Claims that the Drug War is being won rest mainly on the national surveys showing a sharp decline in occasional cocaine use among young people in the middle classes. However, the same surveys suggest a shift among these youth to alcohol with nearly one-third of high school seniors saying they consumed five or more drinks in a row within the last two weeks. In addition, tobacco use continues unabated for the 7th year, with 19 percent smoking daily. Furthermore, the regular and heavy use of cocaine continues among large numbers of people. Thus, the main effect of the Drug War has been to shift the middle class from recreational use of illicit drugs to the use of alcohol. However, little has changed for the poor and minorities in inner cities, who still lack access to treatment. Furthermore, drug trafficking, associated violence, and money laundering are still dominating the politics and economies of Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador, while residents of these countries increasingly consider the basic problem to be the failure of the United States to reduce the demand for drugs. Figures