Africa and the drugs trade revisited

• Published in: Review of African political economy Vol. 43; no. 148; pp. 167 - 173
• Main Authors: Klantschnig, Gernot, Dimova, Margarita, Cross, Hannah
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Routledge 01.06.2016; Taylor & Francis; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Drug addiction; Drug policy; Drug trafficking; EDITORIAL; Narcotic drugs; Policy making; Political economy; Trade; Africa
• ISSN: 0305-6244; 1740-1720
• DOI: 10.1080/03056244.2016.1170312

In the 1990s Africa, once again, became ‘a new frontier’ – this time for the global war on drugs. Recognising the significance of the continent’s immersion in the global drug trade, this journal dedicated a pioneering special issue to the matter in 1999 (Vol. 26, No. 79). The previous year, the UN had held its General Assembly Special Session on Drugs (UNGASS) and published its first major report on drugs in Africa (UNDCP 1999). ROAPE’s focus on the drugs trade grew out of these initiatives at the time. The next UNGASS took place this year, in April 2016, against the backdrop of accelerating global drug policy reforms and the expansion and transformation of drug markets throughout Africa. The role of developing countries in policing drugs, but also in informing and shaping broader policy, added both depth and dilemmas in the run-up to the deliberations in New York. Seizing this opportune moment to present and discuss new research from across the continent, this special issue revisits some of the themes explored in 1999 and introduces new findings and avenues for research. Intended to dispel myths about Africa’s ‘drug problem’, contributors aim to steer both the academic and policymaking debate towards issues emerging from empirical findings in a variety of country contexts.