Drugs
26/06 18:44 CET
World drug abuse under control but production soares in Afghanistan
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The worldwide epidemic of drug abuse is being brought under control
according to a UN report out on Tuesday. But while opium production has
declined in countries like Myanmar and Morocoo, it remains a major problem
for Afghanistan which is about to become the world's largest drug supplier.

This is not a time for complacency according to Antonio Maria Costa, head of
the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes: "The world drugs situation has been
contained in the sense that it was a runaway train, it was a situation out
of control, now it's under control. There is stability overall for the
production, for the trafficking, for the abuse, whatever commodity you are
thinking about: heroin, cocaine, amphetamines, marijuana."

While the amount of land under illicit poppy cultivation has fallen by 10
percent globally, opium production has soared to a record high, with
Afghanistan responsible for more than 90 percent of the world's production.
Coca cultivation in the Andes continues to fall but Colombia remains the
world's leading producer of cocaine.

It is a similar scenario for hashish. Morocco remains the principal
provider. With some 160 million annual customers, cannabis provides the
largest illicit drug market by far. Drug abuse is one of the priorities of
the UN report. The world counts an estimated 200 million drug addicts or
nearly five percent of the world population.

For Antonio Maria Costa, the problem of marijuana is especially serious:
"Marijuana smokers are not just getting high, they are getting sick.
Permanently sick. The destructive potency of that drug is so high now, ten
times bigger than it was when I was a kid. And it can do as much damage as
the other narcotics."

The biggest challenge is to help the producers who, willingly or forcefully,
give up producing the raw material: opium, coca or cannabis. Many are
offered no subsidies. They need assistance and a viable alternative -
essential elements for these farmers to be able to retain a livelihood in
countries often plagued by insecurity and corruption.
 <http://euronews.net/index.php?page=info&lng=1>

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