Peru and why they are number oneIllegal drug trafficking is nothing new, but most governments have not found an effective way to stop the production and distribution of these drugs. These drugs include cannabis, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine, which are widely known and used daily. Drug trafficking is the third largest in the world, estimated at between 300 and 400 billion dollars by the United Nations. Cannabis remains the most widely produced, trafficked and consumed illicit substance in the world, with 147 million people using it, or around 2.5% of the world's population; it is produced in practically all countries. But after cannabis, cocaine is just as important. Traditionally, coca leaves have been chewed by people in the Andean countries of South America for thousands of years, to produce a sweet and stimulating sensation. It is said to help alleviate the effects of altitude and aid digestion. Cocaine production began around 1860, when the main alkaloid, cocaine, was isolated from the coca leaf. Since then, cocaine has become a very important substance. Cocaine production and distribution is greatest in the Andean region of the world, made up of Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. They are the world's largest producers of cocaine and "are responsible for 95 percent of the cocaine smuggled into the United States." The cocaine trade involves more than a million people, from farmers to chemists and processors to distributors. In 2012, the White House declared that Peru is now the world's top producer of cocaine, leaving Colombia, the former number one, in second place and Bolivia in third..... . middle of paper......purity increased. “Ten million people are in prison around the world for drug-related offenses, civil liberties have been widely violated, and thousands of people die each year in the war on drugs. confidently predicted by the supporters of the Single Convention of 1961 is further from being realized than ever.” Although many believe that drugs are an evil substance, drug dealing actually has its benefits. It can generate a substantial number of jobs for a large number of farmers, thereby generating drug profits distributed in small quantities to a large number of people. Besides farmers, the presence of cocaine has created a large number of jobs for anti-drug people like the DEA. “Our drug executives are very irresponsible in global strategies,” Paul Gootenberg “They have tunnel vision. They don't look at the global implications."