When President Bush met with the presidents of Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru yesterday to discuss the drug problem, they devised an attack against drug traffickers and addressed the need for economic alternatives.

But United States citizens must understand Latin America's problems from those countries' perspectives to solve problems of the drug trade, said John Martz, professor of political science.

During a lecture Wednesday which addressed the relationship between the drug business and the economy in Bolivia, Stephen M. Smith, associate professor of agricultural economics, said the abundance of drugs is actually hurting the Bolivian economy.

"It's the kind of problem that really is global," he said. "The United States can't solve it by themselves, Colombia can't solve it by themselves, and the Latin Americans certainly can't solve it by themselves."

He added that the U.S. must recognize Latin America's economic circumstances.

"The president of Bolivia was probably saying, 'We want to do what we can but you have to provide us more help,' " Martz said before he heard reports about the summit.

In terms of macroeconomics, Bolivia faces a declining gross domestic product and a declining national income, Smith said. In addition, it has a problem of increasing unemployment and underemployment, he said.

Official reports state that unemployment rose from 3.8 percent in 1975 to 20 percent in 1986, Smith said. He attributed the sharp increase to restructuring policies after high inflation in the 1980s. He said the coca economy represented two-thirds of the country's income in 1986.

"The common reaction (to the production of cocaine) is, 'This is bad.' But is it? And from whose viewpoint," Smith said.

The production of coca provides jobs and a relatively high income for the workers, he said. In addition, coca advanced part of the economy and has drawn people into underdeveloped regions.

"Coca has done what no other commodity -- no other economic base -- has done," he said.

However, coca has damaged the economy by having too much control on the exchange market and the economy, and by limiting the diversity of agriculture which raises the prices of other commodities, Smith said.

Martz noted that the Colombian economy is much stronger because of its diversification and ability to rely on the income of a wider variety of products.

"Our tendency has been to concentrate on trying to irradicate or interrupt the production of cocaine," he said. "Equally important is the consumption in the U.S."

He said rather than recognizing the Latin American point of view, the United States overemphasizes military and police efforts.

One student at the discussion criticized President Bush's policy for spending too much money on the military because it will not solve the root of the problem. He questioned Bush's motives.

"The sincerity might not be very good," he said.