英語資源頻道為大家整理的china daily 雙語新聞：美國輸?shù)袅朔炊酒窇?zhàn)？，供大家學(xué)習(xí)參考:)
GARY S. BECKER / KEVIN M. MURPHY
GARY S. BECKER / KEVIN M. MURPHY
President Richard Nixon declared a 'war on drugs' in 1971. The expectation then was that drug trafficking in the United States could be greatly reduced in a short time through federal policing─and yet the war on drugs continues to this day. The cost has been large in terms of lives, money and the well-being of many Americans, especially the poor and less educated. By most accounts, the gains from the war have been modest at best.
1971年，尼克松總統(tǒng)(Richard Nixon)宣布“對毒品開戰(zhàn)”。當(dāng)時普遍認(rèn)為，美國的毒品交易應(yīng)該會通過聯(lián)邦執(zhí)法在短期內(nèi)大幅減少；然而，打擊毒品的戰(zhàn)爭到今天仍在持續(xù)。這場戰(zhàn)爭的代價是巨大的，無論是從逝去的生命、消耗的財力和許多美國人的生存狀況（尤其是窮人和受教育程度較低的人群）來說都是如此；而總體看來，從這場戰(zhàn)爭獲得的好處則乏善可陳。
The direct monetary cost to American taxpayers of the war on drugs includes spending on police, the court personnel used to try drug users and traffickers, and the guards and other resources spent on imprisoning and punishing those convicted of drug offenses. Total current spending is estimated at over $40 billion a year.
美國納稅人為反毒品戰(zhàn)付出的直接經(jīng)濟(jì)成本包括警察隊伍支出、審判吸毒者和販毒者的法庭人員成本、關(guān)押和懲處涉毒人員所需的警衛(wèi)和其他資源支出等。目前，美國每年在這方面的總支出估計在400億美元以上。
These costs don't include many other harmful effects of the war on drugs that are difficult to quantify. For example, over the past 40 years the fraction of students who have dropped out of American high schools has remained large, at about 25%. Dropout rates are not high for middle-class white children, but they are very high for black and Hispanic children living in poor neighborhoods. Many factors explain the high dropout rates, especially bad schools and weak family support. But another important factor in inner-city neighborhoods is the temptation to drop out of school in order to profit from the drug trade.
這些成本還不包括其他許多因反毒品戰(zhàn)而產(chǎn)生的難以量化的不利影響。舉例而言，近40年來，美國高中的輟學(xué)率一直保持在高位，約為25%。中產(chǎn)階級白人家庭的青少年輟學(xué)率較低，但生活在貧困社區(qū)的黑人和拉美裔青少年輟學(xué)率非常高。高輟學(xué)率受到很多因素的影響，比較突出的因素是學(xué)校環(huán)境差和家庭支持弱；但在市中心貧民社區(qū)，高輟學(xué)率還有一個重要原因，即學(xué)生受到利益的誘惑，輟學(xué)參與毒品交易。
The total number of persons incarcerated in state and federal prisons in the U.S. has grown from 330,000 in 1980 to about 1.6 million today. Much of the increase in this population is directly due to the war on drugs and the severe punishment for persons convicted of drug trafficking. About 50% of the inmates in federal prisons and 20% of those in state prisons have been convicted of either selling or using drugs. The many minor drug traffickers and drug users who spend time in jail find fewer opportunities for legal employment after they get out of prison, and they develop better skills at criminal activities.
如今，美國各州和聯(lián)邦監(jiān)獄關(guān)押的犯人數(shù)量達(dá)到160萬，大大高于1980年33萬人的數(shù)量。犯人的增多在很大程度上與反毒品運(yùn)動以及對販毒人員從嚴(yán)懲處有直接關(guān)系。聯(lián)邦監(jiān)獄中有50%的犯人因販毒或吸毒入獄，各州監(jiān)獄的該比例為20%。很多入獄的未成年販毒者或吸毒者在刑滿釋放后找到正當(dāng)職業(yè)的機(jī)會很小，從事犯罪活動的技能反而愈加嫻熟。
Prices of illegal drugs are pushed up whenever many drug traffickers are caught and punished harshly. The higher prices they get for drugs help compensate traffickers for the risks of being apprehended. Higher prices can discourage the demand for drugs, but they also enable some traffickers to make a lot of money if they avoid being caught, if they operate on a large enough scale, and if they can reduce competition from other traffickers. This explains why large-scale drug gangs and cartels are so profitable in the U.S., Mexico, Colombia, Brazil and other countries.
