The Caribbean poses a significant drugs problem for the UK
and the US, as the recent phenomenon of yardie gangs in British cities
graphically illustrates. But in the islands themselves ganja, crack cocaine and
the policies to control them have become, as this book demonstrates, a
veritable social disaster. The authors, who are among the leading local
researchers and engaged professionals in the region as well as the former
regional head of the UN Drugs Control Programme, bring together new research
investigations, insightful policy analysis and practical experience of
on-the-ground interventions putting demand reduction into practice.



The dimensions of the illicit drugs market in the Caribbean
are made clear. The origins of the problem lie in part, it is argued, with the
impact of neoliberal economic policies that have opened up the region's borders
and gravely undermined its traditional sources of employment and exports, like bananas
and sugar. The islands, in part under external US pressure, have adopted a
region-wide policy of criminalization This has involved the creation of specialized
drug courts and serious human and social consequences as a result of
criminalizing traditional cultural practices around ganja consumption.



Fascinating light is thrown on the difficulties facing drug
abuse and rehabilitation centres and the dilemmas they throw up. Harm reduction
as a fundamentally alternative approach to the drugs problem is also explored. This
is the first book to examine the experiences of Caribbean countries since they
adopted a coordinated approach to the drugs problem. There are valuable lessons
to be learned at both policy and practical levels for other countries, and in
particular those like the UK and US with large Caribbean populations.