Why Cocaine is Worth So Much | The War on Drugs

From the coca leaves illicitly grown in the jungles of South America to the lines snorted in nightclub toilets around the world – the global cocaine trade alone is worth 100 billion dollars a year. In this show, we follow the money to find out how the cocaine industry actually works, why it functions the way it does, why the brutal tactics of the War on Drugs (designed only to suppress the business) are doomed from the start and needlessly target the most vulnerable across the world. In War On Drugs, we examine the social implications of prohibition worldwide. Any attempt to shut down the trade in drugs such as heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, ketamine or weed invariably sets off a chain of events that just makes things worse, leaving a trail of death, illness, violence, slavery, addiction, crime and inequality across the globe. Everyone loses – except, in a weird kind of way, the drugs themselves. Watch more from this series: How America Got Hooked on Opioids Debunking Crystal Meth Myths The War on Drugs is Racist to the Core Ketamine: The Next Big Antidepressant ‘Spice’ is Britain’s Most Dangerous Drug The Great MDMA Drought and Its Deadly Consequences Why Portugal Decriminalized All Drugs Mephedrone: The Drug That Changed Dealing Is the Netherlands Turning Into a Narco-State? How America Got Hooked on Opioids Click here to subscribe to VICE: About VICE: The Definitive Guide To Enlightening Information. From every corner of the planet, our immersive, caustic, ground-breaking and often bizarre stories have changed the way people think about culture, crime, art, parties, fashion, protest, the internet and other subjects that don't even have names yet. Browse the growing library and discover corners of the world you never knew existed. Welcome to VICE. Connect with VICE: Check out our full video catalog: Videos, daily editorial and more: More videos from the VICE network: Click here to get the best of VICE daily: Like VICE on Facebook: Follow VICE on Twitter: Follow us on Instagram: The VICE YouTube Network: VICE: MUNCHIES: VICE News: VICELAND: Broadly: Noisey: Motherboard: VICE Sports: i-D: Waypoint: