Global effort vital to wipe out drug scourge

By Indunil THENUWARA

Drugs are not essentially evil. Under the right circumstances, they ease our pain and even save lives. Drugs can both improve and damage health depending on what drugs are used, in what quantities and for what purposes.

Narcotic drugs such as cocaine, cannabis, hallucinogens, opiates and hypnotic sedatives have many medical uses and are vital in relieving pain.

The need for proper control is imperative here. If not, they can lead to addiction. Awareness about this danger is what the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, celebrated on June 26, tries to create through the many programs and events.

The day was declared by the United Nations General Assembly on December 7, 1987 as an expression of its determination to strengthen action and co-operation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse.

It followed the recommendations of the International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which on June 26, 1987, had adopted the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline of Future Activities in Drug Abuse Control.

The day has been observed since 1988. On February 23, 1990, the General Assembly adopted the global program of action to combat illegal drugs and stated that the day was to be observed as part of the efforts to raise public awareness on the problem of illegal substances and their effects on society and especially young people, fighting the scourge and the promotion of preventive measures.

Significance

The significance of the day is that it was on June 26 during China's Qing Dynasty that scholar and official Lin Zexu dismantled the opium trade in Humen, Guangdong just before the Opium War.

The main commemorations of the day are carried out by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime. It has initiated three key features - drug abuse, production and trafficking of illicit drugs - in its fight against drugs.

This year's event would be observed under the theme 'Think health - not drugs' and would focus special attention on the young as they are twice as likely as adults to become addicted to drugs.

Public rallies and mass media campaigns are among the main events organised around the world in commemoration of this day.

In Sri Lanka, the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB), along with the Colombo Plan Secretariat will conduct the main event, a public awareness rally and free musical concert in Colombo on June 26.

The event will involve the participation of over 2,000 students, 1,000 Police Department personnel, representatives from the Navy, Civil Security and Coastal Guards, over 200 members from the Youth Council and different NGOs and 100 representatives from the Health Ministry and Samurdhi members.

The production and use of drugs are said to be on the increase throughout the world, including Sri Lanka. Millions of people are dependent on them. The increase in usage is largely due to easy availability. According to the UN World Drugs Report of 2007, the value of the global illegal drug trade was USD 322 billion per year.

The South Asian region has become a hotbed of activity in the global drug business with Afghanistan being one of the main opium producers and India, Pakistan and even Sri Lanka being some of the main transit points for the drugs to enter Europe. Besides affecting the users' physical and mental health and wealth and their families' economic and mental well-being, the effects of drug abuse on society are manyfold.

The lives of drug users as well as their families are disrupted, their health suffers, education is interrupted, jobs are lost and families are broken.

The social fabric of a country is torn apart and the crime rate increases; it has been found that 50 percent of prisoners are in jails due to drug-related offences. It's also a drain on the economy and resources in terms of loss of productivity and medical costs.

In short, drugs can control life. Victims become physically, emotionally and psychologically dependent on them.

According to the UNODC, there are over 200 million illicit drug users in the world. Over 162 million use cannabis, 35 million are dependent on amphetamine-style stimulants, 16 million have fallen victim to opiates while 13 million depend on cocaine.

In Sri Lanka, according to the NDDCB, there were 28,162 arrests in 2008 over drug-related offences of which 59 percent were in the age group of 30 or above while 39 percent were in their 20s. There were 51 men to every one woman arrested.

Twenty-eight percent of the arrests were over heroin while 71 percent were for cannabis. Of these arrests, the Western Province accounted for 62 percent, Southern Province 11 percent and Central Province nine percent. Colombo led with 49 percent while Gampaha and Kalutara were responsible for seven percent and five percent of the arrests.

Several foreigners were also arrested in Sri Lanka over drug offences while many Sri Lankans have been arrested abroad for the same.

Tough laws

Tough laws have been introduced in Sri Lanka to control the drug trade; the Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, Act 1 of 2008 which was enacted the same year covers 23 precursor chemicals and gives effect to the UN Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1988 Convention and the SAARC Convention. Many preventive drug education programs have been launched while treatment and rehabilitation programs are also carried out for the benefit of victims. In 2008, 2,984 people were treated for drug abuse; 2,299 (77 percent) of these were rehabilitated at NDDCB centres while 613 (21 percent) were treated at the Department of Prisons centre. Sixty-nine percent of these were from Colombo while 64 percent were over the age of 30.

It's imperative that measures are introduced to stop the harm caused by drugs while unleashing their capacity to do good.

However, despite government measures, the drug scourge won't be totally wiped out without the commitment of the public, especially the youth of the country. Besides taking tough measures against growers, global drug cartels and middlemen, it's imperative that the global community is involved in any action to control the drug trade for such action to have any real and meaningful effect.