ABSTRACT
In the 1970s and early 1980s, the US was mainly concerned about heroin and marijuana. But in the mid-1980s, the focus shifted to cocaine. The US government declared a “war on drugs” at home and in Latin America, where cocaine came from. One could argue that speaking of a war on drugs makes as much sense as speaking of a war on drink driving or on AIDS. However, the metaphor is not completely unsuitable because the US armed forces have become involved in a low-level conflict since the mid-1980s that has escalated over the years and has cost many lives on all sides.
