Cocaine abuse 'carries high human cost'

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by Change | 19 Nov 2008

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Nations with drug addiction problems should take responsibility for the human cost these cause to producing countries, an expert says.

The vice president of Columbia Francisco Santos Calderon has claimed UK substance abuse is causing damage to his country.

He will later tell an Association of Chief Police Officers' drug conference that cocaine addiction is fuelling land mine use, as growers use the devices to secure their fields, the BBC reports.

These create an environment "similar to a war zone", with high rates of maiming and injury among the population, he will say.

Mr Santos is also expected to say the growth of the coca plant is causing deforestation, with approximately 200,000 hectares of trees being removed annually.

Talking to the news provider, the Colombian embassy spokesman claims all those living in the country have to struggle with the issues caused by drug trafficking.

In addition to this, the representative emphasised the international element of the problem and called on other nations involved in the drugs trade to offer support.

"This is not just a problem for the countries that produce the drugs, it's a problem for the countries that consume the drugs, that use the drugs," he tells the source.

In related news, it was recently reported coca cultivation in the country increased by 15 per cent between 2000 and 2006, suggesting cocaine drugs could also have become increasingly problematic.

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