Drug Use and Drug Trafficking in Europe

• NCJ Number: 195494
• Author(s): Tim Boekhout van Solinge
• Date Published: 1998
• Length: 4 pages
• Sale Source: Cedro, Ctr for Drug Research
• Publication Format: Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Research Paper
• Language: English
• Country: Netherlands
• Note: Downloaded June 26, 2002

Annotation

This article provides an overview of the use and trafficking of cannabis and heroin in Europe.

Abstract

The author of this article focuses on the use and trafficking of cannabis and heroin for two main reasons. First, the author notes that cannabis is one of the most widely used drugs while heroin, on the other hand, is used by relatively few people. Second, the author explains that the trade of these two drugs is interesting from a geopolitical point of view. Throughout the article, the author shows how the figures and knowledge concerning drug use and drug trafficking are uncertain, given the illegality of the topic. Reports on the number of drug users and extent of trafficking are often based on law enforcement activities or treatment program reports. Such data is generally incomplete and based on estimates of supposed drug use and trafficking. Research has revealed that the use of cannabis, especially, is not influenced by national or international drug policies or law enforcement activities, but rather by international social and cultural factors. In terms of geopolitical interests, the author shows how the trafficking in heroin can be linked to political guerrilla movements. As a result of its high economic potential, underground political movements have found it lucrative to engage in the heroin trade. Similarly, the author reports on a study written by Alfred McCoy that details how the heroin trade can also be connected to government agencies, such as the CIA and the army, working either independently or in cooperation with political movements. Finally, the article details the ways in which the heroin trafficking trade changed during the 1990’s due to the war in the former Yugoslavia and the falling of the iron curtain. The war in the former Yugoslavia resulted in a re-routing of drug trafficking routes while the fall of the iron curtain resulted in the territory of the Russian Federation becoming a crossroads for illicit drug trafficking. References