UN: The conflict in Ukraine, fertile ground for drugs

Illicit drug production could benefit from the war in Ukraine, make it even more prosperous, the United Nations warns today, citing the experience of armed conflict in other parts of the world.

“Data from the Middle East and Southeast Asia (…) show that conflict situations can act as a magnet for the production of synthetic drugs, which can actually be produced anywhere,” said the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Drugs and Crime Prevention (UNODC) in its annual report.

“This effect could be even greater” in this case as “the area where the conflict is unfolding is close to huge consumer markets,” he added.

Prior to the Russian military invasion, on February 24, there was already a growing number of amphetamine laboratories in Ukraine, says expert Angela Me, who was asked about this by the French Agency. Nearly 80 were dismembered in 2020, compared to 17 in 2019.

This productive potential “can be increased if the conflict persists”, as “the police are no longer there to stop the work of the laboratories”, he explains.

The war could, however, raise obstacles “on the road”, the report said, referring to a possible reduction in Ukraine from early 2022.

At the same time, Mrs Me stressed the need to monitor the situation in Afghanistan, which in 2021 accounted for 86% of world opium production.

In April, the Taliban’s top leader ordered a ban on poppy cultivation. It remains to be seen “whether this will translate into a drastic reduction” in production, the expert underlines, or whether, on the contrary, illegal crops will expand, due to the deterioration of socio-economic conditions in the country.

Any change will have an “impact on almost every part of the world,” the UN said.

Some 284 million people worldwide – or one in 18 in the 15-64 age group – used drugs in 2020, up 26% from a decade earlier.

Although the majority of users are men, women increasingly resort to amphetamine-type stimulants, but are “underrepresented in treatment,” says Angela Me.

He talks about “double stigma” and the need to create places where they will feel “safe” and will be able to stay with their children.

Another noteworthy fact: cocaine production reached a record level of 1,982 tonnes in 2020.

The UNODC report, “Preliminary Assessment”, is based on data collected from its member states, through its own channels, as well as from the analysis of data from so-called open sources, ie media publications and reports. institutions.

SOURCE: AMPE