Marijuana top drug for region - UN Report

AS MANY as one million people or 20 per cent of the Caribbean region's population use some form of illicit drugs, according to the latest United Nations Report on illicit drug trends.

Marijuana remains the drug of choice for Caribbean people, with 650,000 reportedly abusing the substance. Cocaine ranks second with 200,000 users, followed by amphetamine-type substances (ATS), with 100,000 users and heroin with 50,000 users.

According to the regional office of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP), the strongest increase recorded in 1999 were for ATS and cannabis consumption.

K.D. Knight, Minister of National Security and Justice, who was present when the UN report was presented at his Ministry yesterday, was asked to comment on the recent recommendation from the Commission on Ganja that the use of marijuana for personal and religious purposes be decriminalised.

The Minister, who has in the recent past said he was against decriminalisation, reiterated that the Government had established drug courts in an effort to focus on drug abuse and to provide treatment for abusers.

Meanwhile, of the estimated 180 million people worldwide who use drugs, the majority, 144 million, use marijuana, 14 million use cocaine, 29 million use ATS and 13.5 million use heroin.

"In my view, nothing poses greater threats to civil society in CARICOM countries than the drug problem, and nothing exemplifies the powerlessness of regional governments and threatens the democratic frame of these countries more," said Gillian Lindsay-Nanton, the UN's resident representative to Jamaica.

She pointed to the "many ills" associated with illicit drugs and narco-trafficking such as the break-up of families, the links to crime and violence, arms trafficking and health problems like HIV/AIDS. She also pointed to the social costs such as street violence, gang warfare, fear and urban decay.

"Global Illicit Drug Trends", a UN document, was first released in 1999. It is prepared annually by the research section of the UNDCP, which is part of the Vienna-based United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP). The report takes a statistical approach to assessing the status of world supply in and demand for illicit drugs.

Based on data and estimates collected or prepared by Governments and UNDCP, as well as by other specialised agencies and international institutions, it attempts to identify trends in the evolution of global illicit drug markets.

Back to News