General Assembly message to world: reduce drug demand!

The UN General Assembly has agreed to make an all-out effort to reduce drug demand in consumer developed countries and to aid developing countries trying to eradicate narcotic crops and production.

At the end of a four-day special session (20-23 February, New York), marked by "passionate intensity" in its calls for action-as Assembly President joseph N. Garba put it-the world body unanimously adopted a Political Declaration and a Global Programme of Action against the drug scourge.

Preventing the diversion of precursor chemicals and equipment used in the manufacture of narcotic drugs and aiding transit countries in controlling illicit trafficking were also emphasized in the 30-point Declaration and the 100-paragraph Programme of Action.

The Assembly, in adopting resolution S-17/2 at its seventeenth special session, also proclaimed a UN Decade against Drug Abuse (1991-2000). States Members committed themselves to give high priority to the fight against drugs and to increase efforts and resources in order to intensify international co-operation and concerted action in key areas.

Drug-producing developing countries should receive stronger international economic and technical support for viable alternative income schemes, such as crop substitution, the Assembly declared. Increased health, social, judicial and law enforcement assistance should be provided to affected countries.

At the national level, special emphasis should be placed on

stronger measures to eliminate demand for narcotic drugs", the Political Declaration states.

The far-reaching Global Programme of Action-an international blueprint in the fight against drugs-deals with all aspects of the problem, from elimination of illicit demand and addict rehabilitation to steps to be taken against the illegal use of the banking system and diversion of arms and explosives by the drug lords. UN asked to do more

Although asking that more be done in the war against drugs, the Assembly did not set a specific dollar figure to pay for this increased effort. Current UN antidrug activities are reportedly already facing a $33 million to $35 million biennial resource gap. mi

Secretary-General javier Perez de Cuellar warned on 20 February that resources for new programmes could not be found by mere redeployment and asked that more money in the regular budget be considered. Among many other new tasks.. the UN is now expected to act as an advisory information centre on demand reduction.

Mr. Perez de Cuellar's assessment was shared by Assembly President Garba, who said that the expectation that UN agencies could perform well their assigned tasks without an increase in resources was unrealistic.

"In their war against many societies, the drug cartels and their henchmen ask no quarter and give no quarter", he said. The UN should be provided with financial resources "to match the challenge at hand".

UN drug control activities coordinator Margaret J. Anstee went even further. At a press conference on 23 February, she said that the war against drugs might be lost for lack of adequate funding.

"We're being asked to do very much more with less", she said, adding that at some point the UN might be forced to say that it could not do everything it was being asked to do without proper funding. A high-level forum

A total of 111 speakers addressed the session, among them the Prime Ministers of Trinidad and Tobago and Peru, and high-level ministers from 45 countries.

An Ad Hoc Committee chaired by Peter Hohenfellner of Austria formulated the final texts of the Political Declaration and the Global Programme of Action before sending it to plenary for adoption.

The groundwork for the session had been laid by a Preparatory Committee, also chaired by Mr. Hohenfellner.

Tighter co-ordination of all UN anti-drug efforts is one goal of the 'system-wide plan of action" requested by the Assembly last December resolution 44/141). A draft outline of the plan is being completed.

Among other documents, the seventeenth session considered a report of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. At its eleventh special session (29 january-2 February, Vienna), the Commission placed six "designer drugs'-all analogues of fenatyle-and four psychotropic substances under strict international controls. Drugs know no boundaries

The World Health Organization (WHO) on 16 February reported an upsurge of drug abuse in all regions. While the situation in Africa was deteriorating, in the Americas the abuse of cocaine, cannabis and multiple drugs, often involving alcohol and psychotropic substances, continued to increase.

Heroin abuse was increasing in Asia and the Far East, reaching epidemic proportions in some countries. Europe's main problem involved abuse by injection of heroin, with cocaine and amphetamine use rising rapidly. In the Near and Middle East, cannabis abuse was now accompanied by the use of heroin in several countries.

"Crack" cocaine and "designer drugs" had become deadly popular in North...