ID: HR19-211
Presenting author: Ernesto Cortes
Ernesto Cortes
Background: Smokable cocaines (SC) have been in the illegal drug market form more than 30 years, but there still little information regarding its market and users and harm reduction services. The main objective of this research is to increase the knowledge on SC in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), promoting evidence based drug policies that improve the lives of people how use drug users and reduce personal and social harms.
Methodology: This presentation is part of a two year exploratory research project coordinated by the Transactional Institute (TNI). It includes the participation of more than 20 specialist’s form 10 LAC countries. Several qualitative studies were done in a few countries and two workshops were held in 2016 and 2017 to present and corroborate the information. To produce a report that was peer reviewed by most of the specialists.
Results: There are differences between “pasta base” in Colombia and “crack” in Brazil. Paraphernalia also changes from country to country, as well it related risks. In most of LAC it is usually a cheap substance, sold at poor neighborhoods. Users are highly stigmatized, with low access to public services and are constantly criminalized by police. Not every smokable cocaine user is marginalized, but there is a high relation with socioeconomic vulnerability, high prevalence of STDs and mental health problems, as well as suffering human rights violations.
Conclusions: Lack of international guidelines and stigma has affected the variety and scale of health and social services and interventions dedicated to smokable cocaine users that are scarce in the region. Even though there are some harm reductions interventions in a few countries, most of them are met with skepticism and little cooperation from the government and society in general, and couple of the best experiences have already been closed.