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Pilgrim, Injecting solutions into the illegal drug economy

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Injecting solutions into an Illegal economy

by Clarence E. Pilgrim

There are "significant and positive changes" in the worlds drug markets, according to a United Nations (UN) 2007 World Drug Report that was released on June 26th, the designated International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

What was considered a few years ago as an unmistakable International landslide into the grips of a run-away epidemic, has been brought under control according to the report. The Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Antonio Maria Costa declared that "The lives of at least one out of every 200 people in the world are ruled by drugs."

In creating an awareness of the problem, the UN in its political declaration nearly 10 years ago stated that, "Drugs destroy lives and communities, undermine sustainable human development and generate crime. Drugs affect all sectors of society in all countries; in particular, drug abuse affects the freedom and development of young people, the world's most valuable asset. Drugs are a grave threat to the health and well-being of all mankind, the independence of States, democracy, the stability of nations, the structure of all societies, and the dignity and hope of millions of people and their families."

Although the report shows there are variable degrees of successes, one positive area is that the economics of the trade do not show an increase in world production and consumption of cannabis. There are other areas where serious challenges are emerging in places like Africa, where cocaine traffickers and heroin smugglers are seeking new routes. However, on a global perspective, both the supply of and demand for drugs are broadly stable. According to the report, drugs inclusive of cocaine, heroin, and amphetamines all show overall stability, in terms of production, trafficking and consumption. For the first time in decades Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) such as ecstasy has also been contained, with levels of production and abuse stable in many countries. Coordinated law enforcement efforts had increased the amount of drug seizures.

The arresting of the drug economy, to bring it from a run-away state to it's present level of stability is a credit to the efforts of many governments, agencies, specialized stake-holders and ordinary people who have collectively combined their efforts to reduce the harm caused by this social ill.

Drug abuse can truly be described as a "total package" problem. It creates the conditions which undermines families, retards an individuals ability to reach a state of self actualization and inflict a negative social and economic cost on society. The drug trade's influence can never be underestimated, since it injects it's control into a countries economy through a number of means including the use of violence, availability and use of illegal firearms, normalizing of deviant behavior, subverting and corrupting individuals, organizations and institutions, diverting resources from other areas of the economy to fight the problem.

Like any effective business, the key challenge the world faces is to eliminate the demand. The less the demand, the less the supply. This equation may be easily said than actually done. Wherever there is a profit to be gained, there is surely an unscrupulous, even murderous intent   which seeks to capitalize on it, and once gained protect it at all costs.

It is critical that there is the political will of leaders to invest in the resources to battle the drug trade. This does not include sweet sounding speeches with no follow-up or commitment. This does not mean reducing the priority of this battle to a mere footnote in the national budget or the next to last item on the national social development agenda. It means that any country that have a serious intention to address this problem must have the basic infrastructure for an integrated managed health care approach, within the right institutional framework.

Any solution cannot be achieved without the drug trade being a part of an overall national development plan with a clear vision for the goals that are to be achieved within   specific targets/time-frames. Crime and corruption will always achieve a foothold where economic and social development are found wanting.

It is clear that laws must be diligently enforced for the greater good of society. But we must avoid an over-reliance on the criminal justice approach to drug abuse reduction. There are other complementary approaches that (where appropriate) may be equally or more effective in the reduction of specific kinds of unlawful behavior or activities.

What is an important fact to always remember is that the drug abuse problem can be prevented, treated and controlled.

I must congratulate the work produced by the many committed and dynamic people who continue to work for the significant reduction of this "deeply rooted" problem. The rewards of their efforts, will contribute to the advancement of our civilization. Future generations will measure and judge our present capacity to successfully overcome this problem, by the state of affairs we allow to exist when this "global village" is inherited by them. Let us leave a lasting legacy that will make all of us proud.

The author is an educator and civil servant in Antgua & Barbuda 

Sirias, An interview with the editor
Bernal, Assault on truckers
Hill, Fast track to trade failure?
Colombia Support Network, The killing of FARC hostages must be condemned
Committee to Protect Journalists, Cuban independent journalist gets 15-month sentence
Muslim Council of Britain, The terrorists are everyone's enemy
Schaeffer, Will the Pink Tide wash over Paraguay next year?
Skog, Bolivia's constitutional birth pains

Pilgrim, Injecting solutions into the illegal drug economy

Carpio, Disaster reduction policies that make sense

Leis, What to do about the national ombudsman's office?

Schwab, Remarks at the signing of the US-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement