News briefing – week beginning 13 October

Dominican Republican authorities arrested seven people including an intelligence officer and seized RD$3 million in connection with a drug trafficking case. Bolivia is allegedly becoming the new drug trafficking hub in South America. Several Paraguayan politicians are reportedly linked to drug-trafficking cases, mafias and assassinations. Portuguese authorities arrested two Ukrainians and seized 600 kilograms of cocaine…

Could Medicinal Cannabis Provide the Solution to South America’s ‘Pasta Base’ Problem?

On April 3 2014, Uruguay’s undersecretary for public health used a UN-hosted conference on women, drug policy, and incarceration on the Americas to propose a novel method of tackling drug addiction. ‘Jail is not a very suitable place for someone to safely overcome drug addiction’, said Leonel Briozzo, before suggesting that marijuana (legalised in Uruguay…