Is the war on drugs working? | Mads Nissen | TEDxTheHague

Quick Overview

Award-winning photographer Mads Nissen argues that the war on drugs is failing because it creates immense financial incentives for violence and corruption, illustrated by stories of cocaine farmers in Colombia and drug mules in Mexico, ultimately showing that the structure of the illicit market, rather than the drug itself, is the core problem.

Key Points: The speaker, Mads Nissen, questions the effectiveness of the War on Drugs, noting that statistically, some people are not telling the truth about their involvement. Cocaine production is so profitable (paying twice as much as coffee) that it drives impoverished Colombian farmers in areas like Antioquia to participate for livelihood. The drug trade fuels violence, as exemplified by the murder of 15-year-old Aiman in Colombia, who refused to participate in the cartel business. Cartels, like the CJNG in Mexico, are deeply entangled in politics, law enforcement, and finance, creating a massive, violent network. The speaker shows X-ray images of drug mules smuggling cocaine (600-700 kilos) internally, highlighting the extreme risks taken. Nissen suggests that the fundamental problem is not the drug itself, but the high cost of prohibition, which creates massive, lucrative black markets and incentivizes crime.

Context: Mads Nissen, an award-winning photographer, delivers a TEDx talk focusing on the devastating human and societal costs of the global War on Drugs. He uses his photojournalism from Colombia and Mexico to illustrate how the immense profitability of illicit substances like cocaine creates an inescapable web of violence, corruption, and poverty that affects everyone from rural farmers to international smugglers.

Detailed Analysis

Mads Nissen opens his talk by directly questioning the audience about their experience with cocaine, immediately establishing the sensitive subject matter. He then transitions into the reality of the cocaine supply chain using his photography. He shows images of Colombian farmers in Antioquia who grow coca, explaining that the crop pays twice as much as coffee, forcing poor families to choose it for survival, even if it means living near dangerous cocaine laboratories. Nissen recounts the story of 15-year-old Aiman, who was murdered for having the courage to refuse to be part of the cartel business. The narrative then shifts to the violence associated with organized crime, displaying a map showing the territories controlled by powerful cartels like CJNG in Mexico, who are deeply embedded in local politics and law enforcement. Further illustrating the risk, Nissen presents X-ray images showing mules smuggling hundreds of kilograms of cocaine internally, destined for transit countries like Ecuador and ultimately reaching Europe and the US. He concludes by arguing that the War on Drugs is fundamentally flawed because the prohibition creates an incredibly expensive and profitable black market, which is the real problem, not the drugs themselves; this high profitability ensures that the violence and corruption will continue as long as the incentive exists.