Part 6/11:
The Costs of the War Against Cartels
There is a grim reality underpinning the calls for military action: the overwhelming scale of drug-related deaths in the U.S. The opioid epidemic, exacerbated by cartel activities, claims approximately 100,000 lives annually, with synthetic opioids like fentanyl being the leading cause of death for people aged 18 to 45. This staggering statistic reflects an ongoing crisis that some leaders claim necessitates military intervention.