Why Colombia is losing the cocaine war

[@Vox]

For more behind-the-scenes goodies from this season of Vox Borders, join the Vox Video Lab, our new membership program on KZbin the gives you cool perks like creator commentary, bonus clips, and more: www.vox.com/join

[@invisi.]

If only I weren’t poor :(

[@rohanbedward7209]

You should come to Jamaica

[@Sammakko7]

Vox no autist

[@siremerrionepie9796]

You should go to the Philippines

[@TheTrainmobile]

Here are some places that I think would be really cool to do a Borders series on: - Russia - Balkan States - Pacific Island Nations - Japan - Greece - Disputed Territories (Kosovo, Kashmir, etc.) - Central America - South Korea - Germany

[@chipskylark5500]

The way the mother got angry.. so real. This issue was more nuanced than I thought

[@chinmaydesai863]

The issue is simple the drug trade has to stop for the betterment of the world

[@rpnewskies3274]

@@chinmaydesai863 Orrrr, maybe we should fully legalize all drugs, safely regulate them under an agency with no profit motive, and allow the funds from the tax of the product to massively fund mental health programs, addiction centers, and social security programs to steer the population towards a healthy lifestyle. all done without being authoritarian, violating civil liberties, and pushing a market that has and will always exist into the underground.

[@tacticalpotato2939]

RP NewSkies um what. Drugs, especially ones like cocaine make people mentally unstable. Therefore creating people who can be dangerous to society. Like drunk drivers because alcohol is legal.

[@rpnewskies3274]

@@tacticalpotato2939 see you already got yourself halfway to the the answer. Alcohol DOES cause more DUI's and car accidents, and well as contributes to overall mental degradation as you mentioned, but regardless it's not illegal; so when cocaine has arguably comparable adverse effects and IS illegal, you see there is a stigma, and there is the brutal and authoritarian drug war to thank for that. And what of marijuana and psilocybin, 2 drugs that many considered in line with heroin and methamphetamine? They are now moving towards fully legalization despite the aforementioned facts. And the places with legal drugs are usually better off after. Even Portugal, where all drugs are decriminalized, the addiction and crime rates have dropped. Bottom line is society allows certain 'undesirable' activities to be legal in the name of sustaining civil liberties and steering society away from authoritarianism; as soon as we collectively get past the lies and slander that is the result years of scorched earth drug policy, we can make real leaps and bounds to adress our current drug epidemic.

[@spiritualjedi2038]

Legalize all drugs in the state's.... That'll go over well.

[@MichaelWilliamsofAmerica]

This guy's work as a journalist, especially a traveling one, is fantastic.

[@rangv733]

I'd wonder what it takes to be a part of their team.

[@katoca81]

Higher standards than BuzzFeed for sure.

[@draker1150]

@@katoca81 BuzzFeed don't even have good content just silly and pointless

[@rangv733]

@Letta Kats Thanks!

[@phillybeccio2782]

Your mom was fantastic

[@johnnyharris]

Thanks for watching! I took this angle on the piece because I feel like there is plenty of coverage of the drug cartels and their trafficking operations etc. But to me the story of family farms is much more relevant to understanding the root of the drug problem in Colombia. I hope you felt some of the complicated tension that I felt while the police burned down that family’s shed. Or in talking with the farmers. Anyway, thanks for watching Borders Colombia! Next stop: not sure yet. Need to go figure that out!

[@jeevanmahesh3852]

Please do one on India Pakistan border

[@lucassze9552]

People like you are what makes Vox great. Thorough, well thought out, well written and insightful pieces on science and geopolitics. There really is no competition for Vox's quality and production value on KZbin for that kind of content. I just hope they spend more effort and funding on things like this instead of... you know.

[@dannybink9049]

Keep up the great work.

[@prajjwalsim]

Come to India

[@benitohermano4595]

You're literally carrying this channel

[@dimphomoatshe7745]

Sad to see a mother crying , frustrated . trying to make ends meets is something else

[@imblack011]

Bruh the government should destroy their operations, but at least give them another way to make money so that they don't destroy the life of a family. Latin america is hopeless, everything bad there will never stop. But what will happen? The rich are happy and those who are poor don't have the power to overthrow the government. It's an endless cycle.

[@chrissmith3581]

@@imblack011 true and when the poor really do revolt they somehow get suppressed *cough* US government

[@hodelhophopp9386]

I think the ppl who destroy the farms should at least pay them reparations

[@Fruitsmymainispomgranates]

Yep

[@waitwhat3547]

@@hodelhophopp9386 so they can build them again, great idea

[@aulisdomstedt7090]

this guy is carrying vox so hard. Honestly he should do a solo channel

[@BenSTA09]

With what money? VOX pays for his trip and editor etc

[@RonSimiyu]

I like almost all Vox videos. All the videos get alot of views, I think all their journalist I watch are doing a good job.

[@WariorKitty]

What? Vox is really good, I think they choose their subject matter and cover it really well overall. Obviously there are strengths and weaknesses, but their videos are so good

[@RotchildFrancoisJr]

Borders, The Goods, and Earworm are the top series on Vox

[@mrinal_boro]

he has his own channel, its called- Johnny Harris

[@reymundalagos9889]

Tbh, this series deserves an Oscar or something

[@Daniel-uw9il]

Reymund Alagos more of a streamy award

[@JOHNY0]

This series was nominated for an Emmy

[@Deflector316]

@@JOHNY0 when?

[@THGGBT]

@@JOHNY0 when?

[@TheLegend-mu6zg]

BKUZ when?

[@AmayaZelaya]

" They got money for wars but can't feed the poor!"

[@MrTrolf]

" They got money for wars but can't feed the poor!" === > Guess you're talking about USA ?

[@danielchacon1859]

@@MrTrolf USA and colombia

[@Persona1996]

Amaya Zelaya that’s every country 4 u

[@DK-ld4ts]

Cody Ciesielski pretty much

[@SuperTurhake]

@@Persona1996 Nope, nothing like that in to northern europe.

[@JaKe_Mendoza]

I don’t blame them for growing it, they have stomachs to fill. The government has no support, doesn’t provide much opportunities for these families that are living in poverty.

[@ProfessorTenebrae]

Grow something else.

[@anthonytalin3919]

@@ProfessorTenebrae If you think it’s that simple, you know absolutely nothing about poverty in the developing world.

