The Latin American Association will host a series of seminars this semester on the U.S. drug policy and the relationship between the United States and Latin America.

"We're trying to show alternative views other than what the media is presenting to the American public," said Oscar Frias (graduate-mining engineering), who is co-organizing the events.

The first seminar, "The Cause/Effect Relationship of South American Economic Conditions on the Drug Business as it applies to the case of Bolivia," will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14, in the HUB Assembly Room. Stephen Smith, associate professor of agricultural engineering, will speak.

Frias said this seminar is being offered as a result of America's highly publicized "War on Drugs."

Other seminars throughout the semester will address the U.S. drug policy and organized crime in the drug trade. In addition, Colombian professor Juan G. Tokatlian will talk about the political phenomena in the production of cocaine.

Frias said he hopes the seminars will be able to propose solutions for a better economic relationship between Latin America and the United States.

"We think . . . we all together will come up with a solution for the future," Frias said.

"The 'War on Drugs' is a hot topic now," said Daniel Waksman (graduate-bio engineering), who is co-organizing the seminars. "I think it's a bloody joke. It's only self-perpetuating (and) it's important to educate people on our viewpoint."

Claudia Alfonso (graduate-veterinary science), the Latin American Association representative to the International Student Council, said the group hopes to inform the community about the relationship between the production of drugs and the demand for drugs.

She said the United States needs to concentrate on the high demand for drugs in this country, rather than on the production of the drugs by Latin American countries.

"If there's a demand, the drugs will come from anywhere," Alfonso said. "The drug addicts are here . . . The U.S. should spend its money more wisely in education, schools, and rehabilitation."

Waksman said the United States has 5 percent of the world's population, yet 50 percent of the drug use is here.

"We have to concentrate on drug use here," he said. "It's a symptom that something's wrong. It's not a foreign problem; it's an American problem."

The seminars will also examine U.S. policy towards Latin America, which many believe desperately needs attention.

"I think it's a complete failure," Alsonso said. "One more invasion is just one more attempt to try to impose on others something that is not going to happen anyway."

She said the United States has traditionally held a paternalistic attitude toward Latin American countries but needs to develop a more humanistic attitude.

"The United States has to quit treating South America like a colony," Waksman said.

Waksman also said the government must improve education.

"With ignorance comes (blind) acceptance of what our government tells us. We don't know enough to make judgments," he said.