當(dāng)販毒者大量被抓和遭到嚴(yán)厲懲處時，非法毒品的價格隨即上漲，而更高的毒品價格有助于補(bǔ)償販毒者的被抓風(fēng)險。雖然高價格可能抑制市場對毒品的需求，但如果一些販毒者能夠逃脫法網(wǎng)，能夠形成較大規(guī)模的運(yùn)作網(wǎng)絡(luò)，能夠減少來自其他販毒者的競爭，那么他們將謀取到高額的利潤。這也就是為什么美國、墨西哥、哥倫比亞、巴西等國的大規(guī)模販毒團(tuán)伙和集團(tuán)能賺到那么多錢的原因所在。
The paradox of the war on drugs is that the harder governments push the fight, the higher drug prices become to compensate for the greater risks. That leads to larger profits for traffickers who avoid being punished. This is why larger drug gangs often benefit from a tougher war on drugs, especially if the war mainly targets small-fry dealers and not the major drug gangs. Moreover, to the extent that a more aggressive war on drugs leads dealers to respond with higher levels of violence and corruption, an increase in enforcement can exacerbate the costs imposed on society.
反毒品戰(zhàn)存在一個悖論，即政府采取的手段越嚴(yán)厲，毒品價格就越高，導(dǎo)致逃脫法網(wǎng)的販毒者獲得的利潤更大，從而補(bǔ)償了他們面臨的更高風(fēng)險。因此，較大規(guī)模的販毒團(tuán)伙往往獲益于毒品嚴(yán)打行動，尤其是如果嚴(yán)打目標(biāo)集中在小規(guī)模販毒團(tuán)伙上。此外，更嚴(yán)厲的反毒行動會讓販毒者的暴力反抗升級，并采取更積極的行賄行為，從而對執(zhí)法的力度提出更高要求，帶來更大的社會成本。
The large profits for drug dealers who avoid being caught and punished encourage them to try to bribe and intimidate police, politicians, the military and anyone else involved in the war against drugs. If police and officials resist bribes and try to enforce antidrug laws, they are threatened with violence and often begin to fear for their lives and those of their families.
逃脫法網(wǎng)的販毒者所獲得的高額利潤鼓勵其加大對警察、政客、軍方以及參與反毒品戰(zhàn)的任何人的行賄和恐嚇力度。如果警察和官員拒絕收受賄賂并試圖加大執(zhí)法力度，他們就會受到暴力威脅，往往就要開始擔(dān)心起自己和家人的生命安全。
Mexico offers a well-documented example of some of the costs involved in drug wars. Probably more than 50,000 people have died since Mexico's antidrug campaign started in 2006. For perspective, about 150,000 deaths would result if the same fraction of Americans were killed. This number of deaths is many magnitudes greater than American losses in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined, and is about three times the number of American deaths in the Vietnam War. Many of those killed were innocent civilians and the army personnel, police officers and local government officials involved in the antidrug effort.
墨西哥有一份詳盡的記錄，讓我們看到要為反毒品戰(zhàn)付出什么代價。自2006年開戰(zhàn)反毒品運(yùn)動以來，墨西哥可能已有超過五萬人因此喪生；如果把這一比例放到美國，相當(dāng)于有15萬左右的美國人喪生。這一數(shù)量大大高于在伊拉克和阿富汗戰(zhàn)爭中死亡的美國士兵人數(shù)總和，約為在越南戰(zhàn)爭中喪生的美國人數(shù)的三倍。死于反毒品運(yùn)動的人大多數(shù)是無辜的老百姓，以及參與反毒品戰(zhàn)的軍方人員、警官和當(dāng)?shù)卣賳T。
There is also considerable bitterness in Mexico over the war because the great majority of the drugs go to the U.S. drug cartels in Mexico and several other Latin American countries would be far weaker if they were only selling drugs to domestic consumers (Brazilian and Mexican drug gangs also export a lot to Europe).