[@yazan7518]

I agree with you

[@JaKe_Mendoza]

@@anthonytalin3919 I don’t think he watched the full video

[@rajadhirajmaharaj]

@@JaKe_Mendoza He is high on cocaine.

[@gautamsriramkatta6500]

the production quality is off the charts

[@Seskoi]

Of Colombian cocaine?

[@cristianbarrera2561]

@@Seskoi ColOmbian.

[@Seskoi]

@@cristianbarrera2561 Thanks you're right, I corrected :)

[@cristianbarrera2561]

@@Seskoi :)

[@vod1165]

This series has such ridiculously high production value and fantastic journalism that it puts to shame most established news agencies. Absolutely blown away! I've watched reports with ten times the budget be no where near as interesting/concise and covering half the points. Good stuff.

[@4taquito]

James Everitt. They’ve started to remind me a lot of VICE when they were in their prime.

[@thebandoffice53]

@@4taquito thats where most of the old staff went to after vice was bought out a few years ago

[@johnnyharris]

James Everitt wow. That means a lot

[@nielsqbc4]

It looks like the farmers expect when farming in Siberia they can sell in moscow. And it looks like these farmers did not have a lot of land even when they are in the middle of nowhere. Nobody can make money from 50 square meters. They should move closer to the city to farm or have a different job.

[@apersonontheinternet3538]

Yes

[@danielandrescombitafonseca149]

I am Colombian and I really share the opinion of the woman who lost her coca crops, to end the coca problem is to end the problems of the second most unequal country in Latin America, is not only about killing the cartels, it's also about acknowledging the people in the country side that have nothing and for the real first time give them real possibilities

[@imnotprisma]

Yo creo que ya somos los primeros en desigualdad. El nivel que ha alcanzado la miseria en el campo es absurdo e inhumano.

[@robertjarman3703]

Alfonso G That's not actually an insane idea. There are countries that have limited police involvement with cocaine. Portugal and the Czech Republic do so on the demand side, while Bolivia actually has it legal to grow coca, just that you cannot turn it into cocaine.

[@juselara02]

The war against drugs must be the war against inequity and lack of opportunities

[@hedgehog3180]

@@juselara02 The "War Against Drugs" should be abandoned and instead the US should go back to the "War on Poverty" which was actually fixing the issues causing crime by providing housing and social programs for the less fortunate, and this should be a global effort to pay back the damages the US and it's allies have caused.

[@chrisa6333]

I am from Colombia. When I visited earlier this year, I saw coca leaves everywhere. I was with a tour guide who would point out the coca leaves on the sides of roads. It literally grows everywhere.

[@williammcdonald6870]

Chris A Do you still do tours. I’m in the USA now but I’d like to contact you when I come to Colombia 🇨🇴

[@chrisa6333]

William McDonald I live in the United States. I actually took a tour when I visited Colombia. If you send me a direct message I can provide you with information on the tours I took.

[@gabrielb8472]

When you visited Colombia you saw coca leaves everywhere? I'm Colombian, and I haven't seen a coca leave once. When I look at the side of the roads I see normal vegetation or sidewalks. Either you are talking of an specific area, or you are lying for the sake of impact.

[@wethinkis]

Lies

[@MoreThanRocks]

Sure about that? Didn’t see anything when I went to see family. 🤔

[@salokin3087]

You can hate Vox, but you can't hate Borders, it's so good

[@retrocatto5003]

Salokin most vox series is good

[@Rider19Ih]

You're describing a dictatorship right there.

[@ratselmann6951]

Very nice Hyper Light Drifter Profile-picture! :)

[@prometheus6898]

People only hate Vox because of Vox criticism of Trump. Anyone who criticizes Trump gets a ton of hate from Trump supporters. They are basically a cult and big chunk of them spend most of their time online plaguing comment sections and disliking videos before they've even watched them.

[@moritzendres1663]

@@prometheus6898 I think, Aladin is not referring to the Trump supporters :D

[@rea8585]

When you see a farmer's wife crying because she won't be able to feed her children, it looks less like a war on drugs and more like an economic problem. That was a very interesting perspective. Thank you, Johnny and Vox!

[@odemata87]

And that's what it boils down to it. It's a matter of economics with casualties that stretch far and beyond the minds of those who are at the bottom involvement

[@odemata87]

@C caymer explain please?

[@xejune]

@C caymer The idea that europe accepted refugees because of media is very silly. We, or at least my country, have a long, long history of accepting refugees and even paying people to come here so that they can help our economy. Sure, american media is overly dramatic and sensationalized (including right wing stuff, from what I've seen), but it has little to no influence on the decisions Europe makes lol.

[@BigaloMax]

@C caymer so you are saying that the video is "fake news" and that colombia doesn't have socioeconomic problems and the farmers are just evil ? I mean if you are going to accuse vox off propaganda then what is there message? Because there are no references in this video about immigration and the closest thing to an "agenda" this video has is a " colombia needs to stop harassing farmers and starting investing in infrastructure so that the farmers can join the rest of the countries legal economy's".

[@scrummybingus6901]

@C caymer whats the agenda??

[@hafsa7951]

Completely unrelated, but all the nature in this video is breathtaking

[@adamcochran1309]

If they switched to any other crop all that would be gone too.

[@ethanpepe1448]

This video is absolutely amazing though it's really heartbreaking when you see the plants and nature destroyed for money :(

[@hafsa7951]

Adam Cochran but will it have the same impact as large scale agricultural farms because they seem to be farming at quite a small scale.

[@adamcochran1309]

Or agriculture really. And livestock is way worse and is a major destroyer of the amazon. That and exotic woods for people with too much money and a yacht dependency. Farming at a small scale is fine and all but they should not be doing mono culture. The pesticides used to destroy "Drug operations" is Paraquat or an agent orange derivative(round up ect.). it causes cancers and can sicken or kill you. It was used to give a false report of marijuana deaths. If they use mono culture they are still going to need pesticides and fertilizers. We need to treat these areas(amazon,ozarks, congo if it still exists) like we do Antarctica for starters.

[@misty6348]

I imagine the Colombia's government will resume spraying of chemicals, that kill plants, which will sadly hurt the nature and land's fertility.

