Cocaine base paste consumption in Uruguay
Uruguayan officials began seizing cocaine paste in 2004, and the amount of the narcotic confiscated by authorities has multiplied six times in five years, from 29.5 kilograms (65 pounds) to 184 kilograms (405 pounds), according to the JND.
But the amount of cocaine paste confiscated is far less than other drugs. In 2009, for example, local authorities seized 549 kilos (1,207 pounds) of marijuana and 2,467 kilos (5,427 pounds) of cocaine.
Likewise, the number of cocaine paste users is lower than that of users of other illegal substances, as about 0.8% of Uruguay’s about 3.4 million residents use cocaine paste, according to the National Home Survey on Drug Use conducted by the JND. This number is close to the number of ecstasy users (0.7%) and is much lower than the number of marijuana (12.2%) and cocaine users (4%).
But the number of cocaine paste users rises to 8% in the poorest areas of Montevideo, according to the survey.