The office has recently published guidelines for the financial sector on money laundering countermeasures. The Board welcomes the introduction of administrative measures in Costa Rica to ensure that at least part of the confiscated assets of illicit origin are used to fund the operations of its national drug council. More stringent money laundering legislation is being drafted in the Bahamas and is expected to enter into force in the near future. Although Jamaica is not yet a party to the 1988 Convention, the forfeiture of assets act entered into force in 1994 and the Government has continued to elaborate draft legislation to prevent money laundering. Cannabis Cannabis is illicitly cultivated in most countries in Central America and the Caribbean for local illicit consumption.
Cannabis remains the most commonly abused drug in the region.
Jamaica continues to be a major producer and supplier of cannabis for Europe and North America. The Board notes continuous reports on the cultivation of opium poppy in remote areas of Guatemala. Cocaine Small coca bush cultivation sites have reportedly been detected in southern Panama. Increasing cocaine abuse has been reported in several countries in the region. Pharmaceutical preparations containing psychotropic substances are not prescribed, dispensed and distributed in conformity with the provisions of the 1971 Convention in most countries in the region.