[@carlosleon5448]

As Colombian, living in Colombia, it's devastating to see how all of this affects our most vulnerable people. I love my country, but you have no idea how much poverty and suffering we see here, while the government only cares about its own safety and wealth.

[@pedropedrohan102]

sounds like every third world country

[@terryhenry8243]

Sounds like all corrupt countries, U.S.A. #1

[@glyphicon330]

Ya vino a llorar

[@santiagolara1699]

Petro presidente y Francia vicepresidenta

[@MattFand]

@@santiagolara1699 ???

[@issacgibbs52]

I’m a member of the US Army. I had a long conversation with a fellow soldier that was sent to Colombia to determine how we could help fight the drug war. It was his unit that determined the deficiencies highlighted in the video about infrastructure being the largest reason for farmers growing coca. The US then began a micro-loan program to supply vehicles and road building projects to improve these areas. They also hire the local farmers to build these roads supply jobs and sources of income. I’d just like to point out these issues are being actively combated by people who care.

[@issacgibbs52]

He was a member of our Civil Affairs and special operations branch

[@jpinzon191]

Hope that where the main strategy instead of a side one.

[@Hallowedwanderer]

What happens is that in Colombia the goverment is so corrupt, that all the finantial aid provided to help the poor farmers is mostly stolen by the goverment, it's sad to see this blood leeching goverment. That's why the lady is so upset, people on rural areas barely have any energy or drinkable water. Coffee prices dropping constantly and the economy "growing" same as its prices, its hard for them to get the basics just by growing coffee, so they turn to the coca plant.

[@mikescarborough9196]

Mike Ramirez You make several excellent points. I might add that coffee prices are dropping constantly because coffee is not illegal. No soldiers are swooping in to burn down coffee plantations. And even though coffee is a mildly to moderately addictive, mood altering substance, there are no DEA agents travelling abroad to make sure the global supply of coffee remains relatively low and therefore insanely profitable to produce. Hmmmm.

[@rorschachrko]

Instead of the American government focusing on establishing and eradicating the ongoing drug inflow into the United states, why can't they establish, identify and eradicate the drug epidemic in the United states. More demand = more demand, turn the charts around and we have something else. Of course it is not as simple as it sounds as I type, but I don't see any valuable effort put into eradicating the drug epidemic of the U.S as they divulge their efforts and money into eradicating the source.

[@ahsanhusain8916]

This man is the BEST reporter of VOX. *salute*

[@user-sn6jv5dv9s]

Johnny, I want to congratulate you. Wow. This is a perspective of the cocaine wars and economy that’s barely shown, most people around the world have no idea why these farmers keep growing illicit drugs, so thank you, a million times over, for bringing this important perspective to light.This is such a controversial, dangerous topic here in Colombia, and you took it head-on with elegance and zero bias. I hope videos like these get shared a million times over so that the debate can become more widespread, and maybe one day Colombia will reach the peace it so desperately needs.

[@jgbg6880]

Bless up bro

[@laurarest8189]

“Why don’t you actually help us instead of destroying what we have” Those words hit hard, and they are so true

[@VNYoshi]

Because their "work" is destructive to others. Because they chose to participate in illegal activity that harms others. They chose to do it because it's easier. They chose to do it because they want a better life than what they currently could legally reach. I could understand their reasoning and decision, but morally? Emotionally? There's nothing to sympathize with. Comparatively, they live surrounded by fertile land. Comparatively, they still have some resemblance of access to the modern economy. The question of where/how/why the region/country/world resources could reach to help them is complex. How much exactly do we "owe" our fellow man, morally speaking? Are we to donate all our savings to aid others? What about efficiency? The wealth of the world comes from our infrastructure and labor. We consume what we create. We get a good life because in average, we produce enough collectively to live a good life. Solving poverty is a question of raising productivity. Building (justifiable) infrastructures. Education. These things comes slowly, potentially in the generational timescale. The government is but one part of the puzzle. Fundamentally (and idealistically), the government helps to architect growth. How much would a road to a remote community cost to build and maintain? How economically viable is it? How many people would it serve? Would they eventually contribute enough economically to at least maintain it? How much deficit could the rest of society tolerate in the name of equity? The road to development is long, rocky, and difficult. Wealth does not magically come out of thin air. Lacking resources is an issue with reality itself. It takes patience, hard work and luck. These acts of jumping the line, taking "shortcuts", while understandable, is not one to be pitied.

[@huainasanchez9850]

I am Colombian and I approve the veracity of the information presented and I am deeply grateful because in our country it is difficult to spread this type of material due to the constant violations of human rights

[@CanisLupusSteparium]

What do you mean by " it is difficult to spread this type of material due to the constant violations of human rights"? It sounds as if there would be a SWAT team ready to knock down your door as soon as you uploaded something related to the subject. Or if there was a government censorship agency monitoring your online activity. The Colombian government can be accused of being negligent, corrupt and incompetent, but not of being oppressive. There is plenty of material about the situation of coca farmers readily available.

[@kiesmartinez7462]

El chico de arriba tiene razón. Pueden acusar a nuestro país de anocracia, pero no de dictadura XD. Con solo googlear "coca en Colombia" te salen informes de todo tipo y de todos los enfoques en el país. Al gobierno se le puede culpar de muchas cosas, pero no de la pereza de salir de la ignorancia.

[@NicolasGomez-dn3oy]

Your comment is just not true😂. It shows a poor image of our country as well. What do you mean by "human rights violations" and "difficult to spread the word"😂. We are not a dictatorship or a country that sensors information like venezuela or north korea...

[@Ciscospm]

There are a lot of colombians in denial. There is censorship, there is human right violation an there is a defacto dictatorship. The only thing you have to do is a google search to see it for yourself.

[@andres_see]

@@Ciscospm No, that's a fantasy made up by Colombian libtards aka Petristas.

[@alifayazi5479]

The only reason I'm subscribed to vox is this guy.

[@jonatanaquino8279]

How bout earworm? And the goods?

[@TheDavidLiou]

I'm missing Vox Observatory tho

[@alponselrik]

Nah i just unsubcribes from fox. But i would check their video regulerly for borders

[@Splendidjosh]

I wish more people understood the concept that Vox is showing us here: Not every drug dealer or seller is a criminal or a bad person, oftentimes they are lacking opportunity and resources and selling or producing drugs is the only way to get it. We see it in America, Brazil, and numerous other countries. I still feel that the best way to curve a countries drug problem is to answer their poverty, economic, infrastrutcture, and resource problem. Can't expect people not to find alternate (illegal) means to live if doing it the right way isn't enough.

