The illicit production in these two regions also supplies the traffic in opiates to Europe and North America. There are also secondary flows of traffic, generally in the same direction, and the American continent remains. The coca bush the leaves of which yield cocaine, grows wild and is also cultivated, particularly in Peru and Bolivia. There is a significant flow of illicit cocaine towards North America and there is also some traffic to the Middle East and to Europe. The Commission noted the large seizures of cocaine made in recent years.
Cannabis is the most widely used of narcotic drugs.
It is found in the illicit traffic in different forms and over a hundred names are used to designate them, some of the more popular ones being marihuana, dagga, kif, maconha, hashish, charas and ganja. Much of the cannabis traffic is local, since the plant is illicitly grown on a small scale by individual cultivators who consume it themselves or sell it through local intermediaries in the immediate vicinity. There is also some illicit cultivation for export, and a considerable international traffic, particularly from certain African countries towards Europe and from Mexico to the United States. Lastly, a highly organized traffic in hashish is a special feature of the traffic in the Near and Middle East. Here, the cannabis is cultivated and processed in Lebanon and is smuggled through several countries for consumption in the United Arab Republic and other countries of the region.