cannabisnews.com: The Latest Dispatches From The War On Drugs





The Latest Dispatches From The War On Drugs
Posted by CN Staff on March 04, 2003 at 07:53:40 PT
Editorial
Source: Globe and Mail 
The latest global report on illicit drugs makes for sobering and at times controversial reading.Among its assessments: Cultivation and trafficking of cocaine and heroin are as widespread as ever despite much improved co-operation among governments. The manufacture and use of synthetic drugs such as ecstasy is exploding. The supply of opiate raw materials and legal narcotics far outstrips legitimate demand. The trend toward decriminalizing marijuana is undermining international law and making it harder to combat growing worldwide drug abuse.
Such findings sound as if they could have come straight from the Bush White House. But they actually emanate from the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), a United Nations-financed panel that monitors the international drug trade and compliance with UN treaties. The current board members hail from Russia, China, three European and eight developing countries, whose policies on narcotics range from liberal (Netherlands) to harsh (Iran).Unlike the Iraq crisis, when it comes to the war on drugs there is considerable international support for Washington's hard-line approach. Yet the word that comes to mind when assessing the global situation is "intractable."The INCB attempts to put to rest the myth that the production of cocaine and opium provides significant benefits for poor rural economies. Although both cultivation and manufacture are labour-intensive, there is little increase in employment, only 1 per cent of the money ends up with the crop growers and the rest of the economy is badly distorted.Afghanistan is a perfect example of the destructive power of drug-based trade. The Taliban had sharply reduced opium cultivation in 2000. But since their dreadful regime was toppled, production has soared, reaching about 3,000 tonnes last year, despite a decree by the interim government banning cultivation.The report is unequivocal on cannabis, sharply criticizing Italy, Spain, Portugal and Luxembourg for decriminalizing its use, slamming Switzerland and the Netherlands for allowing its sale in coffee houses and considering partial legalization, and worrying about the confusion caused by Britain's decision to soften its rules. How do you stop burgeoning production for illegal export in places such as Morocco when you're encouraging consumption in major markets?The watchdog also worries about Canada, where the government is about to introduce legislation decriminalizing the use of small amounts of the drug. We have argued that this is the best of an unsatisfactory set of options, but we do not underestimate the pitfalls.And the INCB is vexed by the Dutch and Canadian decisions to authorize the use of cannabis for certain medical reasons "although no conclusive results concerning the possible therapeutic properties . . . have been obtained from the research conducted in those countries or anywhere else."The INCB has one overriding interest in the drug debate: enforcing existing UN treaties controlling narcotics and psychotropic substances, including the 1961 convention that restricts cannabis. It suggests that if countries no longer regard the substance as dangerous, they should revisit the treaty. Maybe that is the best way to proceed, whether to reaffirm the treaty or offer proof that a less punitive regime would be preferable. Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)Published: Tuesday, March 4, 2003 - Page A14 Copyright: 2003 The Globe and Mail CompanyContact: letters globeandmail.caWebsite: http://www.globeandmail.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:INCBhttp://www.incb.org Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmThis Fantasy World of Drug Prohibition http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15600.shtmlUN Attacks Blunkett's New Cannabis Law http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15565.shtmlNarcotics Production Harms Poor Nations http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15561.shtml 
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Comment #7 posted by WolfgangWylde on March 05, 2003 at 04:49:32 PT
Thank the Prez...
...Seriously, Bush showed the world that you don't have to pay attention to treaties if you don't want to. The world took note when he declared the ABM treaty null and void. Now other countries are free to pick and choose as well.
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Comment #6 posted by Virgil on March 04, 2003 at 10:24:18 PT
Vienna conference- Aoril 8
It suggests that if countries no longer regard the substance as dangerous, they should revisit the treaty. There are plenty of people that would like to change it in 5 weeks when the insanity is asked to stop in Vienna http://www.edprc.org/
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Comment #5 posted by Commonsense on March 04, 2003 at 09:50:35 PT
Fresh off the press
Here is more of the same type of stuff from our government: http://www.state.gov/g/inl/rls/nrcrpt/2002/html/It's the 2002 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report. It's full of interesting statistics.
