Summary Of Illicit: The Dark Trade

Illicit: The Dark Trade is an eye opening documentary that brings to light the large, global illegal market. Prior to viewing this documentary, I knew of the existence of the vast illegal market however, I did not fully grasp the size and growth of this market. Illicit: The Dark Trade brings real life examples to the viewer to show that the illegal market is not simply a fake bag, or cartel smuggled drugs but, rather the market is growing and fast which has significant implications across the globe. The next logical question is what is causing this growth and why is it allowed to continue? Ultimately, the opportunity cost gap between illicit activity and forces working against it and the lack of sustainable legal employment are largely to blame …show more content…
In the economic lense, why do people do one thing over another, the answer is simple it is because the benefit of one action outweighs the opportunity cost lost from not doing the other. Therefore, people supply in the illegal market because the millions of dollars to be made outweighs the potential cost of getting caught. Illicit highlights one such example with an American man who sold fake pharmaceuticals, specifically Viagra, and made millions. This man was eventually caught however, I was shocked when it was revealed that this man received 3 years in prison despite endangering the lives of many, with pills that could contain anything from boric acid to highway paint. This example highlights why many suppliers enter the illegal market, the reward is high and the risk is low. If we focus on the supply side we cannot fully address the high reward, as long as the demand is there the reward will be high. Governments can address demand with education programs however, they can have a more direct impact on increasing the risk, i.e. the cost, of supplies thus driving them out of the