Caribbean Drugs From Criminalization to Harm Reduction

In the Caribbean islands, ganja, crack cocaine and the policy responses to them have triggered a social disaster. The islands, under US pressure, have adopted a region-wide policy of criminalization. Specialized drug courts have been created and traditional cultural practices around ganja consumption have been criminalized with serious human and social consequences. This is the first book to examine the experiences of Caribbean countries since they adopted this coordinated approach to the drugs problem. It throws fascinating light on the difficulties facing drug abuse and rehabilitation centers, and explores "Harm Reduction", a fundamentally alternative approach to the drugs problem. There are valuable practical and policy lessons to be learned for other countries, including those with large Caribbean populations such as the US and UK.

Axel Klein is head of research at DrugScope, an information and advice-giving charity with which the book is associated. He is a fellow at St. Anthony's College, Oxford, and the coeditor of Fragile Peace (Zed Books, 2002).

Marcus Day is coordinator of the Caribbean Harm Reduction Coalition, Saint Lucia.

Anthony Harriott is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Government, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus.