A young boy, 15 years old, is working for the drug people.  He gets up every morning and helps to process the drugs.  He has grown up knowing that drugs are where the money is to live well and to have a better life. There has been increasing problems with the drug trade and humanitarian problems in Colombia.  There is a tactical solution to help solve this problem, called Plan Colombia. This plan will go about solving the drug and humanitarian issues. The United States Government should give Colombia the monetary support to help solve the drug related and humanitarian problems.
    There are increasing problems in Colombia, like back in August there was a shooting going down which invloved the Marxist rebels and the army in a small place in Colombia where six children were killed and five were injured.  These children are yet another example of the senseless, innocent killings that are taking place within Colombia.  Also taking place in Colombia are kidnappings and murder.  People will kill one another for anything.  It could be for a pair of shoes or a car.  Mostly important people are kidnapped.  When I was in living in Venezuela and I was going to be crossing the Venezuela-Colombian border I was told to be very careful, because I was American and I looked important and had money. I listened to this warning because the Colombian Guerrillas do anything to get money to help finance their operations.  They will get money by any means necesary.
    They use drugs to make money.  The peasants still help the guerrillas and why is this so?  In the most inner parts of Colombia people need to survive.  If this means by farming or other means of making money to feed themselves and their families.  This could include working to help cultivate and process all kind of drugs.  These people are working very young, because there is no means of making money unless they work for these type of people.  I met a person in Colombia and they work to help process the drugs because that is whjere they can get money to feed themselves and to live a better life.This may not be the preferred way to make money, but when one needs money one gets it however one can.
    In growing crops it is more profitable to grow drugs in the drug producing countries, as shown by Gary Leach, “ by pointing out that coca growers in the Upper Huallage Valley of central Peru receive $2.74 per kilogram of coca leaves.  The going market price for legal crops grown in the region is markedly lower: $1.05 for coffee, $0.77 for cacao and $0.11 for cassava (The Plight of the Peasant Coca Grower).”  This data shows relatively how the peasant farmers will think when it comes to deciding for their families to eat or not to eat, to make money or not to make money.   Really, What choice do these people have?
    These people grow drugs because that is where the money is.  Drugs are an increasing problem in the world today.  Colombia is a main exporting country of these illicit drugs in more countries throughout the world today.  This means that more and more drugs are being grown and cultivated everyday. Like Armando Luis Moreno stated in his article, “El año pasado se incautaron grandes cantidades de dorgas a nivel mundial: 28 toneladas de opio y 8 toneladas de cañamo, sin contar que en los paises latinos y centro americanos se lograron retirar de circulacion miles de toneladas de cocaina, marihuan y otras sustancias afines (Drogas, un porblema en aumento).”  “Last year great quantities of drugs were obtained world-wide: 28 tons of opium an 8 tons of cañamo, without including the Central and Southern American countries where they were able to take out of circulation thousands of tons of cocaine, marijuana and other fine substances.”  With the increasing drug problems it calls for some action. With an example as stated by Armando Luis Moreno, “El consumo de drogas y la adiccion en los paises desarollados continua en aumento.  Medidas y tacticos realizadas a altos costos para educar al publico, especialmente a los jovenes, han dado pocos resultados.  La juventud siente gran predileccion por el uso de las drogas (Drogas, un problema en aumento, Armando Luis Moreno).” “ The Consumption of Drugs and the addiction in the developed countries continues to rise.  Tactical Measurements have been taken at high costs to educate the public especially the youth, has given few results.  The teenager feels a pre-chosen path in drug use.  With the increasing number of people using drugs, something needs to be done about it.
    The Colombian government has created a plan to help promote the peace processess by fighting the drug industries and by doing this bringing up the Colombian Economy. This plan calls for 7.5 billion dollars, 4 billion will be coming from Colombia itself and President Pastrana has asked the international community to come up with the remaining 3.5 billion dollars to assist this well planned effort.  Upon hearing this pledge by President Pastrana, President Clinton has committed to over 1.6 billion dollars over this year and the next 2 years.
     Through this plan the United States' support is in five major parts.  One of these parts is “ by helping the Colombian Government go into the coca-growing regions of southern Colombia, and to get rid of these plants and drug producing places.  Funds will help train special counter-narcotics battalions, purchase 30 Blackhawk and33 huey helicopters, and provide other support.  These helicopters and training will help the Colombian government in fighting off the Guerrillas and to help take back control.  Also there will be upgrading of the Colombian capability to aggressively fight and take out of circulation the drugs. interdict cocaine and cocaine traffickers.  Funds will go to getting more radar, aircraft and airfield upgrades, and to improve anti-narcotics intelligence gathering.  With these upgrades Colombia will be able to fight off and take out of the circulation more drugs.  A very important part is to increase the eradication of the coca plant.  The administration proposes $96 million to purchase equipment that can help the Colombian National Police directly to eradicate more coca and poppy plants.  This increase in eradication will destroy many crops and so help to stop the cultivating of these illegal drugs.  With this eradication it will put a lot of farmers out of jobs so enabling the country to have other crop alternatives and other jobs.  The administration will propose $145 million over the next two years to help provide other economic alternatives for the peasant farmers who now grow coca and poppy plants.  Finally and very important is protecting basic human rights, to promoe the peace processess and help the courts and the judicial system that is now in place.  Also to get rid of the money laundering that is going on way to much.  With increasing the Humans Right issues, more actions will be taken to get rid of the senseless killings and acts of crime for money.  The people comminting these crimes will be placed into the judicial system which is being revised to come down much harder on these offenders.
    These are the main parts of Plan Colombia.  These main functions will help to get rid of the drug problem and to promote humanitarian issues.  George Bush is in agreement on helping train the Colombians but does not think that we should give lots of foreign aid and put our military everywhere throughout the world.  Colombia will need aid and it is very important part for Plan Colombia to really work.  Al Gore has not made a statement on this issue but if he follows in the footsteps of Bill Clinton, will support Plan Colombia and in training the military and giving the monetary support to Colombia.  Both Candidates agree that something should be done and some support should be given, but it is unsure what their differences on this issue are.
    This Colombian boy that is processing drugs for the drug people maybe one day he will be feeding his future family with some hard-earned money from legal crops or other legal means of work.  This is what Plan Colombia is going to try to do, raise the economic standing which will decrease the amount of senseless killings because there will be more legal jobs and more money being able to be made from agricultural crops.

http://secretary.state.gov/www/briefings.statements
Dudley, Steven:  http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40310-2000Sep19.html
http://www.state.gov/www/regions/una/colombia
Leach, Gary:  http://www.colombiareport.org/colombia12.html
http://www.state.gov/www/regions/una