Colombia was praised for its ongoing fight against drug trafficking by an international drug commission Thursday.
“Colombia is a country ahead of the curve, and I congratulate [it] on these results,” said Paul Simons, Secretary for the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), following the report’s release.
The report analyzed drug use in the member countries of the Organization of American States (OAS) between 2002 and 2009.
Simons also met with members of the Colombian Foreign Ministry and heads of the armed forces to discuss issues relating to combating drug trafficking.
“It is very important to collaborate with countries to know what exactly the cost of the problem is for society. We have devised a methodology that we have already shared with other countries and we are very pleased to collaborate with Colombia,” Simons noted.
Results from the report confirmed that marijuana is the most consumed illegal substance in the region. It also noted that cocaine and crack usage has increased in Latin America and the Caribbean.