[@hedgehog3180]

No one goes into an occupation that has no sort of job security, high violence and the chance of jail time because they felt like it. They do it because they have no better options, in fact it might be their only option, this is a simple truth that people refuse to acknowledge because they'd rather pretend that crime is just the moral failing of individuals but this is a view that runs counter to reality. Similarly most people who use drugs are not evil and especially when it comes to harder drugs it's probably because they're not getting treatment anywhere else, it has been proven that there is a strong link between childhood trauma and hard drug usage. These people have PTSD and aren't getting treatment anywhere else.

[@yong-haotan6576]

And the people who took drugs they are not a bad person either. Social exclusion, financial and family problems sometimes pushes us to the brink.

[@lunayen]

The idea that dealers aren't bad people is ridiculous as they are the main cause for the death and destruction of countless of communities. The ones at the top are the ones who make most of the money, while those at the bottom earn pennies and recruit others who believe that destroying their community is the best way to earn a living. Stop romanticizing drug dealers or drugs in general.

[@fish7598]

people confuse illegal with immoral.

[@stinkoshatter-shield2096]

Yong-Hao Tan and often times have problems with addiction due to their genes

[@bryansey5787]

Solution???? USA should fix their drug problem internally!!! No demand, no supply!!!

[@colivart]

There wasn’t a cocaine problem before cocaine was made.

[@vibes3360]

There is a demand. A *MASSIVE* one. End the war on drugs

[@koilamaoh4238]

Cocaine isnt really a "large" issue. Its actually more at the bottom. The most dangerous drug in the USA which kills over 100k++(probably much higher) and more, are opioids which is made by big pharma, caucasians favorite drug of choice. Alcohol would win for most dangerous for society issues. Cocaine itself is probably more dangerous to poor countries due to addiction and only drug which is easily accessible.

[@amelianywhere]

In a country where mental health is last in its priorities I doubt that the solution comes from the United States.

[@davidfortier6976]

@@koilamaoh4238 Tobacco kills far more people than opiates, about ten times as many in the USA.

[@naomitamuty1294]

That killed me when the woman was yelling about how they didn't have education to go into the city and work. That's so upsetting to me

[@iphone7shoots]

Rip brother

[@miguelgibbs]

As a Colombian myself its really sad. Drugs is the biggest reason we are looked down upon so this is what we do but its wrong

[@jonaslang2509]

Already a crazy good episode. Love the way borders isnt that black and white in its approach to news keep it up guys

[@mugiwara6875]

It doesn’t work like that

[@avinashwadhwani6909]

@Jonathan Rogers Which is SUPRISINGLY good

[@turtle4llama]

This is one of the ridiculous inefficiencies I can't understand. Government doesn't want cocaine. Okay. But they won't commission roads to the farmers. Roadwork that would take years and create hundreds of jobs that would pull people out of needing to grow coca. Roadwork that will continue as the roads are maintained, keeping jobs in the area. Roads that keep coca from being the only profitable option. How could paying for the military to continuously harass families be cheaper?

[@keengan99]

Colombia has a bigger problem, called corruption. The politicians steal a lot of money that go into infraestrucuture, so is really difficult to build roads in this poor areas

[@juandiegoceleminmojica8790]

Colombia is vast, our geography is a nightmare, and most of the coca areas are in flooded regions where maintaining a road is incredibly expensive.

[@GodsDumbLamb]

They purposeful build their Coca farms as far away as possible.

[@amelianywhere]

I don't know if it was mentioned in the video that that part of Colombia belongs to an area the size of Spain that is not very populated in the region of the Orinoquia and the Amazon region, there is literally only jungle, and some towns there are no big cities. One of the negative points of building infrastructure there is that it will increase the deforestation of the jungle, the land will be used for agriculture and livestock. Apart from this Colombia has a very rugged geography so they need to spend a lot of money on infrastructure such as tunnels, bridges, highways, a lot of money for a country that is not very rich.

[@marthajohnson3250]

It is more complex than that. Corruption plays a huge role, and the war with the criminal groups. Oh and as mentioned already deforestation. It is a problem without an easy solution :(

[@mr_wormhole]

That woman's talk teared my heart apart

[@O-plaat]

"Instead of a war on poverty they got a war on drugs so police can bother me" - Tupac Shakur

[@mdayaan7573]

it's me against the world baby! RIP 2Pac.

[@jlpinson6968]

Shiva Richmond so your a poor kid, why is that because your parents are buying 600 dollies worth of coke every 2 weeks, rent is 1400$ a month so their now begging for money.

[@caractacus6231]

because the police really got their fun in bothering him?

[@spiritualjedi2038]

Real shot!

[@robinsss]

if cocaine was legal that 600 dollars worth of cocaine would cost much less then the users wouldn't be in financial trouble and the drug dealers would be looking for another way to earn a living

[@corocorascringechannel6330]

I have hope that someday Colombia will live in peace.

[@iwannapoop]

Don't hold your breath...its been at war since the Spaniards arrived in the 1500's.

[@imnotprisma]

We Colombians have the same hope, but it's going to take a while. For the entire 208 years we've been a country, we've been killing ourselves.

[@rashidpaykargar8628]

As long as there is greed, we will always be at war

[@heidiirodriguez6134]

We hope that too...

[@gabriels5589]

One day maybe, but we have been at war since the very creation of the country: the war for independence, the countless wars for deciding a governent and the wars of succession of some territories, relative peace was achieved in 1886 when the final constitution was drafted but then tensions escalated until Jorge Eliécer Gaitán was assasinated leading to a 10 years civil war which culminated with the creation of the modern guerrilla groups and let's don't even get started with the whole drug cartel mess of the 80s. It seems like this country failed right at the moment it was established :/

[@fkmui03]

The cinematography is in another level.. Lit 🔥🔥🔥

[@noelles222]

it hurts my heart to see these poor family struggling , i wish them the best especially their kids 🥺

[@TheRishabhkumar]

VOX has top notch editing. It's a delight to watch their videos whether you completely agree with the content or not.

[@allthingsfascinating]

I don't think you can cure addiction problems by destroying the crops of poor farmers.

