Download or read book Counterdrug Operations in U.S. Pacific Command written by and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first duty of government is to protect its citizens against all threats, both foreign and domestic. The President's national drug control strategy identifies one such danger as illegal drugs because they attack and subvert the social and economic fabric of the Nation. The volume of drugs which enter the country and the demand for them continue to be a cause of great alarm. While cocaine use has dropped, consumption of marijuana and other illegal drugs is increasing among young people. Perhaps most troubling is that the rate of heroin and methamphetamine use is also growing. The social and health impact of iilegal drug use amounts to $70 billion in illness, death, and crime each year in the United States. Drugs destroy families and overwhelm the criminal justice, health, and social service systems. Most Americans identify it as one of our most acute problems. Moreover, in the source nations of Asia and South America, crime and profits related to trafficking in drugs erode emerging democratic institutions and legitimate economic activity. These worldwide effects make drug trafficking a major international security issue.