墨西哥對反毒品戰(zhàn)極為苦惱，因為該國的絕大多數(shù)毒品都被在墨西哥和其他幾個拉丁美洲國家活動的美國毒品集團(tuán)所控制，而如果毒品僅向墨西哥國內(nèi)消費(fèi)者銷售，其規(guī)模絕不會有那么大。（巴西和墨西哥販毒集團(tuán)也把大量毒品銷往歐洲。）
The main gain from the war on drugs claimed by advocates of continuing the war is a lower incidence of drug use and drug addiction. Basic economics does imply that, under given conditions, higher prices for a good leads to reduced demand for that good. The magnitude of the response depends on the availability of substitutes for the higher priced good. For example, many drug users might find alcohol a good substitute for drugs as drugs become more expensive.
堅持打擊販毒活動的倡導(dǎo)者所提出的反毒品戰(zhàn)的主要好處是吸毒人群的減少以及成癮率的下降。經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)基礎(chǔ)理論確實有這種說法，即在特定的條件下，一種商品價格上升將導(dǎo)致市場對該商品需求的下降，而下降幅度取決于替代品的供給情況。舉例而言，毒品價格上漲時，許多吸毒者可能會發(fā)現(xiàn)酒精是一種不錯的替代品。
The conclusion that higher prices reduce demand only 'under given conditions' is especially important in considering the effects of higher drug prices due to the war on drugs. Making the selling and consumption of drugs illegal not only raises drug prices but also has other important effects. For example, while some consumers are reluctant to buy illegal goods, drugs may be an exception because drug use usually starts while people are teenagers or young adults. A rebellious streak may lead them to use and sell drugs precisely because those activities are illegal.
雖然存在“價格上升需求下降”的經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)理論，但在考慮反毒品戰(zhàn)推高毒品價格所帶來的影響時，“特定條件下”的前提十分重要。將毒品銷售和消費(fèi)列為非法不僅推高了毒品價格，還會帶來其他一些重要影響。比如說，雖然有些消費(fèi)者對購買非法商品心存顧慮，但毒品可能是個例外，因為吸毒者通常是從青少年時期開始接觸毒品的，他們具有叛逆心理，反而會因為吸毒販毒的非法性質(zhì)而主動“投誠”。
More important, some drugs, such as crack or heroin, are highly addictive. Many people addicted to smoking and to drinking alcohol manage to break their addictions when they get married or find good jobs, or as a result of other life-cycle events. They also often get help from groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, or by using patches and 'fake' cigarettes that gradually wean them from their addiction to nicotine.
更為重要的是，可卡因和海洛因等一些毒品很容易上癮。很多煙民和酗酒者在婚后、找到一份好工作后或經(jīng)歷其他一些人生大事后能夠成功地戒煙戒酒。他們還經(jīng)?？梢缘玫健敖渚苹ブ鷧f(xié)會”(Alcoholics Anonymous)等團(tuán)體的幫助，或使用戒煙貼和替代香煙，慢慢減少對尼古丁的依賴。
It is generally harder to break an addiction to illegal goods, like drugs. Drug addicts may be leery of going to clinics or to nonprofit 'drugs anonymous' groups for help. They fear they will be reported for consuming illegal substances. Since the consumption of illegal drugs must be hidden to avoid arrest and conviction, many drug consumers must alter their lives in order to avoid detection.
然而，人們對毒品等非法商品的依賴更難打破。吸毒者可能會對去戒毒診所或向戒毒互助協(xié)會等非盈利性團(tuán)體尋求幫助心存疑慮，害怕有人舉報他們非法吸毒。為了免遭被捕和入獄，吸毒行為必須偷偷摸摸進(jìn)行，因此許多吸毒者不得不改變自己的生活方式，以免被旁人發(fā)現(xiàn)。
Usually overlooked in discussions of the effects of the war on drugs is that the illegality of drugs stunts the development of ways to help drug addicts, such as the drug equivalent of nicotine patches. Thus, though the war on drugs may well have induced lower drug use through higher prices, it has likely also increased the rate of addiction. The illegality of drugs makes it harder for addicts to get help in breaking their addictions. It leads them to associate more with other addicts and less with people who might help them quit.
