Mar 05
As I mentioned yesterday, the U.S. State Department just released their 2008 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report.
The International Narcotics Control Board recently published a similar document, their 2007 annual report.
I immediately skipped to the Central America and Caribbean section of their world situation analysis [PDF].
Drug trafficking accounts for a large part of the organized criminal activities in the region. Some countries, such as the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica, are major hubs for drug trafficking groups shipping drugs to the United States and countries in Europe. In 2005, about 10 tons of cocaine were transported through Jamaica, and 20 tons of cocaine passed through the Dominican Republic or Haiti. The Caribbean islands continue to form part of the main routes used for smuggling cocaine into Europe: the Netherlands Antilles is used for shipments to the Netherlands, Jamaica for shipments to the United Kingdom and French-speaking Caribbean islands are used for shipments to France.
I was taken aback to learn that Barbados has the second highest rate of marijuana abuse in the region. According to the report, 7.3 % of all persons aged 15 – 64 in Barbados abuse (it’s not clear how “abuse” is defined) cannabis. The only country with a greater prevalence is Jamaica, where the abuse rate is 10 %.