為什麼反毒戰爭是一場巨大的失敗：英語精讀講義

Over 40 years ago, US President Richard Nixon declared drug abuse public enemy number one, 慣用語

40多年前，美國總統理查·尼克森宣布濫用毒品為頭號公敵，

starting an unprecedented global campaign, the War on Drugs.

發起了一場史無前例的全球運動，即「毒品戰爭」。

Today, the numbers are in. 慣用語

如今，結果已經出爐。

The War on Drugs is a huge failure with devastating unintended consequences. 片語搭配

毒品戰爭徹底失敗，並帶來了災難性的意外後果。

It led to mass incarceration in the US, 文化背景

它導致了美國的大規模監禁，

to corruption,

導致了腐敗，

political destabilization and violence in Latin America,

拉丁美洲的政治動盪和暴力，

Asia and Africa,

以及亞洲和非洲的動盪，

to systemic human rights abuses across the world. 用詞

並在全球範圍內造成了系統性的侵犯人權行為。

It negatively affected the lives of millions of people.

它對數百萬人的生活產生了負面影響。

All of this while we waste billions of dollars every year,

然而就在我們每年浪費數十億美元的同時，

only to create and fuel powerful drug cartels, 文法

卻只催生並助長了強大的販毒集團，

while the goal of the War on Drugs seems less achievable than ever.

而毒品戰爭的目標似乎比以往任何時候都難以實現。

A world without drugs.

建立一個沒有毒品的世界。

How could this happen?

怎麼會變成這樣？

The core strategy of the War on Drugs is no drugs,

毒品戰爭的核心策略是沒有毒品，

no problems.

就沒有問題。

So almost all of the efforts in the last few decades have been focused on eradicating the supply of drugs

因此，過去幾十年幾乎所有的努力都集中在根除毒品供應

and incarcerating drug traffickers.

和監禁毒販上。

But this ignores the most fundamental of market forces, 文化背景

但這忽略了最基本的市場規律：

supply and demand.

供求關係。

If you reduce the supply of anything without reducing the demand first, 文法

如果你沒有先減少需求就減少任何東西的供應，

its price goes up.

它的價格就會上漲。

This might lower sales for many products,

這可能會降低許多產品的銷量，

but not for drugs.

但對毒品並非如此。

The drugs market is not price-sensitive. 用詞

毒品市場對價格不敏感。

Drugs will be consumed no matter what they cost. 文法

無論毒品多貴，都會有人消費。

So the effect is to encourage production of more drugs and recruitment of more traffickers,

因此，其影響反而是鼓勵了更多毒品的生產和招募更多毒販，

which increases availability.

這增加了毒品的可獲得性。

This is also known as the balloon effect. 文化背景

這也被稱為氣球效應。

Even if drug production or a major supply route is destroyed, 文法

即使毒品生產或主要的供應路線被摧毀，

the supply for the end user is not reduced.

最終用戶的供應也不會減少。

A perfect example of this is crystal meth.

冰毒就是一個完美的例子。

The US government tried to stop its production

美國政府曾試圖阻止其生產，

by strictly regulating the sale of chemicals used to manufacture the drug.

方法是嚴格管制用於製造該毒品的化學品的銷售。

This forced big meth producers out of business, 片語搭配

這迫使大型冰毒生產商破產，

but the unintended consequences were that thousands of small-scale operations started all over the country,

但意外的後果是，全國各地湧現了數千個小型生產作坊，

mostly in small towns and rural communities,

主要是在小城鎮和農村社區，

using chemicals that weren't regulated.

使用不受管制的化學品。

In response to this, 表達脈絡

為了應對這一問題，

some US states wanted to reduce the supply of homegrown meth by regulating even more chemicals, 用詞

美國的一些州希望透過管制更多的化學品來減少本土冰毒的供應，

which reduced small-scale meth production drastically.

這使得小型冰毒生產大幅減少。

But the supply of meth still stayed the same.

