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The United Nations met bewteen June 8 to 10, 1998 in a special
session to develop a worldwide drug control strategy based on the failed
model of the US Drug War. The UN is even mimicked the absurd rhetoric of
the US war. The slogan of the UN Drug Control Program was: "A Drug Free
World - We Can Do It," and established as its objective the eradication of
all illicit opium and coca production worldwide in 10 years.
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This echoed a similar goal stated by the United States a decade ago when
the Congress passed a resolution declaring that with the nation's ongoing
commitment to the Drug War, the United States would be drug free by 1995.
Each year since that declaration, we have stepped up the Drug War
increasing federal spending from $1.65 billion in 1982 to $15.2 billion in
1997.
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Yet, despite this zealous commitment to the Drug War, coca and opium
production has doubled since 1987, heroin was seven times more pure in 1996
than in 1981 while at the same time its price dropped by two-thirds. About
half of our nation's high school students tried an illegal drug in 1995,
and in 1996, 63% of the new AIDS cases among women and children under age
13 were injection drug use related. In short, the Drug War has failed
according to the very criteria used by the United Nations Drug Control
Programme-drug production is increasing, drug prices are falling and both
drug purity and drug consumption are increasing.
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Despite the failure of the U.S. Drug War, the UN is marching toward
worldwide war on drugs. They refuse to evaluate current policy or consider
the concerns of experts and officials opposed to the war. Worldwide, more
than 100 groups are organizing to oppose the Drug War and opinion leaders
from every corner of the globe are saying a world war on drugs makes no
sense. In the face of dissent, the UNDCP closes ranks and marches forward.
Common Sense for Drug Policy is calling for open discussion and frank
debate about the best way to control drug abuse. We believe problem use of
both illegal and legal substances should be treated by doctors not
policemen.
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Drug abuse is primarily a health and social problem. According to U.S.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, "a meticulous
scientific review has now proven that needle exchange programs can reduce
the transmission of HIV and save lives without losing ground in the battle
against illegal drugs." In the Netherlands, a regulatory policy on
marijuana has resulted in 21% of their 12-18 year olds using marijuana at
some point in their lives versus 38% of the same aged children living in
Drug War USA. Switzerland recently experimented with a medically supervised
dispensation program of heroin to long term addicts which resulted in
decreasing the addicts income from illegal and semi-legal activities from
59% to 10%. These worldwide successes indicate humane pragmatism is more
successful than brute force.
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The UN should not be gearing up for a law enforcement-dominated world war.
We cannot expect different results by investing more in policies which have
already proven to be failures. Instead, the UN should provide a forum for
an open, honest and fact-based discussion to evaluate current policies and
identify successful strategies.
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Common Sense for Drug Policy
Washington, D.C.
Phone: (703) 354-5694
Fax: (703) 354-5695
Email: csdp@drugsense.org
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