吸毒是現代社會一種病態現象，美國是世界最大的吸毒國。過去數年來，半數以上走私的古柯鹼藉由各式交通工具經過中美洲運進美國。吸毒導致大量犯罪及重大經濟損失。為了剷除毒品來源，布希總統宣布實施耗費數十餘億美元之哥倫比亞計畫，顯示其決定擴大在拉美進行反毒戰爭之規模，以及升高美軍在其間介入的程度。然而在反毒之外，華府之拉美政策規劃也帶有在西半球擴張霸權的意涵。當冷戰結束，共產國家的對抗威脅消退，新的情勢使美國軍方進行反毒戰爭的意願明顯轉向積極。國家安全官僚體系的成員，和那些從設立龐大軍事體系獲益的各方人士，以及鼓舞國民士氣對外用武的政治人物，全部都將反毒戰爭視為一個有用的替代品。使用軍事武力來對抗毒品交易，在美國成為有效的論據或藉口，以便維持膨脹的軍事支出和員額。美國國家安全之訴求與各方利益團體之運作，呈現一個緊密的結合。

In the last decade, hundreds of tons of cocaine and other illict narcotics have been transported through Middle America into the United States, which had caused great deal of economic losses and rising of crimes. With the aim to eradicate the drug sources, Bush administration launched the Andean Initiative and the Plan Colombia, waging a so called anti-drug war in South America. But the anti-drug was also serves as a mean to expand U.S. influence in the west hemisphere in the post cold-war era, in which all the U.S. military, the national security bureaucrats, the politicians and the elements of the military-industrial complex could find and obtain their interests. Whether the anti-drug was and the Plan Colombia can really solve the drug problem at home, can help the people in Latin America, or it was nothing but a substitute for a national enemy image and an excuse for maintaining the military establishment, deserve a deeper and closer study.