Asking what drug can pose the greatest threat is a difficult question to ask. There is subjectivity in my own opinion, and we must gauge what exactly constitutes a threatening drug. There's a number of things that can cause a drug to be threatening: levels of addiction, the damage it can do to the body (up to and including death), its availability (both in terms of price and quantity) and who benefits from the distribution of it. For this, I concluded that methamphetamine is possibly the greatest threat posed to the United States.
Methamphetamine is highly addictive, and even taken once, it can cause decreased appetite, rapid breathing and heart rate, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure and hyperthermia (DEA, 2011). High doses and/or abuse can cause very high body temperatures and cardiovascular collapse or organ failure (resulting in death), as well as damaged dopamine receptors, memory loss and dental damage, sometimes called "meth mouth" (DEA, 2011).It has caused the greatest amount of drug-related deaths, and number of users is estimated to be increasing (DEA, 2015). As for availability, it seems to be on an upward trend. It is generally cheaper than cocaine, and as the availability of cocaine stagnates while meth availability remains high and stable, the demand for meth as a replacement has increased significantly (DEA, 2015). When it comes to who benefits from the sale of the drug, facts largely suggest that the Mexican Drug Cartels are likely the ones who have the greatest stake. Domestic production is rather difficult due to lack of ingredients and smaller size batches (not to mention the hazard that these so-called "shake and bake" labs pose to its producers), and so they have been on a steady decline. The cartels, however, have been producing a large amount in clandestine labs in Mexico, and then transporting it to the States (DEA, 2015). This is a steady flow of cash into cartel pockets as the number of users increases. In conclusion, the chaotic soup of Mexican cartels benefiting from this dangerous and widely available drug makes Methamphetamine the greatest threat to the United States.
Bonus fun fact: meth is available as an ADHD and last-ditch weight-loss drug under the name "Desoxyn".
Drug Enforcement Agency. 2015. "Drugs of Abuse" US Department of Justice
Drug Enforcement Agency. 2011. "National Drug Threat Assessment". US Department of Justice
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