[@prahastha1618]

The video is not talking about addiction to Cocaine.

[@valentinarodriguez8257]

But what they are trying to destroy are the drug cartels

[@Arrakiz666]

I don't think any of this is about addiction. I don't think it ever was.

[@kingkeeper99]

You are right! The main trouble is the demand, and almost all of it comes from the US. It is so suspicious that the country with the best and most advanced army, navy and airforce can't just simply inspect their own border and trade in order to stop these drugs from entering their country, it is also suspicious how none of the dealers in that country are investigated nor prosecuted. Of all the trade chain, it is the intermediaries who benefit the most from a business, and all of those are happily living in their own condos in Miami while buying the coca at unimaginable high prices and selling it at even higher prices like candy!! They are living like gods and their identity is completely unknown!!! All of that while the narcotraficants in Colombia and Mexico can't even enjoy their money because these are being strongly prosecuted by the police and military and have to waste it in weapons and people to defend their business. The US gives millions to our governments to maintain the idiotic war on drugs, to buy cancerous chemicals for eradication, thousand of soldiers lose their lives fighting that crap, their sons are left without parents, all of us Colombians have to serve obligatory military service and millions of peasants go through these troubles portrayed on the video and more. Venezuela already fell into a dictatorship ran by a bunch of narcotraficants, their home country is totally corrupted, the country's resources are at the hand of illegal business and their people are dying of hunger. And yet, the drugs are still somehow getting into the US and the dollars are still reaching into the hands of our delicuents and guerrillas who keep our country far from fully developing and runs an inhumane dictatorship in our neighbor country. If the US doesn't deal with their consumption then I've rather see my country full of coca crops while our peasants are able to feed their children and slowly reemplace the crop by something legal and sustainable. All of this would totally come at the hand of reconciliation with guerrillas and the solution and end of a bunch of conflicts that we have been dealing with for half a freaking century caused by inequity.

[@campkira]

Only if destroy crop. That is chemicals processing. No farmers would farming with cooking with chemicals.

[@sethrogers9352]

*The War On Drugs Is A Huge Failure - Kurzgesagt*

[@correctionguy7632]

sponsered by the open society foundation

[@victorhinojos3050]

A lot of people have made huge profits so from a capitalist point of view I would consider it a huge success. You might care to mention the overdose deaths but that is just the cost of doing business, and I have never heard of a single drug dealer who snuck in the middle of the night to inject unsuspecting people drugs against their will.

[@HeavyMoonshine19]

@@victorhinojos3050 what he means is that the US had taken the wrong aproach to stopping drugs. They used heavy violence to try and beat the drug problem out of the country, but all they succeeded in doing was causing alot of chaos and sadness and adding fuel to the fire. Many drug abusers were locked up in high security prisons instead of getting the help they needed to snap out of addiction. Drug cartels found it easy to adapt to the force the police were using to crush them, switching to far more covert operations to lay undetected. Even today drug users have a hard time trying to stop using drugs. They tried to stomp out the problem by stopping their access and punishing them when we should've been helping them. The drug war used brute force and violence when it should've used precision and intelligence to properly deal with the drug problem. If you want a better explanation just search up "The war on drugs" by Kurzgesagt. That video does a full and proper explanation of what I just said. If you read this far then thank you for being smart about it.

[@machugo3368]

Yes because you are on drugs

[@katinamarie6651]

USA pays Latin America military to murder drug dealers who in return kill them & their families, amlo of Mexico is refusing their 6 billion in aid for war on drugs & told USA we need aid for development not violence bc the violence is causing them to lose investors

[@lunav8026]

And the worst part is the colombian government cares more about the U.S demands than the necessities of it's own people. If the U.S didn't bought cocaine, then Colombia wouldn't produce it. But the States are more occupied telling Colombia how to exterminate the crops at the cost of the environment and the people than to fix the problem home, ending the business that proliferates in their own country.

[@jorgegomez3224]

Not only that the US gives us a handout called "plan Colombia" if we ever solve these issue we stop getting the money for other things so no one's interested in solving it.

[@terryhenry8243]

100% CORRECT!!

[@itsalejandroe]

Vox Borders: Colombia was awesome. I'd love to see Vox Borders: Venezuela, but you should be careful if you come here, I'd be glad to help Johnny to film or anything else if you're up to it! I'm a film student and I love your work

[@advent5769]

Alejandro E That’s a death wish, you shouldn’t make Johny go to Venezuela, it is literally in the middle of a hyperinflation and enormous refugee crisis and crime problem, there would be nothing to film and it would be extremely dangerous. Why should he go to Venezuela when he just did the country right next to it

[@itsalejandroe]

@@advent5769 I know its dangerous, but Colombia is not much safer than Venezuela, and nothing happened to Johnny because he's very careful about where he goes, I've lived here for 20 years and I've never been assaulted or robbed, you just have to know which places to avoid and things like that. Specially Johnny he seems like a guy that knows how to not look like a tourist. It should definitely be worth it to show the reality of the country's problems from the inside, many news channels show what's happening here but not many really come and do research here.

[@ariefbagussetyohadi6809]

Up up

[@franciscofuentes8916]

I don't see what it would add to what almost every other media has already said.

[@miguelangelsucrelares5009]

@@itsalejandroe One huge difference is that Johnny is fully supported by the Colombian government to produce his pieces. They have provided him with access, transportation and protection despite the fact that his reports include heavy criticism aimed at government policies. The current Venezuelan government would never support such kind of journalism. Not only that, they would actively interfere with any attempt of reporting on what's happening in Venezuela. I doubt he would be even allowed legal entry into the country. Johnny would have to enter furtively and risk prosecution for "spying" or any other ridiculous charge.

[@aishvaryapujar9460]

What brilliant narration and videography. I've become more informed about the world in 2 days than I've ever been in my entire life. And it's amazing that the presenter visits the places, cuts to the core of the problem, asks basic questions that have answers. I love this.

[@ayazahmed-ky4eg]

Call him to Kashmir to telecast indian brutal occupation

[@bait5257]

@@ayazahmed-ky4eg why are you so racist?

[@swetheutte]

Would you consider going to Central Asia? It faces so many border related problems after the fall of the USSR. Like that Uzbekistan Exclave in Kyrghyzystan where 99% of the population is Tajikistani. Or that part of Khazakstan where the Soviets did all their atom bomb testing. It would be really interesting!

