Report: European Cokeheads are Destroying the World, American Methheads are Multiplying
The UN's World Drug Report was released yesterday! Good news: Cocaine use in America has dropped significantly. Bad news: Meth use in America has skyrocketed. Also, Europe's appetite for coke has risen steadily over recent years. Everyone's on drugs.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime yesterday released its 2010 World Drug Report, and the study found that druggies around the world are transitioning away from cocaine and opiates to fun synthetic drugs, like meth. The number of cocaine users in Europe has also doubled, while the drug has lost much of its popularity in the US. And European cokeheads are destroying the world: UNODC director Antonio Maria Costa said, "People snorting coke in Europe are killing the pristine forests of the Andean countries and corrupting governments in West Africa." But some West African nations are cracking down on the supply chain. The report says that the European cocaine market is currently worth nearly $34 billion. Thanks, Europe!
And while ecstasy use has seen a huge drop off in the US and Europe, its popularity is growing in Asia. Still, the most disturbing part of the report is the increased popularity of synthetic drugs:
The market for amphetamine-type stimulants is harder to track because of short trafficking routes (manufacturing usually takes place close to the main consumer markets) and the fact that many of the raw materials are both legal and readily available. Manufacturers are quick to market new products (like ketamine, piperazines, mephedrone and Spice) and exploit new markets. "These new drugs cause a double problem. First, they are being developed at a much faster rate than regulatory norms and law enforcement can keep up. Second, their marketing is cunningly clever, as they are custom-manufactured so as to meet the specific preference in each situation", said Mr. Costa.
Mephedrone, or "meow meow," has taken Britain by storm, and is scaring the shit out of old people. But a little meow meow is nothing compared to a nice batch of meth cooked up in some sketchy trailer by the Hell's Angels! The major takeaways from this report? Europeans continue to ruin the world with their coke habits, while Americans turn from using "cool" drugs to white trash alternatives, such as meth. Great.
