Zentrum für interdisziplinäre Forschung

From 24-26 June 2024, convenors Philipp Wolfesberger and Camilo Forero hosted the interdisciplinary workshop “Entanglements of (Il)legality and Violence: Drug Trafficking and Drug Policies in the Americas” at ZiF. The general objective was to discuss the status quo and usefulness of established concepts and dominant problem definitions at policy and academic levels. Even though the prohibition regime is still upheld in many parts of the world, the Americas present the vanguard of legalisation propositions. The historical context is further shaped by the prevailing high levels of violence related to drug trafficking and the soaring demand for illegalised drugs in the U.S. Three major topics were highlighted:

First, the relationship between violence and drug trafficking was scrutinised by workshop participants from the Americas and Europe. Militarisation and securitisation are significant drivers of the reproduction of violence on the double continent. The workshop operated with a multidimensional definition of violence, from bodily and direct to symbolical and epistemological. Especially on the conceptual level, only an epistemological break can help to capture the dynamic conjunctures. Presentations critically addressed racially biased histories of drug trafficking, colonial imprints in organised crime, and the criminalisation practices through the so-called “War on Drugs”. The discussions revealed the often distorted, fluid, and ambiguous relationship between state forces, criminal organizations, and international institutions. The general critical stance towards the “drug cartel” concept appeared in numerous contributions.

Photo: Universität BIelefeld

Second, the relationship between local experiences and regional dynamics shed light on another crucial axis. Field studies from Mexico and Colombia highlighted the role of infrastructure, agrarian reforms, and global trade that influence drug trafficking. An unusual reversal of trafficking actors from Albania to Ecuador in the current escalation of violence in the Andean country was discussed, and how organisations communicate, signal, and relate to one another. 

Third and finally, the momentum of Germany’s cannabis debates brought together an inspiring round table discussion and the analysis of Uruguay’s ten yea of experience with Cannabis Social Clubs. The general tenor pronounced a clear rejection of market-based cannabis legalisation. Also, international research and policy work has to focus also on the ‘unproblematic’ vast majority of spontaneous, recreational, and irregular drug consumers, and not only on the extreme cases of severe addiction. In that line, talking about harm reduction and regulation (instead of legalisation) is paramount. To follow up on this, the findings of the workshop are to be published and the fruitful discussions should be maintained.