[@redpanda5108]

G

[@aok208]

The Utte! I’d be happy to help Borders if you decide to come to Kazakhstan

[@kantbtamed1032]

That area you’re in was rainforest quite recently. Large foreign corporations are hoarding land in other areas. They should be forced to sell some of it so that these parts can go back to being rainforest and the lungs of the earth.

[@_adheeb.]

Are you from Columbia ? :)

[@kimbaldun]

@@_adheeb. he was the mother in the video

[@TemkaBayar]

You guys should do a border at Mongolia. There are lots of hot topics over there: Air pollution, urban planning, traffic, life quality etc. Definitely a VOX BORDER material.

[@MsHumanOfTheDecade]

Mongolia has bigger problems than that to cover. It'd I have to agree, it'd be really interesting to watch good ol' Johhny's take on it.

[@xyzsam8092]

Last time mongolia was in news when genghis khan was in power but after that no one cares you know why because power attracts attention.

[@_hector__]

Mongolias problems are nothing compared to the middle east and south america

[@ccrozz99]

I never hear about Mongolia. So this will definitely be interesting.

[@stephaniesummer2663]

Or maybe even Pakistan and India. There are some tensions there.

[@Coolmark123]

Such great video production. I love these videos. Props on editing 😊❤️

[@eshaan3]

Never thought i would find you here , love your Cops content dude.

[@terguo]

Lmao ur the last person I would think would be here lmfao

[@AdamBechtol]

aye

[@AlanGabrielLopez]

Same here ... you can tell someone took their time making this video 👌🏻

[@nighatashfaq5389]

What's the music at 0:24

[@imprakrut]

3:13 Police shaking hands with the kid whose farm was destroyed!

[@Dad-lu1oi]

How else can he secretly hand a bag of cocaine over?

[@FrankU_]

@@Dad-lu1oi It's not cocaine. Its coca. Its different

[@totozilla6396]

Prakrut Chauhan Its just a police, not an politician, they just do what they have to do if we want to keep relationships with USA

[@MrEi8ght]

I think the handshake was them agreeing that he wasn’t getting arrested but had to destroy his shed/crops.

[@Fruitsmymainispomgranates]

Ok

[@shivank_happy]

Thanks brother for putting so much effort on this, to show a real picture behind these things...

[@karnish4956]

Journalism made cool and effective by Vox.

[@bhackett484]

As a Latin American Studies student and Colombian-American, THANK YOU for doing this story and bringing this reality to the mainstream!

[@kombinatsiya6000]

The solution is: establish strong government presence in the coca growing regions (legal and law enforcement); support the regions with real infrastructure needed for living and working; subside the farming of non-coca plants with money and infrastructure; offer education and work programs to these farmers to get people less dependent on farming. As long as Colombia denies these truths, as long as the bigots in Bogota keep treating the countryside as unwanted masses, the country will keep paying dearly for its indifference and arrogance.

[@sljimenezb]

Colombia is a developing country it has a lot of issues, I study in a public university and we are on strike because the government won't provide enough money for education, I really love my country but it really does need help and good organization, aa long as people keep voting in fear there won't be a good solution, and there are ao many problems and there's ao much to be made, I have high hopes for my beautiful country

[@kombinatsiya6000]

@@sljimenezb I too hope things get better for you and your country.

[@kombinatsiya6000]

@Pantafle I have no illusions about change being easy or cheap. It will take the Colombian government DECADES of hard work and BILLIONS of pesos to fix its drug related problems but there are no other choices. Any other strategy is short-sighted nonsense that will prolong and worsen its many social problems.

[@nullish0]

Farming isn’t the issue. We need people to plant things of economic value. Scarcity = market forces that mobilize people to work

[@namphuongbui2211]

Easier said than done. I believe the area is very big with jungle cover all over the place, and the population is very small. The problem is with that small amount of population spread out a huge area it's almost impossible to have a central government's presence. Like an area of 10000 km2 but only 100 families all over the place how do you control the area? Moving between families is already a problem (mostly jungle), sometimes it will take 1-2 days just to reach a family by foot because car isn't an option in old-growth forest and helicopter cannot be used just for patrol.

[@StarrySkyyyy]

I'm Colombian, but I live in an urban area, and the contrast is astounding. I really have no way of knowing how any of this feels like, I've never had this struggle. And to think it happens so close to me...

[@naumanusmani8519]

In terms of pure journalism, Vox has to be the best outlet in the country.

[@MustacheCashStash125]

I love how trustworthy they are and that they interview professionals in the stuff they study

[@amritaa8]

These borders videos with johnny as a host are my absolute favourite on youtube! Great filming and interesting topics, keep it up vox and johnny!

[@HypermarketCommodity]

Rule one of the "Free" Market. If there is a need the Market will satisfy the need.

[@SpecieOp]

That's why these wars on drugs have been and always will be lost causes

[@HypermarketCommodity]

@@SpecieOp but a opressive govermant could use it for example to increase police nummbers and militarization while normalizing government funded murder. ;-) While knowing that it does not have the effect, the government claims it has.

[@MsHumanOfTheDecade]

I don't get this authoritarian approach either. If someone wants to kill themselves, that's their choice. And even without illegal drugs, alchohol, marijuana and tobacco are all available throughout the nation readily.

[@Arrakiz666]

Rule #2: if there is no need due to abundance of supply- limit the supply. Also see rule #3: if there is no need- lobby aggressively and market your product to create artificial need. You can't keep doing it forever, but you absolutely can keep doing it until you're old and have enough money to not have to worry about all the problems you caused for others.

[@HypermarketCommodity]

@@MsHumanOfTheDecade it works if drug war is not the goal but a war on the people is.

[@augustvonfedak5930]

This guy is one of the best reporters. Really speaking to the people a rare thing nowadays. Would like to see more from him in the Future! Thanks Vox

[@lucilasandoval3084]

thank you for making a story about the people who are forced to participate in the drug economy, in México there is also the fact that cartels force and intimidate farmers

[@totozilla6396]

Ana Myers ?

[@sergiovela7686]

We have that too. It's one of the reasons (among the ones in the video) that crop replacement is not doing so well

[@Sukant98]

You seriously outdid yourself again! Fantastic journalism. God bless.