但是冰毒的供應量仍然保持不變。

Mexican drug cartels immediately took over and opened big production operations. 片語動詞

墨西哥販毒集團立即接管，並開設了大型生產基地。

Their meth was even better than it was before,

他們的冰毒品質甚至比以前更好，

and they had loads of experience in smuggling. 片語搭配

並且擁有豐富的走私經驗。

So all these efforts made meth production more professional, 文法

因此，所有這些努力使得冰毒生產更加專業化，

the drug more potent,

毒品效力更強，

while supply wasn't reduced at all.

而供應卻絲毫沒有減少。

You can't win this war on the supply side. 用詞

你無法在供應方贏得這場戰爭。

Not only are drugs widely available,

毒品不僅隨處可見，

demand unbroken,

需求也依然存在，

and some drugs purer than in the past,

甚至有些毒品比過去更純，

with a budget of around 30 billion dollars,

儘管預算高達300億美元左右，

the US Drug Enforcement Agency has an efficiency rate of less than 1%

美國緝毒局的效率卻不到1%，

when it comes to stopping the flow of drugs into the US and inside the US. 片語搭配

當談到阻止毒品流入美國和在美國國內流通時。

For many minors around the world,

對於世界各地的許多未成年人來說，

it's as easy to get illegal drugs as alcohol. 文法

獲得非法毒品和買酒一樣容易。

But it doesn't stop here. 表達脈絡

但問題不止於此。

Prohibition may prevent a certain amount of people from taking drugs, 文法

禁毒或許能阻止一部分人吸毒，

but in the process, 片語搭配

但在該過程中，

it causes huge damage to society as a whole.

它對整個社會造成了巨大的破壞。

Many of the problems we associate with drug use

許多我們認為與吸毒有關的問題，

are actually caused by the war against them.

實際上是由針對毒品的戰爭引起的。

For example,

例如，

prohibition makes drugs stronger.

禁毒使得毒品藥效更強。

The more potent drugs you can store in as little space as possible, 文法

你能在盡可能小的空間裡儲存越強效的毒品，

the more profit you'll make.

你獲得的利潤就越高。

It was the same during alcohol prohibition,

禁酒令時期也是如此，

which led to an increased consumption of strong liquor over beer.

那導致了人們烈酒的消費量超過了啤酒。

The prohibition of drugs also led to more violence and murders around the world.

禁毒還在世界範圍內導致了更多的暴力和謀殺。

Gangs and cartels have no access to the legal system to settle disputes, 片語搭配

幫派和販毒集團無法透過法律系統解決糾紛，

so they use violence.

所以他們使用暴力。

This led to an ever-increasing spiral of brutality. 慣用語

這導致了不斷升級的暴行。

According to some estimates, 表達脈絡

根據一些估計，

the homicide rate in the US is 25 to 75% higher

美國的謀殺率高出了25%到75%，

because of the War on Drugs.

這都是因為毒品戰爭。

And in Mexico,

而在墨西哥，

a country on the front line, 慣用語

這個處於前線的國家，

an estimated 164,000 have been murdered between 2007 and 2014.

估計在2007年至2014年間有16.4萬人被謀殺。

More people than in the war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq

比阿富汗和伊拉克戰區

in the same period combined.

在同一時期死亡人數的總和還多。

But where the War on Drugs might do the most damage to society 文法

但毒品戰爭可能對社會造成最大破壞的地方，

is the incarceration of nonviolent drug offenders.

是對非暴力毒品違法者的監禁。

For example,

例如，

the United States,

美國，

one of the driving forces of the War on Drugs,

作為毒品戰爭的推動力量之一，

has 5% of the world's total population,

擁有世界總人口的5%，

but 25% of the world's prison population,

但卻占了世界監獄人口的25%，

largely due to the harsh punishments and mandatory minimums. 文化背景

這在很大程度上歸咎於嚴厲的懲罰和強制性的最低刑期。

Minorities suffer because of this especially.