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Comment #4 posted by afterburner on March 04, 2003 at 09:36:24 PT:
Count the lies: three lies and a truth.
The trend toward decriminalizing marijuana is undermining international law and making it harder to combat growing worldwide drug abuse. Admitting the long-standing folly and great mistake of criminalizing and demonizing a plant that has been used medicinally for thousands of year has nothing to do with the still growing threat of illegal hard drugs like cocaine and heroin. In fact, the reverse is true. Separating cannabis, a mild psychedelic with many medical uses from hard drugs reduces the access to hard drugs.Unlike the Iraq crisis, when it comes to the war on drugs there is considerable international support for Washington's hard-line approach.If there is profound support for Washington's hard-line War on Drugs, then why does the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), a United Nations lapdog for John P. Walters, feel the dire need to lean heavily on all countries pursuing a more enlightened and humane approach to drug use and abuse?And the INCB is vexed by the Dutch and Canadian decisions to authorize the use of cannabis for certain medical reasons "although no conclusive results concerning the possible therapeutic properties . . . have been obtained from the research conducted in those countries or anywhere else."The medical benefits have been verified by many recent studies, including GW Pharmaceuticals studies. Ask Dr. Ethan Russo for many more examples.INCB ... suggests that if countries no longer regard the substance as dangerous, they should revisit the treaty. Yes, this is exactly what needs to be done: the bottom-up approach of state initiatives and cannabis liberalization experiments with "coffee" shops has lit the fuse. Now, the federal and international authorities are duty-bound to make a reasonable and medically and scientifically appropriate response to clarify the incorrect scheduling of cannabis as schedule one, which we refer to as the Schedule One Lie, and modify the UN treaties to allow ill people to obtain physical relief and spiritual seekers to manifest their minds.ego destruction or ego transcendence, that is the question.“Appeal to reform the UN Conventions on Drugs” http://www.radicalparty.org/lia_paa_appeal/ind
“Appeal to reform the UN Conventions on Drugs”
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Comment #3 posted by Truth on March 04, 2003 at 09:21:04 PT
but....
If this article wanted to mention some REAL sobering statistics it would have brought up tobacco and alcohol, the real killers.If anyone knows of bigger "weapons of mass destruction" please let me know.
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Comment #2 posted by Sam Adams on March 04, 2003 at 09:18:40 PT
Great editorial
It's watered down, but this looks like a call for Canada to consider bailing out of the UN treaties, possibly for cannabis alone. Bravo!The editorial itself is almost comical - I love the UN assertion that the drug economy doesn't REALLY help poor economies - it "distorts" them! This is Big Brother-speak for, "only poor people are benefitting, the rich elite and controlling political class are NOT getting their cut, and they're pissed!"How can farming, mining, and oil mega-corporations continue to exploit poor people to work for $1 a week when drug lords will pay them 100 times that! Nothing angers the blood-sucking political class more than seeing people in the lowest caste get rich without paying taxes!
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Comment #1 posted by Virgil on March 04, 2003 at 08:48:50 PT
The INCB is irrelevant
They cannot be taken seriously when they have such far-out opinions on something we all know by first hand experience is virtually benign while being beneficial. Tell me something a person could plant that can help them with all the anxiety as the wealthy build intstitutions to rob them of a fair day's pay for a day of don't park over the line, don't be late, don't leave the premises, work through break, punch out for lunch, don't complain, don't say the word union, don't complain about working conditions or anything else, and work cheap. There are a billion people in China that can do your job.The INCB is irrelevant to a pragmatic approach to a real problem they call drug use and we call substance abuse. Why don't they prohibit food as obesity is huge problem, so to speak. 1/2(lol)!
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