Article: OAS Says Demand for Illegal Drugs Has Risen in Hemisphere

08 January 2001

Article: OAS Says Demand for Illegal Drugs Has Risen in Hemisphere

Report cites progress, setbacks in drug abuse control

By Eric Green
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Despite better hemispheric cooperation in the fight against illegal drugs, a number of countries in the Americas are experiencing rising domestic demand for narcotics and psychotropic substances, says a report by the Organization of American States (OAS).

Issued by the OAS Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), the report said "progress has certainly been made" in forging a regional strategy against illicit drugs. At the same time, it noted a trend toward more drug-related crimes such as money laundering and firearms smuggling.

One new trend is the use of heroin in countries that were not previously affected by it. Another "serious" problem is the diversion and smuggling of legal controlled substances due, in particular, to weak controls and insufficient monitoring of drugs by both exporting and importing countries.

The report lauded progress by regional governments in adopting legislation to prevent and control money laundering. But money laundering "continues to be one of the drug-related offenses" with the greatest effect on governments' ability "to tackle transnational organized crime in all its manifestations, particularly drug trafficking," the report said.

CICAD also said the emergence of new markets, the strengthening of the control measures implemented by countries in the region, and the dynamics of the drug problem have changed trends in drug-trafficking routes and drug-related crime patterns. Specifically, the report found a marked increase in drug trafficking activities in the Pacific region and in the Eastern Caribbean. Drug trafficking, the report said, "has grown more sophisticated through the use of the main instruments of globalization, such as instant communications, electronic fund transfers, the Internet and the latest technologies, and an increased ability to obtain confidential information."

The report's 21 recommendations for regional governments include promoting bilateral and multilateral exchanges of expertise, information, personnel, and in some cases, sharing financial resources for demand reduction. It urges greater emphasis at national and international levels to demand-reduction activities, beginning with greater resource allocation in each country, and -- depending on specific situations -- diverting resources from other programs.

In addition, the report calls for better treatment and rehabilitation services for drug users and addicts.

The report is the first overview of the hemisphere's anti-drug efforts by a new tool called the Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM). The MEM is a cooperative effort by the OAS' 34 members to measure their progress in combating illegal drugs. Under the MEM, experts from each country participate in the evaluation, and all countries are evaluated by their national anti-drug plans and strategies, prevention and treatment programs, reduction in drug production, improved law enforcement, and overall commitment.

The OAS report said 22 countries in the region have now adopted national anti-drug strategies, but their full implementation is often hampered by a lack of resources. Furthermore, most countries have only "basic and fragmented systems" for collecting statistics on the drug problem.

The report, which the CICAD adopted December 15, said "the fight against drugs involves heavy costs for the countries, both in terms of their economic and social development, and the human and financial resources they must devote to that fight."

OAS Secretary General Cesar Gaviria warned in a statement that the report "fulfills its purpose only if as a result of a precise diagnosis it can lead to policies and programs to strengthen what works and to correct deficiencies." The MEM process, he said, will become "the fundamental point of reference for our countries' actions against drugs."

The report is available on the OAS web site at: http://www.cicad.oas.org/en/mem/Main.htm