CAUTION: The following review of the regional drug situation has been excerpted, as background information only, from the 1995 Annual Report of the International Narcotics Control Board, which is under embargo until 9 a.m. (European Time) on 28 February 1996. The Board annually assesses the drug situation in each region, based on information obtained from a variety of sources, including Government authorities. No part of the report or this excerpt may be used before its official release:
Of the 14 States in Oceania, only eight are parties to the 1961 Convention and the same countries are parties to the 1971 Convention. Only Australia and Fiji are parties to the 1988 Convention and six States in the region are not parties to any of the international drug control treaties. The Board urges all States in the region that have not already done to accede to those treaties.
In 1995, the Board sent a mission to Papua New Guinea.
With the exception of a few countries (for example, Papua New Guinea), illicit drug production, trafficking and abuse do not constitute major problems in the Pacific island countries. However, there is evidence that illicit traffickers are increasingly using the territories of those countries as transit points. Their tasks are often facilitated by the fact that in most countries drug control legislation is outdated (or even non-existent) and the financial, technical and human resources of many poor islands are too limited to deal with increasing drug trafficking.
Regional Initiatives
The Board highly appreciates the assistance provided to countries in the region by the Governments of Australia and New Zealand and UNDCP in the revision and updating of their drug control legislation and in the training of professionals.
The Board appreciates the efforts of the Government of Australia to ensure a balance between law enforcement and demand reduction activities under its comprehensive drug strategy.
Australia had enacted already in 1987 effective legislation against money laundering. In New Zealand a law has been recently adopted enabling the forfeiture of assets derived from criminal activities. The Board welcomes the drafting of legislation on countermeasures against money laundering in New Zealand and hopes that the adoption of such a law will allow the Government of that country to accede to the 1988 Convention and to implement its provisions. The Board appreciates the efforts of the South Pacific Forum in assisting national authorities in the subregion in drafting legislation against money laundering and in the training of agency personnel in the execution of countermeasures because the current situation (lack of legislation and controls) offers plenty of opportunities for persons who engage in money laundering.
Cannabis
Cannabis grows wild in several countries in Oceania and is also illicitly cultivated in Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Samoa. Cannabis originating in Papua New Guinea has been frequently seized in Australia.
There are reports of cannabis abuse in several countries in the region. In Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, cannabis remains the most popular drug of abuse.
Opium, Heroin
The licit cultivation of poppy is properly regulated and controlled in Australia. Some cases of illicit poppy cultivation have been reported in New Zealand.
Heroin abuse continues in Australia and there are also cases of heroin abuse in New Zealand, where in many cases, codeine or morphine is extracted from pharmaceutical preparations and converted into heroin by drug abusers.
Other Drugs and Substances
There are only sporadic reports on cocaine abuse in Oceania.
Illicit manufacture and abuse of methamphetamine as well as hallucinogenic amphetamines, particularly MDMA, continue to constitute major problems in Australia. Precursors for the illicit manufacture of such psychotropic substances in Australia are usually obtained from the United States and countries in Europe. New hallucinogenic "designer drugs" have also been seized in that country.
Abuse of stimulants (amphetamine and methamphetamine) has also been reported in New Zealand, where the increasing abuse of hallucinogens is considered by the Government to be a problem. Substantial amounts of LSD have been seized in that country and different hallucinogenic amphetamines, mescaline and psilocybine have also been found recently on the illicit drug market.
Fact-finding Missions
A mission of the Board visited Papua New Guinea in October 1995. The Board had been receiving contradictory reports on the level of abuse of cannabis in that country. The mission noted that cannabis abuse had been increasing and had already reached a significant level. It appears that the abuse of other drugs is not significant. The Board invites the Government to evaluate the extent of abuse of cannabis and of other drugs. The Board trusts that the Government will assign the necessary resources to drug control activities, including the treatment and rehabilitation of addicts.
The Board welcomes the efforts of the Government, with the support of UNDCP, to adopt comprehensive national legislation to adequately deal with new trends in drug abuse and the illicit drug traffic. The Board urges the Government to clearly define the role of each drug control agency in order to eliminate the misunderstanding that currently exists between some of them. The Board invites the Government to strengthen the control of import and domestic distribution of psychotropic substances and to resume the submission of mandatory reports on narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances to the Board.
The entire text of the INCB Report for 1995 can be found on INCB's Home Page accessed from : http://www.undcp.org> beginning 27 February 1996