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’s shores, it can be transported to the mainland with relatively little scrutiny. The drugs don’t 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. Drugs are also the spark for Puerto Rico’s epidemic levels of street violence, including a murder rate that is still four times the U.S. average, even after dropping in recent years.
Kari Lydersen, 'Debt and Drugs: A Toxic Colonial Legacy for Puerto Rico', teleSUR