少數族裔因此受害尤深。

African-Americans make up 40% of all US prison inmates. 片語動詞

非裔美國人占了所有美國監獄囚犯的40%。

And while white kids are more likely to abuse drugs, 文法

儘管白人青少年更容易濫用毒品，

black kids are 10 times more likely to get arrested for drug offenses.

但黑人青少年因毒品犯罪被捕的可能性是前者的10倍。

Okay,

好吧，

but is there actually something different we could do?

但我們難道不能採取一些不同的措施嗎？

Is there a way out of this mess? 慣用語

這種亂象有解決辦法嗎？

In the 1980s,

在20世紀80年代，

Switzerland experienced a public health crisis related to heroin use.

瑞士經歷了一場與海洛因使用相關的公共衛生危機。

HIV rates skyrocketed, 慣用語

愛滋病毒感染率飆升，

and street crime became a problem.

街頭犯罪成為了一個問題。

Swiss authorities tried a new strategy,

瑞士當局嘗試了一種新的策略：

harm reduction. 文化背景

減少危害。

They opened free heroin maintenance centers where addicts would be treated and stabilized. 文化背景

他們開設了免費的海洛因維持中心，吸毒者將在那裡接受治療和穩定病情。

Here,

在這裡，

people would be given free heroin of high quality,

人們可以獲得高品質的免費海洛因，

they would get clean needles,

還能拿到乾淨的針頭，

and have access to safe injection rooms,

並可以使用安全的注射室、

showers,

淋浴、

beds,

床鋪，

and medical supervision.

以及醫療監督。

Social workers helped them find housing and deal with other problems in their lives.

社會工作者會幫助他們尋找住房，並處理生活中的其他問題。

The results were a sharp drop in drug-related crime, 片語搭配

結果是與毒品有關的犯罪大幅下降，

and two-thirds of the people in the centers got regular jobs,

而且中心裡三分之二的人找到了固定工作，

because now they could focus on getting better 文法

因為現在他們可以專注於康復，

instead of financing their addiction.

而不是為了維持毒癮而籌錢。

Today,

如今，

over 70% of all heroin addicts in Switzerland receive treatment.

瑞士超過70%的海洛因成癮者在接受治療。

HIV infections have dropped drastically.

愛滋病毒感染率已大幅下降。

Deaths from heroin overdoses have dropped by 50%,

因海洛因服藥過量死亡的人數下降了50%，

and drug-related street sex work and crime has been reduced enormously.

與毒品相關的街頭性工作和犯罪行為大幅減少。

So there are methods that are not only way cheaper, 文法

因此，存在著不僅成本更低，

but also actually work instead of creating more problems.

而且切實可行、不會製造更多問題的方法。

Drug prohibition led to a system that bulldozes human rights, 慣用語

毒品禁令導致了一個踐踏人權、

costs vast sums of money, 片語搭配

耗費巨資，

and creates a lot of human misery,

並且造成了大量人間悲劇的系統，

all in pursuit of an unobtainable goal. 片語搭配

而這一切都是為了追求一個無法實現的目標。

After 40 years of fighting,

在抗爭了40年之後，

it's time to finally end the war on drugs 文法

終於到了結束毒品戰爭的時候，

and move on to something better. 片語動詞

然後轉向更好的方法。

This video was supported by the Open Society Foundations

本影片得到了開放社會基金會

and by viewer donations on Patreon.

以及Patreon上觀眾捐款的支持。

If you want to learn more about how you can influence drug policy,

如果你想了解更多關於如何影響毒品政策的資訊，

check out the Stop the Harm campaign.

請查看「Stop the Harm」運動。

We finally have some merchandise.

我們終於推出了一些周邊商品。

If you want your own Kurzgesagt poster,

如果你想要自己的Kurzgesagt海報、

T-shirt,

T恤、

mug,

馬克杯，

or stickers of little monsters,

或者是小怪獸貼紙，

you can get them now at the DFTBA store.

你現在可以在DFTBA商店買到。