Ideas into movement
Boost TNI's work
50 years. Hundreds of social struggles. Countless ideas turned into movement.
Support us as we celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2024.
From 2014 to 2018, our research partners in Latin American and Caribbean cities gathered information from people who use or sell smokable cocaine, in order to identify key patterns in the regional markets of smokable cocaine. The information and testimonials we gathered reveal a lack of policy responses beyond punitive measures. Meanwhile, myths and misunderstandings about smokable cocaine and its users prevail. Read on below as we attempt to debunk the four most common myths.
Myth #4: The smokable cocaine market is a recent phenomenon The smokable cocaine market was established decades ago, and is definitely not a new phenomenon. Rather than disappearing, it is undergoing a slow expansion: from a rather localised and isolated habit in the Andean region in the 1970s, it has become a phenomenon throughout North and South-America, including the Caribbean and Central American regions and Europe. In many places there is a clear disparity in both sentencing levels and the number of arrests for powder cocaine and crack cocaine, with the latter being much more heavily penalised. Hungry for more? Read the full report here. This is a republished version of one of TNI’s dedicated newsletters on drug policy issues, sent out to subscribers once a month. Click here if you wish to stay informed on TNI’s work on drugs and drug policy.