人們在討論反毒品戰(zhàn)帶來的各種影響時，通常會忽略一個問題，即將毒品非法化反而會對研究各種方法（如類似于尼古丁貼的輔助品）幫助吸毒者擺脫毒癮起到阻礙作用。因此，雖然反毒品戰(zhàn)可能通過推高毒品價格來減少吸毒人群，但也可能導(dǎo)致了吸毒成癮率的上升。毒品非法化讓吸毒者更難獲得幫助來擺脫毒癮，讓吸毒者相互之間走得更近，與那些可能幫助他們戒掉毒癮的人漸行漸遠(yuǎn)。
Most parents who support the war on drugs are mainly concerned about their children becoming addicted to drugs rather than simply becoming occasional or modest drug users. Yet the war on drugs may increase addiction rates, and it may even increase the total number of addicts.
大多數(shù)支持反毒品戰(zhàn)的父母主要是擔(dān)心他們的孩子對毒品上癮，而不是擔(dān)心其偶爾體驗一下，或成為輕微程度的吸毒者。然而，反毒品戰(zhàn)可能會推高吸毒成癮率，甚至可能增加吸毒上癮者的總體數(shù)量。
One moderate alternative to the war on drugs is to follow Portugal's lead and decriminalize all drug use while maintaining the illegality of drug trafficking. Decriminalizing drugs implies that persons cannot be criminally punished when they are found to be in possession of small quantities of drugs that could be used for their own consumption. Decriminalization would reduce the bloated U.S. prison population since drug users could no longer be sent to jail. Decriminalization would make it easier for drug addicts to openly seek help from clinics and self-help groups, and it would make companies more likely to develop products and methods that address addiction.
一個比較溫和的折衷方式是學(xué)習(xí)葡萄牙的做法，將所有吸毒行為合法化，同時保持販毒行為的非法化。毒品合法化的意思是，當(dāng)人們被發(fā)現(xiàn)擁有少量可供自用的毒品時，他們不會受到刑事審判。毒品合法化將緩解美國監(jiān)獄人滿為患的現(xiàn)狀，因為吸毒者不用再入獄服刑；毒品合法化也使吸毒者更容易向戒毒診所和互助組織尋求幫助，并鼓勵企業(yè)研發(fā)各種抑制毒癮的產(chǎn)品和方法。
Some evidence is available on the effects of Portugal's decriminalization of drugs, which began in 2001. A study published in 2010 in the British Journal of Criminology found that in Portugal since decriminalization, imprisonment on drug-related charges has gone down; drug use among young persons appears to have increased only modestly, if at all; visits to clinics that help with drug addictions and diseases from drug use have increased; and opiate-related deaths have fallen.
葡萄牙的毒品合法化始于2001年，其作用有據(jù)可查。2010年，《英國犯罪學(xué)雜志》(British Journal of Criminology)發(fā)表的一項研究的論文指出，自毒品合法化以來，葡萄牙因毒品相關(guān)類指控入獄的犯人數(shù)量出現(xiàn)下降，而年輕人吸食毒品的行為僅有輕微上升，鴉片制劑相關(guān)類的死亡數(shù)量則有所下降。
Decriminalization of all drugs by the U.S. would be a major positive step away from the war on drugs. In recent years, states have begun to decriminalize marijuana, one of the least addictive and less damaging drugs. Marijuana is now decriminalized in some form in about 20 states, and it is de facto decriminalized in some others as well. If decriminalization of marijuana proves successful, the next step would be to decriminalize other drugs, perhaps starting with amphetamines. Gradually, this might lead to the full decriminalization of all drugs.
在美國，毒品合法化可能是放棄反毒品戰(zhàn)的積極而又重要的一步。近年來，美國各州開始將大麻合法化，這是一種最不具成癮性且有害性較小的毒品之一。如今，大麻已在約20個州以某種形式合法化，并在其他一些州獲得了事實上的合法化。如果大麻合法化被證明是成功的，那么下一步可能就是合法化其他毒品，也許從安非他命(amphetamine)開始，今后逐漸過渡到所有毒品的完全合法化。
Though the decriminalization of drug use would have many benefits, it would not, by itself, reduce many of the costs of the war on drugs, since those involve actions against traffickers. These costs would not be greatly reduced unless selling drugs was also decriminalized. Full decriminalization on both sides of the drug market would lower drug prices, reduce the role of criminals in producing and selling drugs, improve many inner-city neighborhoods, encourage more minority students in the U.S. to finish high school, substantially lessen the drug problems of Mexico and other countries involved in supplying drugs, greatly reduce the number of state and federal prisoners and the harmful effects on drug offenders of spending years in prison, and save the financial resources of government.
