Reference no: EM133665807

Assignment: War on Drugs

The movie Traffic considers America's war on drugs using three interconnected story lines. The first plot involves a police officer in Mexico, Javier Rodriguez (Benicio Del Toro), who attempts to disrupt a cocaine shipment in the desert with a corrupt partner, Manolo Sanchez (Jacob Vargas). Working in this highly corrupt environment, Rodriguez is himself investigated by a suspect Mexican general who happens to be the U.S. drug enforcement liaison between Mexico and the United States.

A second story line occurs in Ohio and Washing- ton, D.C., where a newly appointed conservative federal drug czar, Ohio judge Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas), has his antidrug fervor dampened when he discovers that his 16-year-old daughter is a habitual drug user, a situation his wife has tried to keep secret.

A third plot line tells the story of Carlos Alaya (Steven Bauer), a drug kingpin in San Diego who is caught in a DEA sting operation by agents Montel Gordon (Don Cheadle) and Ray Castro (Luis Guzman), leaving behind is pregnant and clueless wife, Helena (Catharien Zeta-Jones). Carlos's shady lawyer, Arnie Metzger (Dennis Quaid), encourages Helenda to carry on the "family business," which she does with tragic results.

Each of these stories plays out and overlaps with one other, and Traffic shows the complexity, frustration, and consequences of the war on drugs without taking a position on the issue. The Michael Douglas character expresses the frustration when he says, "It's hard fighting a war on drugs when the enemy is ourselves."

Based on the 1980s British television miniseries Traffik, the film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It won for Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Benicio Del Toro), Best Editing, and Best Screenplay.

Using a minimum of 500 words and a maximum of 750, address the following:

I. It can be said that the current "war on drugs" has forced organized crime groups to become more sophisticated, as they did during Prohibition, in order to avoid apprehension and keep making money. If better law enforcement produces fewer, but more highly developed, drug networks, what would you propose as a solution to this problem?

II. Traffic shows the interplay among supply, demand, traffickers, and law enforcement in dealing with illicit drugs. Explain which of these four factors you believe requires the most attention in dealing with illegal drugs more effectively.