By: Staff Writer
September 20, 2024
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) World Drug Report, 2024 said that in the Caribbean, “increases in cocaine seizures also went in parallel with increased violence (homicides).”
The report also went on to add that this increase in violence is stemming from greater competition between rival gangs over drug markets.
The report also said in contrast to Central America, “the dismantling of a significant number of violent drug gangs appears to have contributed to a reduction in cocaine trafficking through the subregion in 2022.
However, cocaine production is reaching “record highs,” with production climbing in Latin America.
On the other hand, marijuana abuse in the Caribbean is the second highest in the world behind West and Central Africa. The report said the proportion of persons in drug treatment and saying their primary drug is cannabis was as high as 45 percent in proportion to the population with West and Central Africa scoring 65 percent.
Drug use in young people is so intense that it requires treatment. Africa, Central America and the Caribbean and South America have the largest proportions of young people in drug treatment. Drug use disorders at a young age are particularly concerning, because they can lead to a vicious circle involving lower educational attainment and impaired chances of social reintegration.
Cocaine production tripled in the last decade, having an unprecedented impact in Latin America. The boom in drug trafficking has intensified violence, challenging the stability of nations, the report noted
In 2022, cocaine production reached an all-time high of 2,757 tons, a 20 percent increase from 2021, and triple the volumes recorded in 2013 and 2014. In parallel, global coca cultivation expanded by 12 percent between 2021 and 2022, reaching 355,000 hectares, the report details.
The increased supply and demand for cocaine, driven by its low cost, according to UNODC, is generating an escalation of violence in transit routes such as Ecuador and the Caribbean. It also causes serious public health problems in consumer countries, especially in Western and Central Europe.