For decades, Bolivia has found it difficult to specialize in one sector for its economy, which has led some people to get creative. Considering their issue with narcotrafficking, some have asked, Should we legalize cocaine?

While this sounds bizarre at first, there is an actual argument for it. To help bolster the economy of Bolivia, legalizing cocaine could potentially increase exports significantly. For this to happen, there would need to be an intense social campaign to change the public perception of cocaine. Some arguments include cocaine’s similarity to Adderall, suggesting that if they are so similar and Adderall is seen as safe, cocaine could be seen as safe too. People in support of the legalization of cocaine argue that if cocaine were legal, then the production process would be regulated, making it safer for consumers. Many lives would be changed as narcotraffickers in Bolivia would no longer be operating as the government could produce and export cocaine legally for cheaper. The idea to hopefully change lives of citizens would be to generate tax revenue and reduce crime. While this may have a positive effect on helping Bolivia’s economy, there are many concerns.

Those opposing cite cocaine as addictive and dangerous. Concerns for overdoses are high as cocaine is dangerous, and you can overdose if you have too much. It is also highly addictive, which could lead to dependence on the drug, increasing the risk of someone overdosing. On the other side, they argue that alcohol, cigarettes, and prescription medication can have the same argument. If the United States and Bolivia were to legalize cocaine to bolster Bolivia’s economy, what is stopping other countries from doing the same? The sole reason this argument has been brought up is for the benefit of Bolivia’s economy, but other nations in South America, such as Venezuela and Colombia, could just do the same. This would significantly reduce the impact on Bolivia’s economy and could potentially lead to the negatives outweighing the positives.

References: All from personal discussion in class
Idea from: https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-507-dz02z13g35