{"id":70298,"date":"2016-02-29T12:00:17","date_gmt":"2016-02-29T12:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=70298"},"modified":"2016-02-29T11:50:51","modified_gmt":"2016-02-29T11:50:51","slug":"debt-and-drugs-a-toxic-colonial-legacy-for-puerto-rico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2016\/02\/debt-and-drugs-a-toxic-colonial-legacy-for-puerto-rico\/","title":{"rendered":"Debt and Drugs: A Toxic Colonial Legacy for Puerto Rico"},"content":{"rendered":"

The island\u2019s debt crisis and subsequent austerity cuts are exacerbating social problems.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Health<\/a>

Health care, affordable housing and drug treatment services have long been severely lacking in Puerto Rico, and the debt crisis is making the situation much worse. | Photo: Bill Healy<\/p><\/div>\n

Under a century-old law called the Jones Act<\/a>, all of Puerto Rico\u2019s imports must come from American ships with American crews. Cargo can\u2019t be purchased and offloaded directly from foreign ships \u2013 even if they pass Puerto Rico on their way to mainland ports. The severely inflated prices that result are one more reason that Puerto Ricans see the debt crisis, their dire economic outlook and their colonial status as all intertwined.<\/p>\n

But one commodity proves a glaring exception to the import rule: illegal drugs<\/a> that land in Puerto Rico in massive quantities<\/a>, from Colombia and other parts of South America and the Caribbean.<\/p>\n

Puerto Rico has long been a major transfer point for drugs thanks to its location and status as a U.S. Commonwealth. Once contraband makes it onto the island\u2019s shores, it can be transported to the mainland with relatively little scrutiny<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The drugs don\u2019t pass through without leaving their mark on the island, however. Drug addiction rates in Puerto Rico are sky high, with an estimated 60,000 intravenous drug users. Injection drug use has fueled HIV and hepatitis C infection rates among the highest in the Western Hemisphere.<\/p>\n

Drugs are also the spark for Puerto Rico\u2019s epidemic levels of street violence, including a murder rate that is still four times the U.S. average, even after dropping in recent years. Police officials and studies frequently report<\/a> that more than two-thirds of murders are drug-related.<\/p>\n

Health care, affordable housing and drug treatment services have long been severely lacking in Puerto Rico, and the debt crisis is making the situation much worse<\/a> as social services are slashed, government jobs \u2013 a mainstay of the island\u2019s economy \u2013 are eliminated, and people flee to<\/a> the mainland. There is a dire health care crisis,<\/a> with federal health care cuts of up to $3 billion looming along with the possible collapse of Medicaid and Medicare on the island.<\/p>\n

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How #WallStreet<\/a> and #US<\/a> #Colonialism<\/a> Created #PuertoRico<\/a>\u2019s #Debt<\/a> #Crisis<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/QoQo1l3f7r<\/a><\/p>\n

— Occupy Washington DC (@OWDC1) February 22, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n