It is always something that lurks in the background, like a dark secret. No one talks about it, it is never mentioned in social settings; you never really came into direct contact with drugs, unless you stepped into that world and made it a part of yours.

In the dark, smoky corners of nightclubs, a “spliff” or joint gets placed in your hand and you take a pull and pass it on. It’s just the way it is. Once in a while someone asks you for some Ecstasy, you look completely taken aback and you walk away shaking your head. That’s just the way it is.

Yet when it comes to sex, the story takes a completely different turn. Sex walks up to you in a party, on the street, at your office and becomes a part of life whether you want it to or not. It takes you in and makes you popular. It makes you money and gets you fame. From a young age you learn that your body is your license to get what you want. The more skin you show, the happier you will be and the further up in society you will get. This is what it’s like for young adults in the Caribbean and Latin American region.

The Caribbean and Latin America are second only to Sub Saharan Africa when it comes to the rate of HIV infections, with 430,000 currently living with HiV and AIDS. This makes it a high risk region in more ways than one. Throw the extensive drug trade into the mix and you get a nice little hub of underground activity including a thriving sex worker industry, illegal abortions and illicit drug use. 

The Caribbean is well known for its extensive cannabis production and use, all of which are illegal yet widespread. Very rarely and only within the little underground hub would you hear about the use of “harder drugs” like cocaine, ecstasy or meth. It is all very hush-hush among the masses and ironically while People Living with HIV and AIDS are getting their issues heard at all levels, drug users and victims of drug trafficking are constantly being locked in the dark corners of denial.

Yet it is becoming extremely difficult to ignore, particularly when the increasing incidences of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections among adults seem to correlate to drug use or exposure to drug trafficking. Sex and drugs are the poetry of the poor here. During his recent visit to Trinidad and Tobago, President Barack Obama spoke about his plans to curb the drug trafficking within the Caribbean region by restricting the flow of guns and cash over the border.

You take all the general factors that spring to mind: too much alcohol, too many party drugs, clouded judgement, lowered inhibitions and you think, yea that’s understandable. You would expect unsafe sex and unwanted sex. Couple this with increasing levels or poverty, incest and gang violence: who stands a chance?

Comparing the environment in the Caribbean with Australia, the differences are blatant, but the advice will always be the same: The ability to make an informed, safe choice when it comes to sex or drugs depends on the level of access that young adults have to information and resources.  Access to information has been in a struggle within Caribbean societies for decades and it is a constant battle to get help for those who need it, particularly young people within rural communities. In Australia, the availability of information is unbelievable. Everywhere you turn, you are constantly bombarded with affirmations, foundations and organisations getting the word out on everything from sexual health, to mental health. Be informed, be armed, be safe. It’s just up to you really...

International Narcortics Control Strategy Report: The Caribbean

United Nations news report on illegal drugs

N.B statistics within the Caribbean Region are not updated on a yearly basis and can go back as far as 10 years.

Bio.

Nadine was a Business and Human Interest Journalist in Trinidad and Tobago for 5 years. She continues to write for publications within that region. She has been employed as the Communications and Development Officer for The Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago, focusing in the areas of sexual and reproductive health and rights of marginalised groups and her last posting within that region was as the Communications Specialist for the United Nations Development Programme. She currently works with the Reach Out Crew at the Inspire Foundation.