| Message from the
President |
At the turn of this century, we should look back and ask ourselves how successfully we
have responded to the challenges inherited from the last century and prepare ourselves for
those to be faced in the next. During this century, international drug control has been a
fairly successful endeavour. The unrestricted availability of opium and other drugs at the
end of the last century led to unprecedented levels of drug use; for example, over 25 per
cent of the adult male population of China smoked opium and opium dens were commonplace in
Europe. Confronted by the devastating health and social consequences resulting from the
unrestricted availability of drugs, it became evident that national and domestic
legislation in isolation were insufficient and that international collaboration and
cooperation were essential.
In 1909, the first international conference on drugs was
held in Shanghai, China. The adoption of the International Opium Convention in 1912 laid
foundations for the modern international drug control system based on international
consensus. Since then, it has been extended to cover other narcotic drugs and psychotropic
substances as well as their chemical precursors, which are used in illicit drug
manufacture. The principle of all international drug control treaties is to limit
internationally controlled substances to legitimate use -- in the case of drugs, to
medical and scientific purposes. The Board monitors Governments' actions to ensure that
the drug Conventions are implemented in letter and in spirit.
Today, licit narcotic drugs are effectively controlled
almost everywhere in the world, and this control covers all phases -- from production,
manufacture, trade and distribution to consumption. There is virtually no diversion of
licit manufactured narcotic drugs into illicit traffic, even though the number and
quantity of drugs under the international narcotics control regimes are substantial. The
control of psychotropic substances is achieving similar results. Had it not been for these
controls, the addiction epidemics seen in some countries in the first few decades of the
20th century would have continued and similar situations would have developed in many
other countries.
Notwithstanding the considerable and obvious achievements
of international drug control, many challenges remain. One of them is ensuring the
availability of drugs for appropriate medical purposes. Morphine, codeine and other
opioids, for example, which are essential for the alleviation of pain, are not always
accessible to those who need them. On the other hand, certain psychotropic substances
appear to be over-prescribed in many countries.
Such over-prescription goes hand in hand with societal
attitudes encouraging pharmaceutical solutions for all social and behavioral problems,
however minor. If young people are told to take prescription drugs to respond to emotional
stress, to improve their school performance and to achieve conformity with the generally
desired body image, how can they be expected to refrain from abusing drugs? In this
environment, influencing the attitudes of young people so that they refrain from drug
abuse is a difficult challenge. More efforts must be made worldwide to create youth
cultures rejecting the use of controlled substances except for well-established medical
purposes.
The increasingly politicized battle over cannabis must end,
since it has had a negative effect on attitudes towards drug abuse, particularly from
young people. The Board has noted with regret how possible medical uses of cannabis have
been used to justify the legalization of all cannabis use. The Board welcomes and
encourages serious, scientific research on the alleged medical properties of cannabis as
well as the wide dissemination of such work, but warns against misusing these research
efforts for "blanket" legalization purposes. Should the medical usefulness of
cannabis be established, it will be a drug no different from most narcotic drugs and
psychotropic substances. Cannabis, prescribed for medical purposes, would also be subject
to licensing and other control measures under the international drug control treaties.
In June 1998, I addressed the Special Session of the
General Assembly on the World Drug Problem and witnessed how leaders of governments around
the world reaffirmed their political will to strengthen measures against drug abuse and
illicit trafficking. The Political Declaration and Action Plans emanating from that event
will be globally and universally applied, since they are founded on commitment at the
highest level. Follow-up to this session will now be crucial. In the Political
Declaration, governments pledged that "commitments must be met by action and
resources needed to ensure real and measurable results". This pledge must now be
translated into action and tangible results. This is the opportunity for governments to
show that they are serious about national and international commitments by implementing
the action plans fully and conscientiously. The Board will monitor these developments,
within the mandate entrusted to it under the international drug control treaties.
Adopting the Declaration on the Guiding Principles of
Demand Reduction is an important step forward. The Declaration incorporates many of the
Board's views on this issue, as highlighted in its annual report for 1993 and again in its
annual report for 1997. If a substantial change in attitudes towards drug abuse leads to a
cultural change in societies towards drug use, drug demand for non-medical purposes can be
reduced considerably.
The world community has come a long way during this century
and, in recent years, there has been consensus for a balanced approach towards all aspects
of drug abuse and related problems. Now we need to move towards the next millennium with
resolute determination to reinforce the international consensus. To achieve this, the
universal ratification and implementation of as well as compliance with the drug
Conventions will be essential. We celebrate those who laid the foundation for our modern
approaches and hope the world community of today will be judged in the same light in the
future.
Hamid GHODSE |
