THE United States-led “War Against Drugs” seems more pointless by the day. Drugs are more available on the streets of the United States and Europe than before. And prices are as low as they have ever been.

Across the world drug cartels are gradually destabilising democratic government. The most recent region to feel the full negative effect of the drug trade is West Africa.

The United States consumes 40 per cent of the world’s cocaine. And in the 1990s the drug cartels decided that the US market was saturated. Consequently they made a decision to stimulate European demand for cocaine and crack. And they also decided to use West Africa as a transportation hub for Europe. As a result of these decisions the amount of cocaine transiting West Africa has skyrocketed. In 2001 only 273kg of cocaine were seized off the coast of West Africa. But by 2007 the amount seized had risen to 14.5 tonnes (14,500 kgs). United Nations agencies estimate that 50 tonnes of cocaine (50,000 kgs) is trafficked through West Africa annually, with a value of over $2 billion.

The effect of the growth of the cocaine trade in Europe is very apparent on the streets of the district in which I live and represent in Parliament. Cocaine and crack have never been more widely available.

But the huge sums of money generated by drug trafficking are gradually destabilising the governments in West Africa. The “narco-barons” apparently have two hubs in West Africa, Guinea-Bissau services the north and Ghana the south. But no country in the region is immune to the effects of the trade, as Cape Verde, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Togo are all major points of entry. Now Burkina Faso and other African countries say that the drug trade is a threat to their security. They note that the criminal networks in Africa spawned by the drug trade are now linking up with terrorist and insurgent groups elsewhere on the continent. And there is concern that an increasing amount of the drugs coming into West Africa is being consumed locally. This is partly because the foot soldiers of organised crime — local young people — are being paid in kind with coke and crack.

Meanwhile, the Caricom region has its own struggles with the drug trade and the destabilising effect of the vast sums of money involved. Inevitably in a period of economic downturn the drugs trade becomes more significant.

But the drug trade, as well as the criminality associated with it, has possible lethal consequences for the region. It has the potential to damage the tourist trade, drive away investment and even deter loyal members of the Caribbean Diaspora who would consider resettling in the country of their birth.

here is no doubt that, here in Britain, government and law enforcement officials are watching events in Jamaica very carefully. They feel they have invested a great deal, both in terms of money and manpower, in fighting crime in Jamaica. The resignation of Police Commissioner Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin startled many people in Britain. It was seen as a possibly weakening resolve on the part of government to tackle crime, the drug trade and corruption. There is no doubt that, by any practical measure, the international “War against Drugs” has failed. But whatever the weaknesses of international policies, Jamaica cannot afford to be seen as less than resolute in its fight against this deadly trade.