Why the Drug War Is Never Treated Like a War

Why doesn’t the US recognize the drug war as an actual war? Why has “The War on Drugs” remained as background noise in American public debates since its inception?

The US government has officially been at war with “drugs” since Nixon declared it so in June 1971, over 50 years ago. Domestically, it resulted in harsh legal penalties and mass incarceration, and abroad it was characterized by a policy of regime change in Latin America. The War on Drugs might be one of the longest, and most expensive, wars in US history, but the government doesn’t talk about it in that way.

Ioan Grillo, author of the new book “Blood Gun Money: How America Arms Gangs and Cartels,” argues that the US government doesn’t recognize it as such because doing so would give credibility to migrants coming out of Central America fleeing the drug war. Legally, asylum is available to those fleeing armed conflict and political persecution, but seeing as the US doesn’t recognize these migrants as drug war victims it can ignore otherwise valid asylum claims.

The Bitchuation Room’s full discussion with Ioan Grillo, journalist and author of the new book “Blood Gun MoneyHow America Arms Gangs and Cartels,” was recorded on 8/3. For early access to special episodes, become a Patron at

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