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Potential cocaine production in Colombia up by half
Potential cocaine production in Colombia reached more than 2,600 metric tons last year , according to the latest UNODC survey . This represents a 53 per cent increase in potential production over 2022 and marks the tenth consecutive annual increase , the agency states .
The estimate is based on a 10 per cent increase in coca bush cultivation in the country between 2022 and 2023 , to more than 250,000 hectares . While previous increases have been heavily concentrated in a single region – the Putomayo administrative region , or ‘ department ’ – last year saw increases in cultivation in 16 of the country ’ s 19 coca-producing departments . While most coca ‘ remains far from market centres in territories with high vulnerabilities and limited accessibility ’ the latest survey found that the number of hectares planted with coca within 12km of a population centre has increased from 37,000 a decade ago to almost 210,000 .
A separate UNODC report from last year found that worldwide
THE HARMS TO HEALTH AND WELLBEING from gambling are ‘ more substantial than previously understood ’ says the Lancet Public Health commission on gambling . Evolution of the rapidly growing gambling industry is at a ‘ crucial juncture ’, the document states , as it becomes increasingly digital in nature , with governments paying too little attention to gambling harms and doing too little to prevent them .
The commission is calling for stronger and internationally coordinated harm-prevention policies and regulation controls , ‘ independent of industry or other competing influences ’. production of cocaine had ‘ jumped dramatically ’ following its COVID-related slowdown , driven not just by the expansion of coca bush cultivation but also by improvements in the process of converting coca into cocaine hydrochloride ( DDN , April 2023 , page 5 ). Latin American and European crime networks are also collaborating to produce more cocaine in large-scale laboratories in Europe itself , EMCDDA reports , and the last few years have seen ‘ unprecedented levels ’ of drug-related violence , including kidnappings , killings and torture ( DDN , April , page 4 ).
‘ The global gambling industry is rapidly expanding , with net losses by consumers projected to reach nearly US $ 700bn by 2028 ,’ the document states .
The consequences of the shift to digitalisation have not been fully recognised , it adds , with sophisticated digital marketing via social media and user data – along with sports and media sponsorship – all helping to drive the expansion of the industry . ‘ The boundaries between digital gaming and gambling are also becoming blurred ,’ it states , and urges governments to prioritise protecting health and wellbeing over ‘ competing economic motivations ’.
Colombia : Workers tread sodium bicarbonate powder into coca leaves to extract cocaine alkaloid . Picture : Brian Moser / Alamy
Cocaine-related deaths in England and Wales were up by more than 30 per cent last year – the 12th consecutive increase ( see facing page ). In Ireland , cocaine overtook heroin three years ago as the main problem drug for people seeking treatment for the first time , according to the country ’ s Health Research Board .
Cultivos de coca 2023 at https :// www . unodc . org /
Gambling harms widespread
The global gambling industry is rapidly expanding ... The boundaries between digital gaming and gambling are also becoming blurred .
Commission report at https :// www . thelancet . com / journals / lanpub / article / PIIS2468- 2667 ( 24 ) 00167-1 / fulltext
Local News
HEP C HIT Sandwell ’ s Cranstounled drug service has announced microelimination of hepatitis C , thanks to a ‘ rigorous regime of testing ’. ‘ This is an enormous achievement not only for Sandwell and Cranstoun , but for the people who use our services ,’ said non-medical prescriber Lin O ’ Brien . ‘ Testing is now woven into the fabric of the day-to-day work .’
STUDY CENTRE A new £ 11m research centre for addiction and mental health – a partnership between NIHR , the universities of York and Hull , and King ’ s College London – will ‘ aim to amplify the voices ’ of people with lived experience . ‘ Research in many areas of addiction is underdeveloped and under-resourced , and we urgently need to identify how to improve the provision of treatments for those experiencing coexisting substance and mental health conditions ,’ said Professor Thomas Phillips .
REDDITCH RESIDENTIAL Gambling charity Gordon Moody will open a residential treatment centre in Redditch later this month , offering a range of treatment programmes that ‘ blend cutting-edge therapies with holistic approaches , helping service users address the underlying causes of gambling-related harms and move on to reclaim and rebuild their lives ’.
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