What The American Government Doesn’t Want You To Know About Cocaine
I just finished reading the recently released Cocaine Project, which was conducted in 1995 and just saw the light of day last month. In the meantime, the project has been suppressed — and its very existence denied — due to U.S. government pressure for the past fifteen years. A joint effort between the the World Health Organization and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute, the report is the “largest global study on cocaine”, according to The Vancouver Sun, and examines cocaine use in 22 cities in 19 countries.
After reading the findings, it’s pretty obvious why the report was buried for all these years. Sure, there’s the expected disclaimer (“Conclusions of the study require careful interpretation, particularly when making comparisons between different substances of their harmful health consequences. In no way should it be read that WHO or UNICRI endorse the use of any psychoactive substance”) and there are the requisite warnings about physical and mental health repercussions “associated” with cocaine use. However, the authors also leave plenty of room for doubt since they emphasize that the majority of problems result from using multiple substances, not from cocaine use alone. Among the more controversial points made in the report:
- Health problems from the use of legal substances, particularly alcohol and tobacco, are greater than health problems from cocaine use.
- Few experts describe cocaine as invariably harmful to health. Cocaine-related problems are widely perceived to be more common and more severe for intensive, high-dosage users and very rare and much less severe for occasional, low-dosage users.
- A majority of health consequences may not be directly attributed to cocaine use. Cocaine often contributes to or exacerbates the conditions reported, rather than causing them.
- Despite a broad range of educational and prevention approaches, most programmes do not prevent myths but perpetuate stereotypes and misinform the general public. Such programmes rely on sensationalized, exaggerated statements about cocaine which misinform about patterns of use, stigmatize users, and destroy the educator’s credibility.
- Most treatment services are poorly coordinated, often culturally inappropriate and ineffective in achieving rehabilitation. Unlike heroin, cocaine dependence has no standard treatment. The majority of people who suffer cocaine-related problems eventually recover without receiving any formal treatment.
- Law enforcement targets users, dealers and traffickers but is thought to focus its efforts on users. Users of minority background or low socioeconomic status are the ones most subject to arrest and prosecution, while wealthier users are virtually immune to prosecution or rarely imprisoned.
And perhaps most importantly, the report notes:
“Most authorities agree that it is unrealistic to expect to eradicate the use of cocaine and other drugs. However, if substance use wilt continue, harm from that drug use need not be inevitable. In most participating countries, a minority of people start using cocaine or related products, use casually for a short or long period, and suffer little or no negative consequences, even after years of use. This suggests it is possible to reduce, if not entirely eliminate, harmful cocaine use.”
Last year, the World Health Organization noted that the U.S. has the highest rate of cocaine use in the world (16 percent, which is four times the second highest rate in New Zealand). We also have some of the strictest drug laws in the world, and now that marijuana is a less and less controversial issue, people are becoming more aware of the racism, corruption, and general ignorance responsible for its prohibition in America.
Curious about the full report? You can download the entire PDF here.