雖然毒品合法化可能有不少好處，但它本身并不會減少反毒品戰(zhàn)的大部分成本，因為反毒品戰(zhàn)主要涉及對販毒行為的打擊。除非毒品銷售也被合法化，否則這些成本不會得到大幅降低。對吸毒和販毒的全面合法化可以降低毒品價格，削弱制造和販賣毒品的犯罪形象，改善許多市中心貧民社區(qū)的環(huán)境，鼓勵更多的美國少數(shù)族裔學(xué)生完成高中學(xué)業(yè)，大大緩解墨西哥等毒品供應(yīng)國的毒品問題，大幅減少美國聯(lián)邦和各州監(jiān)獄的犯人數(shù)量，減輕涉毒罪犯入獄服刑對其個人產(chǎn)生的不利影響，以及節(jié)約政府的財政支出。
The lower drug prices that would result from full decriminalization may well encourage greater consumption of drugs, but it would also lead to lower addiction rates and perhaps even to fewer drug addicts, since heavy drug users would find it easier to quit. Excise taxes on the sale of drugs, similar to those on cigarettes and alcohol, could be used to moderate some, if not most, of any increased drug use caused by the lower prices.
毒品全面合法化所導(dǎo)致的低價毒品也許會鼓勵更多的毒品消費(fèi)，但也可能會降低毒品成癮率，甚至減少吸毒成癮人群的數(shù)量。這是因為重度吸毒者會發(fā)現(xiàn)戒毒比以往更容易一些。此外，對毒品征收類似于煙酒的高額稅也會從某種程度上緩解因低價格毒品所引發(fā)的吸毒人群規(guī)模擴(kuò)張問題。
Taxing legal production would eliminate the advantage that violent criminals have in the current marketplace. Just as gangsters were largely driven out of the alcohol market after the end of prohibition, violent drug gangs would be driven out of a decriminalized drug market. Since the major costs of the drug war are the costs of the crime associated with drug trafficking, the costs to society would be greatly reduced even if overall drug consumption increased somewhat.
對毒品制造合法化并征稅將使暴力犯罪分子在目前市場上的優(yōu)勢地位消失殆荊正如美國禁酒運(yùn)動結(jié)束后犯罪團(tuán)伙大多被趕出酒類市場一樣，販毒暴力團(tuán)伙也會被趕出合法化的毒品市常由于反毒品戰(zhàn)的主要成本是對付販毒類犯罪行為所產(chǎn)生的成本，因此只要毒品全面合法化，即使整體吸毒行為有所增加，毒品引發(fā)的社會成本也會大幅減少。
The decriminalization of both drug use and the drug market won't be attained easily, as there is powerful opposition to each of them. The disastrous effects of the American war on drugs are becoming more apparent, however, not only in the U.S. but beyond its borders. Former Mexican President Felipe Calderon has suggested 'market solutions' as one alternative to the problem. Perhaps the combined efforts of leaders in different countries can succeed in making a big enough push toward finally ending this long, enormously destructive policy experiment.
吸毒和販毒的全面合法化不可能輕易實現(xiàn)，因為這兩方面的合法化都面臨強(qiáng)大的反對力量。然而，美國反毒品戰(zhàn)的災(zāi)難性影響已經(jīng)越來越明顯，這種影響不僅體現(xiàn)在國內(nèi)，也體現(xiàn)在海外。墨西哥前總統(tǒng)費(fèi)利佩·卡爾德龍(Felipe Calderon)已提出了一個“市場化方案”，作為一種替代性的解決方法。也許各國首腦在共同努力下可以擊出足夠有力的重要一拳，最終結(jié)束反毒品戰(zhàn)這一曠日持久、極具破壞性的政策嘗試。