[@EnriqueMolotkoff]

I live in Colombia. The police every now and then run sting operations on gangs that distribute drugs concealed in candy near schools, usually in vulnerable communities. Think about this: Daniel, age 12 receives a "sample" and becomes addicted, he starts taking money from his parents to buy his fix, and because his parents don't own much and live on his father's minimum wage (around 250 usd/month) and maybe her mom's street food cart, he has little to no access to good healthcare, much less a specialist, and when his addiction gets out of control he starts stealing and then drops out of school. With no education or vocation or a goal in life, Daniel will be an addict until he dies in his 20s in a robbery, not before leaving two children who will probably restart the same cycle. Go ahead and multiply that by 100.000 vulnerable children, just to start. So when someone comes and says "jUSt dOn'T bUy dRuGs", that person is ignoring a constellation of socioeconomic factors that keep the demand for drugs up and a whole political context that prevents said factors from being resolved... Buddy you're gonna have to think things through at a more complex level.

[@jonygq]

Despite what you say, Colombia is not even a top 30 global consumer according to the UN this despite having the cheapest and "purest" cocaine on its doorstep. The demand issue stems from outside Colombia not within it, if the market was just in Colombia cocaine wouldn't even survive.

[@MrKaf14]

Jony G Colombia’s cocaine isn’t the purest, it’s called “perico” and it costs like 5 dollars (depending where you get it). Perico is really the leftovers, the pure cocaine goes to the US or overseas.

[@binzsta86]

Where can I get some of this candy?

[@jonygq]

@@binzsta86 Candy drenched in blood, pain and displacement. Shame on you!

[@nedisahonkey]

Sounds purely anecdotal. Got a link to a story on cocaine candy in Colombia? Doesn't have to be in English.

[@ThorktheShredder]

Johnny is everywhere and I love it.

[@maxmustermann2417]

"Coca profuction has hit an all time ... HIGH."

[@lunarservant6781]

aww, pfffffft

[@Klutchh_Kam]

Potentially putting your life on the line for this video. For us to see the world. Man I just don’t know what to say, but thank you! Glad to be apart of the journey😁

[@Soundole]

I appreciate your journalism here, it's always so illuminating to see human faces and personal concerns behind systemic problems.

[@andreachung396]

This guy is fearless in his journalism!!!

[@CK-ix7cl]

i blame you vox for delaying my sleep

[@breadmcstuffin1957]

It’s 12 pm right now but I gotta keep going

[@CrimsonJoker641]

​@@breadmcstuffin1957 You mean 12 am?

[@jevinday]

Great stuff. This dude and the production team at Vox are killing it so hard. Thank you for this fantastic news outlet!

[@glorious_help]

Devin Crum in the meanwhile the big news outlets are showing a different story altogether

[@Feathered_English]

Just the hearing the story of these poor farmers breaks my heart. I finally understand why the Coca is such a popular item to grow instead of legal plants. I pray for Colombia government to look after their own citizens. Thank you, Borders!

[@777Mikos]

What is the most interesting part of this video is math also works both ways. Calculate how much does it cost the government to field that squad of helicopters, with pilots, full on military unit, logistics, intelligence. Fuel alone for an hour of One helicopter flight costs at the very least over 500$, which is almost x2 more than they are offering farmers. And there were at least 3 of copters for sure more than few hours. I'd estimate the operation likely have cost more than a 20k$ and that's just one day. Even if those happen once a week, we are looking at at least 1 million USD, or 3 billion of pesos just for this type of operations. Add in the whole logistics, support, maintenance, other types of operations...This war on coca costs a lot. If same amount of money that were spent on subsidies for the farmers, not only by "giving them money" (because you don't need to be an expert to tell it won't work) but by hiring economists, logistics managers, community organizers, even teachers to educate the farmers, all to establish an either profitable production or an self-sufficient community.

[@mksabourinable]

Hell if they even just spent that money on buying the food produced by the legal crops from the farmers, then handling the distribution/selling of it it'd still save money!

[@danielgiraldo3692]

You should see “the lord of war” and you would understand it. It’s all about war, about money

[@deepthavasanth4492]

Mind blown

[@ameyas7726]

The military action can't stop...without it the entire area and mountains will be crawling with cocaine plants....the military action has somewhat reduced the illegal activity in the region and forced many farmers to stop growing cocaine crops which they otherwise would have been doing on a large scale..

[@danyfernandosepulvedataraz7831]

Sometimes some of these farmers are FARC member's and work for the cartel, that's the reason for non stop military operations.

[@skinnylegend8324]

this series is so good never stop producing it

[@TheRishabhkumar]

Only if the amount of money spent on destroying crops was used on building infrastructure for the farmers so that they can grow something else. If only.

[@felipezambrano3271]

The goverment has a business called 'war' and they spend a lot in that, but not in education

[@byrlink]

That shouldn’t happen. The construction of new roads will destroy what is left of our jungles and bring even more settlers.

[@HeimTarch]

the farmers aren't asking for a highway, they're asking for a decent (small) road that will reduce the costs of transport.

[@byrlink]

Haythem Tarchouna The problem is that the construction of “small” roads or any other road will never stop unless we humans stop reproducing and consuming so much. They shouldn’t be there in the first place. They came through a small path or a river across the jungle, tore down all the trees, then they ask for roads to take out their products. Then, they will have children that will need more lands and more roads even deeper into the virgin jungle.

[@cs-mi8ur]

do u think they will settle for less money just because drugs are illegal?Some of them may abandon if given the opportunity,but majority of them will not let go the easy money.The only way to win war against drugs is to make aware the consumers how they are destroying their own and other lives.

[@satriaamiluhur622]

So sad to see borders cancelled. It's by far the most impressive piece of journalism i've ever watched on youtube. And colombia series is easily the best

[@andreachung396]

it got cancelled ?? :{{{{{{

[@user-zm5wr2zw2t]

This situation poses a moral debate; should we solve the drug issue and leave the families with no source of income and continue to suffer in poverty, or turn a blind eye and let the families continue with their trade?

[@MHWGamer]

why not create other work for them?

[@rasjeff1]

We need another government, a progressive one that doesn't stop progress.

[@uitham]

legalise cocaine, their job becomes legitimate and they wont have to deal with cartel

[@choojunwyng8028]

@@uitham I would say strict regulation, not legalisation.

