The Golden Triangle’s decades-long collision between trade, poverty and power has left countless people living between legal and illegal economies. The rise of synthetic drugs and the tightening of trade barriers mark a turning point, but not the end of the story. Communities along the Mekong still depend on informal and illicit markets to survive, and the region now faces the daunting task of building legal livelihoods that can compete with them. The human and social costs of the drug trade are not something to overlook; however, the opportunity for lasting change rooted in cooperation, economic opportunity and shared responsibility between Myanmar, Laos and Thailand is just as important.