President Trump authorized military strikes on “narco-terrorist” drug traffickers in the Caribbean because “drugs killed 300,000 Americans last year.” On numerous occasions, Trump has stated that 300,000 or 350,000 Americans are dying each year from drug overdoses. These exaggerated numbers are being used to justify allocating military assets for drug interdiction efforts in the Caribbean.
Trump’s figures are about four times higher than official counts of U.S. overdose deaths from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were 80,856 reported overdose deaths and 81,711 predicted overdose deaths in 2024. In 2024, there were double-digit declines in all overdose deaths, opioid-involved deaths, synthetic opioid deaths (including fentanyl), deaths from cocaine, and deaths from psychostimulants like methamphetamine. Drug overdose deaths have plummeted since their peak in 2023, long before any strikes in the Caribbean.
Interdiction efforts to prevent or limit illegal drugs from entering the U.S. are the primary strategy of the current administration to address drug overdose deaths. Interdiction efforts are carried out by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and our military. Effective drug interdiction is a daunting task. The U.S. has 12,000 miles of coastline and 7,500 miles of land borders. On an average day in 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported processing 3.8 million international de minimus shipments; 1,150,387 passengers and pedestrians; 88,582 truck, rail, and sea containers; 270,800 incoming privately owned vehicles; $9.2 billion worth of imported products; and 105,103 entries of merchandise. Significant resources are invested to seize a small portion of illegal drugs entering our nation.
There are other approaches to reduce overdose deaths, including prosecution. President Nixon declared illegal drugs to be our nation’s “public enemy number one” and created the Drug Enforcement Administration. In the following decades, the U.S. has spent over a trillion dollars in the war on drugs. Tens of millions have been charged with drug offenses. Millions received lengthy prison sentences. Incarceration peaked in 2008-2009 with 2.4 million Americans behind bars. Today, only about 1 in 5 of people incarcerated in the U.S. are there for drug offenses. U.S. overdose deaths peaked in 2023, a half century into our nation’s war on drugs.
Rather than punishing those who use drugs, treatment focuses on helping drug users. Treatment could include medication-assisted treatment programs, behavioral therapy, or group therapy. There are several challenges to accessing treatment, including high costs, lack of insurance, having no or limited treatment options in one’s area, stigma associated with seeking care for addiction, and co-occurring health disorders.
Drug education often targets young people through programs like Drug Abuse Resistance Education or Keepin’ It Real. Evidence-based curricula that focus on skill development are more effective than programs that rely on scare tactics or personal testimonials. Education can also target adult populations through public service announcements like the This is Your Brain on Drugs campaign from the late 1980s. Education is a proactive policy that aims to prevent people from using drugs, rather than a reactive policy intended to curb existing drug abuse. Education aims to eliminate the demand for drugs, rather than regulating the supply of drugs.
Many states and cities in the U.S. are experimenting with another approach to control drug use—decriminalization. Decriminalization involves reducing or removing strong penalties associated with drug use, especially for personal use. In fact, most Americans support legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational use. Attitudes toward other illegal drugs are less favorable. Decriminalization promises a reduced burden on the criminal justice system and better access to care for those with substance abuse disorders. Time will tell if this approach works in the U.S.
Any effort to reduce drug abuse or overdose deaths must employ a range of approaches. Millions of Americans need treatment for addiction, but face insurmountable barriers to getting the help they need. Evidence-based education programs prevent drug use and overdose deaths from ever occurring. Interdiction efforts must be paired with these domestic programs to combat drug abuse and further reduce overdose deaths.
Roscoe Scarborough, Ph.D. is chair of the Department of Social Sciences and associate professor of sociology at College of Coastal Georgia. He is an associate scholar at the Reg Murphy Center for Economic and Policy Studies. He can be reached by email at rscarborough@ccga.edu.
Reg Murphy Center