[@rasjeff1]

@@choojunwyng8028 how are they gonna regulate something that is not legal?

[@maximgordeev2103]

GEORGIA country that is situated in Caucasus is the place you should DEFINITELY visit and cover some very breathtaking moments of drastic changes that take place nowadays.

[@chechoandchecho0]

Johnny I´m totally impressed of your documentaries. The Borders Colombia series it´s a neat masterpiece. Good job

[@ie2428]

Connecting the farms to the rest of the economy would be detrimental as well. With these remote areas being finally connected, this would provide an incentive for investors and developers to invest in the area, causing development rates to increase. This means an increased amount of deforestation and biodiversity loss, which we really don't need right now. And telling them to pack up and move closer to the country would be difficult, if anything else. So, no option really, would provide a complete solution.

[@darthriley272]

At least Vox has a good reporter that does tell the truth and not bad reporters that use the popularity of others to become the center of attention.

[@archlinuxrussian]

This is spot-on for why we need to have some more realistic charities and international aid methods. People are emotionally driven to donate 5$ to feed a family but would never donate those 5$ to build a fund to "build roads in Colombia". With the illicit industries that are so pervasive in those areas, and the historical problems in the governments, it's a constant uphill battle to do what other countries had done years ago, but with more responsibilities to the environment and more up-front cost.

[@shoulders-of-giants]

REGULATE ALL DRUGS PREVENT ABUSE END THE PROHIBITION ERA

[@scrowtymcbuggerballs5539]

Educate and regulate all recreational drugs. Hang heroin/meth dealers

[@Gamer4infinity]

For cocaine tho? lmaoo

[@IPromiseTomorrow]

This is unnecessary considering Columbia is already reducing its drug problems and its homicides. The war on drugs ended in Columbia when the Rebel Leader and the Columbian leader signed the treaty. What's left is not the war but the few people who think drugs is necessary to their lives for finances or fun.

[@purocatio8457]

that's not how addiction works, read a book.

[@IPromiseTomorrow]

@ahri there's drugs that addict the person right after the first dosage. And Other drugs that can cause hard to recover damages that heal after years.

[@syedsarwarhussain7316]

I love your editorial skills and projections skills

[@aleale.f]

When the mom started crying that she couldn't feed her children, I started crying.

[@datapatch7381]

I was pissed but who can blame her. Women have no rights there

[@datapatch7381]

When a women can not go out at night in safety. I would say there is little difference.

[@abrahamgallegos9821]

cincybest 🤔🤨

[@mpg4554]

M did you not watch the video?

[@johnpen269]

her children are gonna starve inside super fertile jungle land lol...

[@rushisoni3200]

Dude is living many people's dream life.

[@KinemaReviews]

Thank you, Johnny, for finally understanding and telling the real problem.

[@Chief_Sofa]

The real crime is this channel not having 10M yet

[@santiagocorrea332]

La verdad es que muy pocos extranjeros y colombianos logran comprender la realidad de estas familias, excelente video, graba algún día en Medellín.

[@XoLiTlz]

BORDERS for Thailand please. Thailand is a unique country with so many border problems. You could make a ton of episode here.

[@emelliatamoh5569]

SOUTHEST ASIA EDITION!!!

[@paceyombex]

For the next border season, please do it in Nepal. This is my favorite series from Vox, keep it up.

[@Ham-pb7pb]

Some drug cartels actually feed the poor unlike the government

[@pepesylvia848]

Plus they buy their crop. Everybody wins.

[@riddhimasingh6605]

You are actually the heart of this channel ❤

[@quantumintellect7261]

Would love to have seen an environmental impact of the coca trade itself or an episode focusing on the impact farming has on the rainforest

[@johanarc1]

Hi, how can I kiss you?? I think you're one of the first "mainstream media" that analysis the problem in the honest way, seeing this with the eyes of the farmers and the walking people and not the 'narcotráfico' and Pablo Escobar story 😑

[@jsbc003]

They aren't mainstream

[@manuelaespana4986]

As a Colombian I totally agree

[@nailakhan6864]

I simply love to watch these informative videos. Keep it up!

[@zachalbers6628]

Wow great video! Really well made. I have really enjoyed this season of borders :)

[@retrofury6365]

The series that saves Vox’s credibility

[@lunayen]

There are countless of other great segments on Vox

[@juansantiago358]

Thanks Vox for showing another face of our country. Not only the bad but also the beautiful and awesome about Colombia. Thank you for giving voice to those planting a leaf considered by some as devil, but sacred to our ancestors. Thank you for showing how they suffer a war against their only way of surviving while big narcos are profiting and Americans are enjoy that pouder. I really enjoyed borders Colombia. Keep going!

[@trevorphilips3724]

All videos from vox is amazing because you have the best animations maps.thank you

[@lulloa47]

The question here is: why is consumption so high? That's not the farmers problem! If USA and Europe want cocain give them cocain! What's the problem?

[@nazmayaakub3253]

What's the problem?! Did you not pay attention at all?

[@daifukumochi2980]

I'm finally early and it's on a cocaine video. Okay

[@farrahali2648]

For the next borders series, Johnny should document the imaginary border between tourist and residential areas in Istanbul or Azerbaijan. Seems interesting.

[@youraverageimperialguard7932]

???? What? That makes no sense.

[@farrahali2648]

Your Average Imperial Guard yes it does to me, very well kept streets in touristic areas whereas poor quality streets in residential areas -something that caught my attention in Istanbul for instance

[@fj11ism]

@@farrahali2648 You can see that anywhere though; you don't even have to leave the Americas. Miami, Cancun, Nassau, San Juan, Montego Bay etc - just about every major tourist city has sections where its incredibly upkept/secure, and a couple blocks down the street is a slum.

[@gonderage]

A Borders episode detailing that topic in general sounds great, and a lesser-known country like Azerbaijan would make an excellent example.

[@damjumgamlin8257]

I can feel the helplessness of that mother, sorry for her family

[@allthingsfascinating]

Great work, Johnny. This is really impressive stuff.

[@sivaranjan862]

Vox Borders is the best series from Vox!

[@cogollento]

Tremendo reportaje, muchas gracias por esto, me recuerda al antiguo VICE, y el reportero nada que decir, 10/10.

[@josephlouwerse2105]

I trust Vox more than mainstream media sometimes - actually, a lot of times.