HomeNewsBriefArgentina Drug Law Reforms Target Cocaine Paste
BRIEF

Argentina Drug Law Reforms Target Cocaine Paste

ARGENTINA / 9 JAN 2017 BY JAMES BARGENT EN

Argentina's government is seeking drug law reforms targeting cocaine paste that combine a crackdown on sellers with treatment for users, but officials may find it difficult to strike the proper balance of these two strategies.

In the final congressional session of 2016, the Argentine government submitted plans to modify the country's anti-narcotics laws, adding provisions specifically related to "paco" -- the Argentine name for the smokeable paste that is an intermediary stage in processing cocaine.

If passed, the proposed reform would increase penalties for the production, trafficking and supply of paco from between four and fifteen years to between six and eighteen years.

In addition, those supplying the drug free of charge could face sentences of between four and fifteen years, unless the "delivery, supply or facilitation was occasional, free of charge and for small quantities," in which case the sentence would be between one and four years, reported El Liberal.

Users that have no previous drug convictions, however, will not face prison time but instead be subject to judicial orders forcing them to attend rehabilitation treatment.

"The proposed modifications are based on the profound addiction that this substance leads to and the rapid and enormous biological and emotional deterioration that it causes in its consumers," the proposal submitted to congress states, according to La Nación.

According to the document, consumption of paco has increased 200 percent in recent years and Argentines now consume 400,000 doses of paco every day, giving the market a retail value of close to $190 million a year.

InSight Crime Analysis

The rise of widespread use of cheap and highly addictive cocaine paste, which is known around the region by a variety of different names such as "bazuco" in Colombia or "oxi" in Brazil, is perhaps the greatest drug consumption challenge facing Latin America today.

However, there is little evidence to suggest that specifically targeting the drug by introducing higher sentences will have an impact on the market. Prisons all around Latin America are filled past the bursting point with people who have run afoul of hardline anti-drug laws, and yet consumption continues to rise around much of the region.

SEE ALSO: Coverage of Drug Policy

Singling out cocaine paste compared to other drugs could also prove problematic. Measures to introduce penalties for crack cocaine harsher than those for powdered cocaine in the United States, for example, ended up disproportionally targeting the poorer communities where crack is more common than the more expensive powder. In Latin America, there is often a similar divide, with cocaine paste use largely linked to poor areas and neglected social groups.

Differentiating between users and dealers, meanwhile, could be seen as part of a gradual paradigm shift around the region towards helping rather than criminalizing drug users. However, this too could prove problematic. So far, many countries have found drawing a line between criminals and addicts difficult and their efforts often end with arbitary distinctions, while experts have questioned the efficacy and ethics of forced treatment programs.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

COCAINE / 21 DEC 2022

Venezuelan authorities claim to have destroyed 40 tons of drugs this year. But are they being fully transparent about their…

ARGENTINA / 12 AUG 2022

Uruguayan authorities have dismantled a smuggling ring moving weapons into the country from Argentina.

ARGENTINA / 16 AUG 2021

Multiple raids carried out in Argentina have revealed a criminal network capitalizing on the emergence of new COVID-19 variants by…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.