Bernama
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BOGOTA, March 7 (BERNAMA-NNN-MAP) — Morocco’s strategy to fight drugs and its readiness to share its experience in the field and co-operate with the international community, mainly specialized bodies, have been highlighted in the latest report by the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).
The INCB, an independent United Nation body, notes in its 2012 annual report that in order to counter the use of Moroccan national territory as a transit area for international drug trafficking, the government has taken a number of measures.
The measures include operational capacity-building for various security sectors, the introduction of a policy for border and coastal control, the provision of continuous training programmes for law enforcement officers and the utilisation of new detection technologies in seaports and airports.
Others are the development of strategies to prevent and combat the use of light aircraft in drug trafficking and improved international co-operation activities with other countries, in particular through INTERPOL.
It notes with appreciation that Morocco has implemented the recommendations of the Board following its mission to that country in 2009.
Specifically, controls over the legal movement of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals have been further improved through the introduction in January 2011 of harmonized administrative procedures and the use of standardized forms.
The national commission on narcotic drugs of Morocco has also taken steps to improve dissemination of information on demand reduction.
Furthermore, the Board was provided with a compilation of studies carried out in Morocco on the extent and pattern of drug abuse in the country.
In its chapter on Morocco, the report said that, according to the government, the area under illicit cannabis plant cultivation stood at 47,400 hectares in 2010.
It said that the Government employed a multifaceted strategy that encompassed law enforcement efforts, eradication of illicit drug crops, alternative development programmes and demand reduction and treatment efforts to overcome the cannabis plant-growing culture that has historically existed in northern Morocco.
The Board notes the steps taken by the government to share its experience and good practices in the field of combating illicit cannabis plant cultivation.
It encouraged the government to continue its efforts against illicit cannabis cultivation and trafficking, to continue to collect and analyze pertinent statistical data on the extent of cannabis cultivation in the country, and to share its experiences with the international community.
The Board notes that the issue of accessibility of medicines, including opioids, has been included in the plan of action for the period 2012-2017 of the Ministry of Health of Morocco, with a view to addressing regulatory constraints at the national level.
The Board welcomes this measure and encourages the Government to make further progress in improving the availability of licit drugs for medical purposes.
— BERNAMA-NNN-MAP
