COMMISSION ON NARCOTIC DRUGS

acting as preparatory body for the special session of the General Assembly

Vienna, July, 7-9th 1997

STATEMENT BY THE TRANSNATIONAL RADICAL PARTY

Mr. Chairman,

The Transnational Radical Party has already expressed its criticism of the policies adopted so far by the United Nations regarding the problem of substances that are placed under international control by the International Conventions. These, however, have not prevented us from attentively monitoring the effects of the policies of the governing bodies. Such attentive analyses remain a point of reference and are the point of departure for this document.

Certain passages of the 1996 International Committee Report on narcotics control are exemplary of how the current policies have worsened current problems and created new deficiencies, and without ever considering, in a pragmatic sense, that these policies are not only inefficient, but also harmful.

The second paragraph of the first chapter of the report states the following: "The Committee has documented an increase in the amount of opiates, amphetamines, and other psychotropic substances, as well as cocaine, that have been seized in recent years [...] This evolution reveals both the aggravation of the problem of drug abuse, but is due also to the improvement of the means of repression."

The third paragraph states: "The Committee believes that, despite the intensification of repressive strategies, the production and shipment of drugs, as well as their consumption has extended to regions of the world which, before recently, had never known the problem".

In the fourth paragraph, it is concluded that the actual situation, which strikes small scale dealers and consumers more than the large distributors, "can generate a sentiment of injustice and unfairness towards the penal system in the hearts of the people. Many jurisdictions are subject to the combined effect of the intense distribution and consumption of illegal drugs, as well as the effects of stronger repressive measures and a larger prison population."

The sections cited above relate to only one dimension of the drug problem, which is that of the difficulties encountered by the penal system.

More explicitly, in its February 9th, 1996 resolution the General Assembly declared its "profound worry for the fact that, despite the increasing effort of nations and international organizations, the demand has increased for the illicit production and distribution of drugs and psychotropic substances, including synthetic and "designer" drugs, and, by consequence, that the global dissemination of these drugs seriously threatens the socio-economic systems, politics, and stability of nations and the sovereignty of an increasing number of states."

Neither the Committee nor the General Assembly, at the conclusion of their analyses, confronted the question of the cause of the onslaught or what remedies are now required. On one side, the power of the criminals tied to drug trafficking must already be coldly considered, as it is an incontrovertible fact and an inevitable of our times and our societies, and, on the other, we must reaffirm that this must not prevent us from fighting them with all of the necessary resources.

The final bell of warning, which risks being rung in vain, is the World Drug Report presented by the UNDCP two weeks ago. The methodological rigor and seriousness of the scientific analysis conducted therein paints a shocking picture of the diffusion of drugs throughout the world, and is able to expand upon solutions in correct terms of damage reduction and legalization. It is a pity that the UNDCP has taken a step away from its report, and does not assume the responsibility of representing these debates by utilizing the space to maneuver that it has been provided with.

Mr.Chairman,

If the United Nations Conference is to be prepared upon these presuppositions, the future is already lost. The experience of these policies has not brought any benefits, whether direct or indirect, and the value of its analyses are increasingly negative, to the point that it seems extremely difficult to change course without deep reforms. As has been noted, the failed arrival at an objective of the International Conventions is not as worrisome as the damages the policies have caused in trying to reach that objective.

We are aware of the fact that the drug policies are a matter of individual nations and that the role of the United Nations is to encourage and reinforce international cooperation. At the same time, we have noted with great pleasure, for example, that the problem of the treatment and reduction of drug-related health risks is considered far more seriously today than it was in the past.

PROPOSALS OF THE TRANSNATIONAL RADICAL PARTY TO THE PREPARATORY BODY FOR THE 1998 SPECIAL SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The Transnational Radical Party, in light of the 1998 Special Session of the General Assembly, solicits reflection on the following:

- on the policies adopted in certain nations which have signed the International Conventions (for example, Islamic nations) regarding the products derived from alcohol, a substance which is not subject to international control;

- on the fact that the UN cannot continue to present minimal "limits" of the penalties, without simultaneously defining the maximum acceptable limits more clearly. We find ourselves in the paradoxical situation of watching the ostracization of nations that have democratically decided not to prosecute consumers, without there ever being any sort of condemnation for the nations that often resort to the death penalty for the simple possession of substances that are subject to international control.

- on the necessity of the UN's determined opposition to the extant limits regarding the laws for the cure of citizens who are addicts, and the consequent obstacles placed upon the freedom of physicians.

The Transnational Radical Party, in view of the 1998 Special Session of the General Assembly, proposes a pragmatic work method: to conceive political decisions for the goal of controlling the problem, beginning with the acquisition and study, of all the available scientific facts.

To this end we would suggest to the Preparatory body commission two scientific studies with the aim of more throughly understanding the nature of the reforms that are to be adopted:

- Cost evaluation/Efficiency of the International Conventions, with particular focus on the markets where substances that are subject to control, and the impact of their presence upon social, economic, judicial, and health care systems;

Evaluation of the recent scientific researches regarding substances that are under the control of International Conventions, and the eventual proposal for the updating of the list of substances that are to be placed under international control.

An open political debate within the Preparatory Body that will result in the revision of the International Conventions should also be considered. We are not the only ones who request such a discussion. The European Parliament, in its report on the European Union's plan of action for 1995-1999, has recommended that a conference should be held which will "encourage reflection and analysis of the results of current policies, as they have been dictated by the UN Conventions of 1961, 1971, and 1988, and to also open the way for an eventual revision of those conventions."

Thank you Mr.Chairman.