In the 2000 film Traffic, Robert Wakefield is a superior court judge newly appointed to head the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). In one scene, Wakefield compliments the outgoing drug czar on his successes, only to receive a quizzical look and a resigned reply: “I’m not sure I made the slightest difference.”

Such is the sentiment of much of society concerning the war on drugs and drug trafficking in the United States. Many argue that the war on drugs costs America far too much in tax dollars, law enforcement effort, and people’s lives, and that, despite an overwhelming effort, little progress has been made. The drug control budget in the United States has increased from $9.7 billion in 1990 to $17.7 billion in 2000. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) increased its number of agents from 3,191 in 1990 to 4,561 in 2000. In spite of these increases, the number...