Europe's most useless douanes
The thrill-a-minute UN World Drug Report 2008 is hot off the presses, and what a wealth of detail it delivers.
I would think it axiomatic that the street price of narcotics on the continent reflects which nation's customs officers and plod are the most useless, and on that basis, Belgium (of all places) secures the wooden spoon by having the lowest for opiates at $32 per gramme. At the other extemity - excluding Scandinavia and islands - is Luxembourg at $102. Price in the UK is given at $71. Anyone who gets his or her wares to Iceland is in for a bumper payday at $372 per gramme.
As to cocaine, Portugal edges out Belgium at $56 to $60. Greece is the most expensive - bar Scandinavia etc - at $110.
As to use, Iran has the highest percentage of smackheads at 2.8% of the population, and Singapore the lowest at 0.005%. The US and Spain lead for cocaine use - 3%. Singapore is again last at 0.0002%, or less than a thousand users, by my reckoning.
More later, maybe.
I would think it axiomatic that the street price of narcotics on the continent reflects which nation's customs officers and plod are the most useless, and on that basis, Belgium (of all places) secures the wooden spoon by having the lowest for opiates at $32 per gramme. At the other extemity - excluding Scandinavia and islands - is Luxembourg at $102. Price in the UK is given at $71. Anyone who gets his or her wares to Iceland is in for a bumper payday at $372 per gramme.
As to cocaine, Portugal edges out Belgium at $56 to $60. Greece is the most expensive - bar Scandinavia etc - at $110.
As to use, Iran has the highest percentage of smackheads at 2.8% of the population, and Singapore the lowest at 0.005%. The US and Spain lead for cocaine use - 3%. Singapore is again last at 0.0002%, or less than a thousand users, by my reckoning.
More later, maybe.
Labels: drugs, fun with statistics
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on Friday, January 09, 2009 at 11:09 am.
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Singapore's low position is probably not just due to the efficency of their customs officials, but for their tendancy to hang drug smugglers. That's a pretty lethal combination for the drug trade (pun intended).
Indeed yes. I believe the Singaporeans make their stance very well known too.
Singapore and other "hard line" states are always a good counter to those who state that prohibition has failed. I always say "how about trying it first"...
One of those ancient urban myths states that if heroin was produced legally and industrially it would be cheaper than sugar. I wonder how much cocaine would be?
The cheapest wholesale prices in the report are H at $2280 per kg wholesale in Pakistan, and C at $700 per kg wholesale in Peru.
A fair price differential over sugar.
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