Photo: Obasanjo Meets With Russell Brand Over Drug Policies In West Africa

Drug consumption and the impact of trafficking on governance, security and

Held on the side-lines of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the event was addressed by UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov, the former President of Nigeria and current Chair of the WACD President Olusegun Obasanjo, and WACD Commissioner Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou.

Discussing the vulnerability of West Africa to illicit drug trafficking, and as a spillover effect, increased drug use in the region, Mr. Fedotov noted: “The trafficking of cocaine remains a serious challenge and there has been an increase in the amount of heroin trafficked into the region, especially since 2010. Methamphetamine production in West Africa is rising while trafficking of ephedrine is a matter of serious concern. Meanwhile, local drug use appears to have intensified, including the growing use of crack cocaine, heroin and amphetamine-type stimulants. This has become an issue for public health and safety, with an attendant rise in the number of new HIV infections attributed to injecting drug use”.