Throughout history, Americans have fought many enemies who threatened the security of our great nation and provided aid and resources to our partner countries in their time of desperation. However, the consequences were substantial, countless brave men and women lost their lives defending Americans' freedom. Today Americans fight a different kind of war; it is a war with no clear enemy or end in sight. Today, America fights a War on Drugs. In the early 1970s, the War on Drugs was still relatively new and drug smuggling continued, crossing the northern border of the United States virtually unhindered (Stout 34). For over 40 years, the war on drugs (implemented by former President Richard Nixon) has cost the United States approximately $1 trillion, for what is believed to be nothing more than “the goal of quelling growing social discontent in the country ”. (Stout 38). However, by this point, the demand for drugs had increased significantly throughout the United States, and many drug traffickers were beginning to set up smaller organizations throughout Mexico, breaking all ties with the larger organizations. Furthermore, the cash flow from selling drugs was not enough and other methods were used to get money quickly to subsidize their income, such as; fooling around, napping for big ransoms, prostitution and car thefts. As criminal activity escalated, President Nixon created the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 1973 to wage a “total global war on the drug threat” (Martin 226). Although drug production and smuggling were an essential way of life for many Hispanics throughout Mexico, the United States continued to provide financial and military aid during decades of uncertainty. Furthermore, these actions led to... half of the document......s." Latin Trade (English) 17.2 (2009): 22. MasterFILE Premier. Web. April 18, 2012. Campos, Isaac. " Looking of real reform: lessons from Mexico's long history of drug prohibition. " NACLA Report On The Americas 44.3 (2011): 14-18. Academic Search Premier. Web. April 18, 2012. Kellner, Tomas, and Francesco Pipitone. " Inside Mexico's Drug War." World PolicyJournal 27.1 (2010): 29- 37. Academic Search Premier. Web. April 18, 2012. Martin, William. “Texas High Ways.” Texas Monthly 37.10 (2009): 148. MAS Ultra - School Edition. April 18, 2012. Martin, William Ways." Does Mexico Really Want the War on Drugs to Succeed?." Monthly Review: An Independent Socialist Magazine 63.8 (2012): 34. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 18 April. 2012.