Anti-drug policies: on the wrong path to peace

Abstract

The objective of this research is to analyze why drug prohibition policy is the observed outcome on the international political arena and its effects on the Colombian conflict. A gravity model based on Akerlof (1997) is implemented to examine the international drug policy equilibrium of a game that shows how drug prohibition is a stable suboptimal policy. Finally, this work suggests how applying a less restrictive regulatory framework to the drug market can lead to a reduction on the rents obtained by illegal groups from the drug business and, therefore, to a reduction on the intensity of the Colombian conflict.