High cocaine demand has consequences

A recent opinion article in the Australian newspaper links Australia’s high demand for cocaine to drug killings in other countries like Mexico.

(Source: The Weekend Australian, 22 August 2009)

Australians that used cocaine in the previous 12 months increased by 111,000 from 1 per cent in 2004 to 1.6 per cent in 2007.

The proportion of the Australian population that had ever used cocaine increased significantly from 4.7 per cent in 2004 to 5.9 per cent in 2007.

(Source: Australian Crime Commission, Illicit Drug Report 2007/8)

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime claims that the violence in Mexico and Central America are a result of criminal cartels fighting over the cocaine market.

(Source: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2009)

DRUG ADVISORY COUNCIL COMMENTS-

Demand is very high for cocaine in Australia so increased usage from even higher demand will fund international criminal syndicates and their drug turf wars.

When Australians use cocaine, the money they pay flows overseas to producers and international drug criminals.

So the Australian money is responsible for the violence and killings that are perpetrated by these international crime syndicates.

Australia needs to reduce cocaine usage by adopting world’s best practice of placing identified users into programs to get them free of cocaine use.