Committee: United Nations Economic and Social Council
Topic B: Drug Use Prevention and Treatment
Photograph by J. Sailas / Source: United Nations Photo
Confiscated drugs being piled up for an annual bonfire in northern Thailand organized by the Thai Government.
Every year, millions of drugs are smuggled across country borders. For instance, in July, 2000, the U.S. Customs Service at Los Angeles International Airport seized 16 packages containing 2.1 million Ecstasy tablets that had an estimated street value of about $41 million (“Drug Statistics”). Likewise, Drug use problems can be traced to all parts of the world. Even developed nations have problems with drug abuse and drug trafficking. According to Dictionary.com, “Drug trafficking is the dealing, development, manufacturing and trading of illegal drugs.” Many countries ship drugs secretly by sea and land alongside legal trade products. Because much drug trafficking goes under the radar of the government, it has become a big problem. Some countries allow for illicit drug sales though, because this is a main source of revenue for them. Drug trafficking is especially a problem in Asia and the Middle East. Such drugs as heroin, cannabis, and methaqualone are the most commonly smuggled drugs in these areas. In North America and South America, cocaine is prevalent. This issue has been addressed before by the UN, but it is still a big problem throughout the world. In order to find a solution, the Member States, the UN, and countries all over the world need to come together to stop drug trafficking and prevent drug abuse before it begins.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has put forth much effort in recent years to halt the growing and shipping of illegal drugs. For instance in Bolivia, Columbia, and Peru, they have sent teams in helicopters to monitor the crops growing in these countries. If they suspect that there are illegal drugs being grown in an area, they will put a stop to it immediately and arrest those that are responsible. To do this, they will collect data by satellite imagery and take verification flights. “The hours and hours of video recorded during flights coupled with the roughly 10,000 photos taken since 2002 have become crucial tools in the coca identification efforts” (“The Crucial Role of Crop Monitoring in Bolivia”). Although these flights and pictures help to stop a number of drug farmers in many countries, there are still unknown places where drugs are being grown. These projects will continue to expand our resources and knowledge of these areas and will try to stop as much illicit drug growing as they can. These efforts can only be made possible by funding from Member States. The European Union has been a big part of this iniative, (including such countries as Denmark, France, Spain, the United Kingdom), and the United States. This funding has taken the investigation to a whole new level and will need continuous funding in order to fully solve this problem.
There have been many other resolutions and efforts by the UN to stop drug trafficking around the world. In 1988, the UN sponsored a Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, and a program officially began in 1990. Also, more recently in 2009, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime sent out a report describing the Taliban’s role in opium production (“The Eradication of Drug Trafficking in Asia”). Stopping drug growth is just the beginning of dealing with the drug problem around the world, but the UNODC has made much progress so far.
Next, the actual drug trade between countries needs to be stopped. The UNODC has also implemented some methods of control, but they need to be carried out more effectively. The Container Control Programme was set up in 2003 to help countries effectively stop drug trade across their borders. The UNODC explains, “The Container Control Programme… was developed to assist Governments to create sustainable enforcement structures in selected sea ports in order to minimize the risk of shipping containers being exploited for illicit drug trafficking, transnational organized crime and other forms of black market activity” (“The UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme (CCP)”). It is important for all countries to team up and stop the transporting of drugs. They need to target specific groups that are known to be trafficking drugs in their countries. They also need to train people to help stop these illegal activities. Another way to stop these activities is by controlling ports more carefully. Port authorities will then stop and search containers that they feel are suspicious in hopes of catching potential drug smugglers. For instance, law enforcement experts say that 65 percent of the cocaine shipped to the United States travels through the Central America-Mexico corridor using fishing and other vessels in the eastern Pacific (“Drug Trafficking in the United States”). By not allowing these drugs to enter a country, there is less of a chance that many countries will even have access to these drugs, and this limitation will help to prevent drug use.
Although there have been many efforts made to stop drug trafficking, people still find ways to obtain drugs. The effects of drugs on the human body are very harmful and can have fatal consequences. Many feel that it is important to teach people from a young age about the effects of drug use. When someone uses drugs, it does not solely hurt that person but also everyone around them. It can even break up families. That is why UNODC felt that was necessary to implement education programs for children and their families about drugs. There are many different settings for this education. One is in a family setting. This way, the whole family is targeted and will get the same education. Parents can then learn how to monitor their children and to help to continue to educate them about drug use. They can also set limits on alcohol consumption, ultimately making their children more responsible. Not only does this program promote the overall health of the family, but it can improve family functioning and communication. According to UNODC, these programs have resulted in less drug and alcohol use among children and have shown an improvement in these children’s performance in school. Children are also less depressed and aggressive (“Drug Use Prevention, Treatment, and Care”). As a guide for families to use, the UNODC has also put out a Compilation of Evidence-Based Family Skills Training Programmes to show different strategies for families to use in spreading education to their children about drug use.
Schools are another good setting to educate children and adolescents about the effects of drugs. Schools should also implement rules that do not allow for substance use while in school. This will encourage students to work harder in school and will prevent them from at least using drugs or other substances during those hours. The UNODC has also put out a guide for teachers and school administrators to follow in order to fully educate children in schools about drugs.
Beside children, it is also important to educate adults about drugs and to offer support for those who have become addicted. The workplace is a great place to do this. Employers can work with employees to educate them and set up policies against using substances in the workplace. These policies will help promote better health and prevent substance abuse. Furthermore, those that do have substance abuse problems will be able to turn to employers for help instead of being punished for something that is out of their control. For example, an UNODC study in Brazil showed a decrease of 28.7% of people using illicit drugs (“Preventing Drug Use in the Workplace”). Therefore, if employers and employees join together, they can stop drug use in the workplace and hopefully prevent drug use outside the workplace also.
Overall, the UN has made a great effort to prevent drug use and to find ways to treat those who have become addicts. Most importantly, children need to be monitored so that they never begin using drugs in the first place. Some projects that have been set up by the UN are the Global Youth Network against Drug Abuse and the Global Iniative on Primary Prevention of Substance Abuse. These programs help to educate people on the effects of drugs and will help those that already have a drug problem. Although, the UN has made progress in this area, there is still much work to be done in order to abolish drug trafficking and substance abuse around the world.
Questions
- What factors are cited by drug users for why they began to use drugs?
-
- In what ways are children more affected by drugs than adults?
- Why do some economies depend on drug trade for revenue, and why do you think some countries allow drug trafficking to occur?
Works Cited
A/RES/64/182 International Cooperation Against the World Drug Problem. 30 March 2010.
“Drug Statistics.” http://www.drug-rehabs.org/drug-statistics-c.htm.
“Drug Trafficking.” http://www.dictionary.com/.
“Drug Trafficking.” http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/drug-trafficking/index.html.
"Drug Trafficking in the United States.” http://www.policyalmanac.org/crime/archives/drug_trafficking.shtml.
“Drug Use Prevention, Treatment and Care.” http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/drug-prevention-and-treatment/index.html.
“Preventing Drug Use among Youth Works.” http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/prevention/index.html.
“Preventing Drug Use in the Workplace.” http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/prevention/workplaceprevention.html.
“The Crucial Role of Coco Crop Monitoring in Bolivia.” http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2011/May/the-crucial-role-of-coca-crop-monitoring-in-bolivia.html.
“The Eradication of Drug Trafficking in Asia.” http://www.dimun.info/researchreports/ECO%20T1.pdf.
“The UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme (CCP).” http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/drug-trafficking/horizontal-iniatives.html