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< NEWS FROM THE WORLD >
GERMANYCuts in the healthcare budget could compromise methadone therapy according to the physician responsible for the doctors authorized to treat drug addicts. " If the pay is reduced for those who must dedicate great quantities of time to such weak patients, it will be difficult to find doctors willing to take them under care." Currently the number of heroin addicts treated with methadone are 15,000; another 30,000 are treated with codeine. (DER SPIEGEL, 10/02)
FRANCEThe "Terre sans Droque" association, created by Deputies of the Rpr and supported by Minister Guy Drut, intends to contrast any weakness among polititians with regards to drug related issues. Their credo is: prohibition and abstinence. The theorectical inspiration behind the association comes from Professor Gabriel Nahas, who assertains that the use of cannibis cause irrepairable damage to the brain, early aging, and the birth of children with two or more heads... (L'EVENMENT DU JEUDI, 0/2)
EGYPTImportant Egyptian press coverage to what is considered to be a national scandal: Drug parties are becoming common among the young under the banner of the famous triangle: sex and drugs and rock and roll. Heavy metal music is particularly under fire for making the young go against the teachings of the Koran. (INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE 12/02)
MALDIVE ISLANDSTwo Italians and a Swiss citizen were pardoned after having been condemned to life imprisonment for possession of a small quantity of hashish. The pressure of international public opinion was a deciding factor. In Maldive Island prisons another 360 persons are still being detained for similar offenses. (IL MESSAGGERO, LA REPUBBLICA, LA STAMPA, NEUE ZUERCHER ZEITUNG 07/02, CORSERA 07-09/02, IL GIORNALE 07-10/02)
ALBANIAIt is not true that agriculture is dead in Albania, especially if the new diversification of crops is considered. Tons and tons of once grain and cotton crops are now being replaced by similar quantities of marijuana, engendering a sort of new national pastime involving at least 5,000 farming families. (IL GIORNALE, 15/02)
ITALYDon Mazzi, a priest involved in drug addiction rehabilitation, is against both imprisonment and rehab-communities. Prison does not re-educate, and communities that were at one time efficient for heroin addicts are not suited to the new groups of younger addicts with an addiction to ecstasy. On the subject of prisons he agrees with Don Ciotti, another priest, who has proposed, as an alternative, the creation of psycological support services. (LA REPUBBLICA 07/12, LA STAMPA 15/02)
ITALYThe Minister of Justice published the news that half of Italian 18 year olds smoke hashish, according to data compiled during the routine medical visit for obbligatory military service. The following day this statistic was corrected to a ratio of 50 smokers for every 1,000 young men tested. (LA REPUBBLICA 06/02, IL MESSAGGERO 07/02)
U.S.A.Richard Brookhiser, a journalist ill with cancer who smoked marijuana to effectively alleviate his nausea, reminds readers that therapeutic use of marijuana is illegal except in California. An absurdity in his opinon given that the substance has proven effective in certain cases. (INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE 06/02)
ITALYWhile the arm wrestle continues between physicians who use the UROD method and the Ministry of Public Health who currently does not pass the treatment, several Italian treatment centers use a mix of pharmaceuticals similar to UROD with regular governmental permission. Costs are sustained by the patient seeking treatment. (LA REPUBBLICA 06/02)
HOLLANDAn Amsterdam court condemned with stiff sentences the leaders of a criminal organization involved in the vast hashish traffic from Pakistan to Holland and Canada. Even if the use and cultivation of small quantities of the drug are tolerated, this does not imply that dealing on a large scale will not be condemned as organized crime. (FINANCIAL TIMES 09/02)
ITALYThe head attorney of Palermo, Caselli, has appealed to European governments for a community penal code that could help in the fight against illegal drug traffic. Against dealers, an integration between police forces and magistrates must be obtained, as simple cooperation in inquests is not enough. (LA REPUBBLICA 09/02)
U.S.A.The FDA has recently approved a kit containing a drug test destined for family use. Where will such a philosophy lead? Will the next step be closed circuit television in the kids' bedrooms? And to think that not long ago, reading a son or daughter's diary was considered a breech of privacy.... (INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE 11/02)
ITALYThe Vatican has launched another campain against the proposal to legalize recreational drugs. According to the Vatican, it would amount to assasination ,as it would give legal coverage to an operation that is devastating and damaging to human beings. (CORSERA, IL GIORNALE, LA REPUBBLICA 13/02, LE FIGARO 14/02)
U.S.A.Clinton's proposal to invest 350 million dollars for TV ads against drug abuse has encountered resistance from many sectors, considering the high costs involved. The idea should not be easily dismissed however, bombarding viewers on prime time television would force people to take notice and should be designed particularly with young people in mind. (LA REPUBBLICA 14/02)
SWITZERLANDThe Federal Council has established a Commission for drug related problems that will act on two fronts; advise the Commission, the Internal Affairs Department, and the Health Ministry, and encourage the enactment of drug related policies in collaboration with the National Drug Council. (NEUE ZUERCHER ZEITUNG, 13/02)
MEXICOIn a document sent to the US Justice Department, the Mexican government has decided to admit to the evidence that the fight against drug dealers is hindered by a network of complicity that the dealers have been able to weave within the police force. (LE MONDE 14/02)
FRANCETo seduce adolescents, publicity agencies use more or less disguised forms of drug-related illusions. Ads are filled with "rave" codes related to the use of Ecstasy, that are not picked up on by parents or censors. (LIBERATION 14/02)
USAIt is not enough to have discovered the relationship between neurotransmitters and every individual drug to solve the problem of drug addiction. It is necessary to establish the role of the thought processes, sensory perception and the expectations and goals of each individual user. It would be important to study the reasons why many are able get out of the trap of addiction while others are not. To obtain these goals much more funding is necessary for research. An article published in the Science journal by neurologist Michael S. Gazzaniga. (DER SPIEGEL, 17/02)
GERMANY1712 drug related deaths in 1996. The highest increase since 1991. The government official deems particularly alarming the diffusion of the use of Ecstasy. Methadone substitution therapy is considered a failure. Clear refusal towards legalisation. (FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG, SUEDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG,18/02)
COLOMBIAColombia has displaced Bolivia as the second ranked producer of cocaine and is becoming important in the production of heroin. The USA is studying commercial sanctions as a deterrent. (INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE, 18/02)
ASIAThe legendary Silk Road in central Asia is once again open to traffic, but instead of the traditional silk and spices, the cargoes are heavy drugs destined for Western cities. (TIME 24/02)
