Local markets for illegal drugs: Impacts, trends, and new approaches. Report on the side-event to the 55th regular session of CICAD

In order to develop concrete proposals to respond to the drug problem affecting the countries of the hemisphere— specifically the challenge posed by retail drug distribution—the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice and Law of Colombia, in cooperation with the Woodrow Wilson Center, convened a dialogue between representatives of governments and members of civil society.

This forum, the second of its kind, was coordinated by and had significant support from the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD). Participants in the meeting included representatives of 12 countries in the hemisphere, members of 10 nongovernmental organizations, and experts. The discussions focused on two key issues: a) current impacts, trends, and challenges related to retail drug distribution; and b) new responses to local markets for illegal drugs. The event wrapped up with brainstorming sessions to come up with a series of recommendations; these are laid out at the end of this document.

As a starting point, it is worth noting that the debate recognized that information and evidence are in short supply, which makes it difficult to respond adequately to this challenge. In addition, it was clear that the existence of local illegal drug markets is a shared concern, manifested more intensely in urban areas.

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