400 Catholic Priests warned to silence criticism of narcos
Up to 400 Catholic Priests have been directly warned by drug traffickers in Mexico to stop their criticism of the drug trade or else they will be killed, according to the Mexican Bishop’s Conference.
Source: Lizbeth Diaz, “Mexican gangs target outspoken priests in drug war,” Reuters, July 1, 2009.
5,000 tigers held in farms in China
Up to 5,000 tigers are held in tiger farms in China. The tigers are kept for their body parts to be used for medicinal purposes.
Source: Debbie Banks, “Earning their Stripes,” BBC News, June 29, 2009.
400 billion counterfeit cigarettes produced in China each year
Up to 400 billion counterfeit cigarettes are produced in China each year. In addition, 99 percent of the counterfeit cigarettes found in the United States comes from China.
Source: Te-Pin Chen, “China’s Marlboro Country,” Slate, June 29, 2009.
$6.3 billion drug industry in British Colombia
The current estimated drug industry in British Colombia, Canada is valued at $6.3 billion. The industry mainly consists of cocaine and marijuana.
657 billion cigarettes sold illegally each year
657 billion cigarettes are sold illegally each year, killing 132,000 people. In addition, half of all cigarettes sold in developing countries are illegal.
Source: Denis Campbell, “Developing world faces black market cigarette plague,” The Observer, June 28, 2009.
1,000 people trafficked into Australia each year
Up to 1,000 people are trafficked into Australia each year, according to various estimates compiled by Voice of America. 90 percent of those trafficked into the country is for sexual purposes.
Source: Phil Mercer, “Asian Police Join to Combat Trafficking of Sex Slaves,” Voice of America News, June 27, 2009.
Eradication “didn’t reduce the amount of money the Taliban got”
US Envoy to Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke stated that efforts by the United States to eradicate poppy production in the country did not achieve any positive gains.
“Eradication is a waste of money,” Holbrooke said on the sidelines of a Group of Eight foreign ministers’ meeting on Afghanistan, during which he briefed regional representatives on the new policy.
“It might destroy some acreage, but it didn’t reduce the amount of money the Taliban got by one dollar. It just helped the Taliban. So we’re going to phase out eradication,” he said.
The Taliban earned an estimated $50 million to $70 million in 2008 from trafficking opium. Afghanistan is the source country for 93 percent of the world’s heroin.
Source: Associated Press, “U.S. Announces Shift in Afghanistan Drug Policy,” NPR News, June 27, 2009.
Price of Marijuana in the Middle East
Price is in US Dollars and represents the typical price of Marijuana in the Middle East.
|
Country |
Wholesale Price |
Retail Price |
|
Israel |
320 |
4.5 |
|
Jordan |
NA |
7 |
|
Lebanon |
1,250 |
15 |
Source: UNODC, “World Drug Report 2009: Section 3.4 Prices, pages 215 to 234,” June 2009.
Price of Marijuana in Europe
Price is in US Dollars and represents the typical price of Marijuana in Europe.
|
Country |
Wholesale Price |
Retail Price |
|
Austria |
4,110.7 |
13 |
|
Czech Republic |
6,357.9 |
8.2 |
|
Finland |
12,332.1 |
24 |
|
France |
3,425.6 |
8.2 |
|
Germany |
4,521.8 |
11.2 |
|
Greece |
630 |
4.1 |
|
Hungary |
2,780.3 |
11.9 |
|
Ireland |
16,442.9 |
6.9 |
|
Italy |
1,717.7 |
10 |
|
Moldova |
NA |
1.6 |
|
Netherlands |
NA |
7.3 |
|
Poland |
5,140 |
11.6 |
|
Romania |
1,918.3 |
8.9 |
|
Russia |
2,984.3 |
6.7 |
|
Spain |
1,103 |
4.2 |
|
Sweden |
9,635.3 |
11.5 |
|
Switzerland |
4,602.5 |
8.4 |
|
Ukraine |
NA |
3 |
|
United Kingdom |
2,615.7 |
8 |
Source: UNODC, “World Drug Report 2009: Section 3.4 Prices, pages 215 to 234,” June 2009.
Price of Marijuana in Asia
Price is in US Dollars and represents the typical price of Marijuana in Asia.
|
Country |
Wholesale Price |
Retail Price |
|
Afghanistan |
56 |
NA |
|
Australia |
6,112.8 |
20.9 |
|
Bangladesh |
29.3 |
0.2 |
|
China |
NA |
0.8 |
|
Hong Kong |
1,833.5 |
8.3 |
|
India |
85 |
NA |
|
Indonesia |
244.9 |
0.2 |
|
Japan |
16,997.2 |
51 |
|
Laos |
14 |
NA |
|
Malaysia |
423 |
NA |
|
Myanmar |
130 |
0.2 |
|
New Zealand |
6,071.4 |
16.5 |
|
Philippines |
475 |
0.5 |
|
Singapore |
2,527.7 |
22.2 |
|
South Korea |
1,040 |
6.5 |
|
Thailand |
217.2 |
1.4 |
Source: UNODC, “World Drug Report 2009: Section 3.4 Prices, pages 215 to 234,” June 2009.
