NAIROBI, March 2 (Xinhuanet) -- Weak control at entry points, inadequate drug control legislation and an increasing number of key airline hubs continue to contribute to growing drug trafficking in east Africa, according to a new report launched here on Wednesday.

    The 2004 Report published by the International Narcotics Control Board said inadequate control systems may lead to serious problems in the monitoring of international trade of drugs in the east African region.

    The report called on African governments to give priority to addressing the drug problem in their countries and urged the international community to provide appropriate assistance and support to countries in the region.

    Speaking during the launch in Nairobi, UN Office on Drugs and Crime Representative Carsten Hyttel said weak control measures at seaports, airports and land borders are to blame for rising drug trafficking in the region.

    Hyttel said the fact that African countries have limited institutional and technical capacity to deal with the drug issue in a comprehensive manner has negatively affected the implementation of drug control strategies on the continent.

    The report said that Africa continues to be a major source of the cannabis found in illicit markets in the region despite successful efforts by law enforcement authorities to address the menace.

    It indicated that though the problem of abuse and trafficking of cannabis continues to be a concern on the continent, trafficking and abuse of cocaine, heroin and amphetamine type stimulants are also rising.

    "Drug abuse is also on the rise. The fact that injecting drug abuse of heroin is increasingly reported in countries in eastern and southern Africa, could have seriously ramifications for the spread of HIV/AIDS," Hyttel said.

    He said cannabis herb has remained the most abused illicit drugin most African countries particularly in Kenya, Ethiopia, Comoros,Uganda, Madagascar and Tanzania where it constitutes a significantcommercial crop.

    "There is evidence to suggest that some of the many civil conflicts in Africa are partly funded by profits from cannabis trafficking," the report noted.

    Hyttel said the report which does not capture the seizure of about 1.1 tons of cocaine, the largest ever seizure in Africa thattook place in Kenya in December last year indicated that the east African nation is a hub on a major international drug trafficking route.

    The report encouraged governments to combine training activities and enhance the mutual understanding between social services, education and criminal justice and the public health sector for a balanced and integrated response to drug control.

    It also called on the international community to intensify its efforts to support African governments in their struggle against drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking. Enditem