economist, the drug became exceptionally profitable because of the imbalance that came of demand and supply of the intoxicant. Apparently, economists explain that upon the declaration of the war on drugs made the drug suppliers encounter various challenges in accessing the American markets. As such, the drug’s availability became limited to the extent that the prices went up significantly. This worked in favor of the suppliers since they took advantage of the high demand. As such, they reaped a lot from the trade, making it the most profitable intoxicant of the 1970s.
According to Zaitch (2002), the psychologist’s point of view argues that the war on drugs, particularly cocaine and crack raised curiosity among the youth, especially the college and high school students whose age is associated with exploration. Psychologists explain that when the drugs were declared illegal curiosity motivated peer groups influence in schools boosting the demand from the drug. The high demand attracted huge profits. Legislation and enforcement were among the factors that pushed the cocaine prices up. Such measures made the substance a high risk commodity. Typically high risk commodities are associated with high prices and exceptional profitability.
The second main event that took place in the 1970s making cocaine trade a multibillion bonanza was the rise of the pop culture. Apparently, the pop culture has its roots in the seventies. The culture is associated with music and other arts. Research indicates that during the 1970s and early 80s, virtually all musicians consumed cocaine. The drug was defined as the ladder to artistic success. The culture, which treasured and upheld cocaine referred to earlier scholars that had praised the drug as being exceptionally exciting. Sagert (2007) notes that Sigmund Freud the Austrian scholar, and social scientist is one of the most prominent people known for praising the qualities of cocaine. According to Sigmund, the drug is simply “Magical.” In his book About Coke, the scholar gives the intoxicant too much subjective praise. The pop culture and musicians of the 1970s constantly referred to the words of Sigmund in justifying their consumption of the drug.
The musicians and pop artists that consumed the drug in huge quantities motivated young people that idolized them. Apparently, celebrities are idols to the youth and everything that a celebrity does defines fashion. Cocaine was seen as the most fashionable intoxicant back in the day. The youth consumed the drug so regularly that by 1978 the consumption of cocaine among college and high school students had grown tenfold, despite the efforts by the government to bring down the trade (Zaitch, 2002). Popularity of the drug among entertainers saw businessmen join the circle. Businessmen mostly bought the drugs for purposes of their workforce. Research indicates that businessmen in the 1970s used labor intensive methods. The laborers, mostly blacks and people of Hispanic descent were given the intoxicant so as to stay energetic for periods exceeding 24hours. While the drug is a numbing one, businessmen argues that it made workers easier to manipulate and exploit – things that were common at the wake of capitalism at the height of the cold war.
Another main event that saw cocaine trade grow into a wealthy empire was the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro during the 60s. The Cuban revolution saw a high and steady influx of Cuban citizens that were not in agreement with the communist government. The influx of immigrants of Cuban origin came as an opportunity for the Colombian drug lords (Sagert, 2007). The Cuban immigrants in the United States formed a powerful connection with the Colombian drug traffickers. As a matter of fact, Colombia was and still remains the biggest supplier of cocaine. In the 1970s, Colombian organizations owned 75% of the drug manufacturing laboratories. With the Cubans in the USA, arguably the richest market for cocaine and other hard drugs, the Colombians could concentrate on the production processes, relying on the Cubans for the distribution of the drugs. The connection commonly referred to as the Colombian connection saw the rise of such big drug dynasties as the Sicilian Mafia and the La Costa Nostra (Zaitch, 2002). However, the Colombians have since seized all distribution channels, which they control to date.
Other events that saw cocaine grow into being the most profitable drug in the seventies are the activities of the United Nations. In the year 1971, the United Nations agreed to the Vienna Convention on Psychotropic Substances. This was followed by the establishment of The United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control (UNFDAC). Such international efforts, coupled with national level efforts in Colombia did not see the cocaine trade die out; instead, such efforts saw the drug lords relocate to such places as Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. This meant dispersion of the trade and not the end of the trade. Moving to such places made distribution easier through Caribbean Islands. The connection was in such a way that production was done in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia while conversion was done in Brazil and Venezuela and distribution or shipment was done through South America and Caribbean countries. this saw the rise of the notorious Colombian connection, which saw the cocaine trade become stable and tremendously profitable in the seventies.
References
Sagert, K. B. (2007). The 1970s. Westport, Conn: Greenwood.
Zaitch, D. (2002). Trafficking cocaine: Colombian drug entrepreneurs in the Netherlands. The Hague [u.a.: Kluwer Law International.
