Window of opportunity for drugs trade

The conventional wisdom was that the illicit drug problem in sub-Saharan Africa was of only minor concern. But that assumption could well be wrong, according to the UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (UNODCCP). In the foreward to a March report on the “drug nexus” in Africa, Pino Arlacchi, the UNDOCCP Executive Director, warned there are two reasons to be concerned. Firstly, accurate data is inherently hard to come by. But more significantly, the conditions in much of Africa -instability, poverty and rapid social change - are conducive to a boom in narcotics abuse. “Rarely, if ever, has there been such a wide window of opportunity for the illicit drug trade,” Arlacchi said. Cannabis is the most widely produced narcotic in Africa. In southern Africa, there is considerable inter-regional trade in the drug. According to aerial surveys by the South African police in 1995, cannabis with a combined street value of US $15 billion was being grown in Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa and Swaziland. In Zimbabwe, where according to the UNDOCCP cannabis cultivation is widespread, local production only partially meets demand. The bulk of the imported marijuana available in the country comes from Malawi, which is noted for its exceptionally high quality. Mozambique is also a major producer for the southern African market. According to the UNDOCCP report, in Africa, “illicit drug production and distribution are to a large extent manifestations of an emerging survival strategy, one that is likely to grow in acceptance and use, parallel to the ongoing process of economic decline.” Cannabis cultivation is almost exclusively by small-scale farmers, is interspersed among food crops, and the proceeds used to supplement incomes. UNDOCCP survey teams found that the common reason cited for production was economic need. A complimentary problem is the perceived risk of arrest by law enforcement agencies is regarded as slim. In Mozambique, the research team captured a sentiment observed throughout the region: “Local production of cannabis is considered to be a good market option because prices of agricultural products are low, deteriorate easily, and there are too many controls.” Gary Lewis, UNODCCP Assistant Representative for Southern Africa, acknowledges that “poverty, dislocation and social stress” can play a role in the drug problem. But, he added, “my experience is that the causes of drug use are mainly due to peer pressure - we’re talking about being cool, and escapism.” Despite the widespread use of cannabis in southern Africa, UNODCCP points out that it is still a substance under international control. “It is, like alcohol abuse, a public health concern,” Lewis told IRIN. “The question of how high up the priority list it should be depends on national policy,” he said. The question is, “what sort of control regime should the government place on this substance so it values the commodity of public health with the commodity of freedom of individual choice?”