Speakers noted that drug trafficking organizations aim to make money rather than to assume political control of countries. However, drug traffickers acquire varying degrees of political influence when they fund criminal activities that bring more money into the underground economy, when they bribe and intimidate public officials, and when they work with insurgent groups to thwart law enforcement effort. In addition, drug trafficking organizations are making an effort to shape public attitudes in Latin America toward favoring drug production and against efforts sponsored by the United States to control drug production and trafficking. Other issues are the environmental consequences of the processing and growing of coca. However, successful law enforcement efforts without accompanying economic programs are likely to result in massive increases in unemployment, major currency devaluations, the collapse of entire regional economies, large numbers of new migrants to urban shanty towns, and increased immigration pressures on the United States. A coordinated, multilateral approach to international drug control could be more effective than the existing and unsuccessful unilateral or bilateral pressures. In addition, the United States, Europe, Japan, and the producer countries must commit more resources to this problem if the production and flow of cocaine is to be reduced significantly. Footnotes