Are Drugs Destroying the Amazon?

When I wrote about the cocaine industry destroying rainforests, many commenters argued that really it is the prohibition of drugs—not the drugs themselves—that create these negative consequences. That debate will most likely get stirred up again by an article over at The Independent, describing why drugs are destroying the Amazon. Whether or not legalization is the long-term solution, you'd hope that descriptions like these of rainforests cleared at gunpoint would put off at least some of the more recreational drug users among us: "As we got closer, the sounds of the chainsaws grew louder and we heard trees falling, with a huge splintering crash. When we reached the edge of the clearing, we were shocked at the size of it. It must have been as big as 40 football pitches."

Tags: Biodiversity | Conservation | Deforestation | Honduras

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