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VIVEKANANDA INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2013 IN COLLABORATIONS WITH UNITED NATIONS INFORMATION CENTRE FOR INDIAN AND BHUTAN

24th 25th January, 2013

VIPS MUN 2013 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)

VIPS MUN 2013In collaborations with United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan

UNGA Background Guide

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United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)

Chairman: Gourab RayVice Chair: Joshika Saraf

Agenda: “International Cooperation against world Drug Problem”






CHAIRPERSON: GOURAB RAY

Gourab is 4th Year B.Tech student at National Power Training Institute, New Delhi

Gourab's Major Experiences:

INMUN (SCHOOL) RYAN SCHOOLS (IRAQ) SPECIAL MENTION

INMUN(SCHOOL) RYAN SCHOOLS (NEPAL) HIGH COMM ENDATION

DPS MUN (PARAGUAY) HIGH COMMENDATION

BITSMUN BITS PILANI (INDONESIA) PARTICIPATION

YOUTHMUNLINGAYAS UNIVERSITY(IRAN)SPECIAL MENTION

IITRMUN, IIT ROORKEE (ISRAEL)HIGH COMM

NUJSMUN, NUJS KOLKATA(FRANCE)SPECIAL MENTION

DDUCMUN, DU, (BRAZIL)SPECIAL MENTION

NITDMUN 2011, NIT DURGAPUR, PRESIDENT (SC)

IITDMUN, IIT DELHI,(INDIA)HIGH COMMENDATION

IITKMUN, IIT KANPUR, DIRECTOR (ECOSOC)

SIMUNC’ SYMBIOSIS LAW SCHOOL, NOIDA PRESIDENT (SC)

MACMUN, DELHI UNIVERSITY( UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)

TISMUN, AHMEDABAD, DIRECTORGENERAL (WHO)

CONFLUENCEMUN, IIMAHMEDABAD, VICECHAIR (U.N. PRIVATE SECTOR FORUM)

THAPARMUN, THAPAR UNIVERSITY, PATIALA (RUSSIAN FED,

SOCHUM) HIGHER COMMENDATION

BITSMUN, BITS PILANI, CHAIRPERSON (UNDP)

AMIMUN 12, AMITY UNIVERSITY, NOIDACHAIRPERSON (UNCSTD)

BVP, Chandigarh (President, SC)






Letter From the Executive Board:

Honourable Delegates,

On behalf of the Secretariat of VIPSMUN2013, I would like to welcome

you to the substantive session of United Nations General Assembly. I am

Gourab Ray and I will be officiating as the President through this exciting

simulation. I am final year student at the National Power Training Institute,

New Delhi.

I am sure it will be a great learning experience for delegates both

experienced and the ones who will experience it for the first time. I would

them to embrace this opportunity and participate.

I am thrilled to be a part of VIPSMUN’13 as it will be a platform for

discussion, deliberation and consensus over the important and prevalent

issues. We promise to deliver an engaging, enticing and exciting council

engraved deeply with UN procedures and principles. Diplomacy and

adherence to foreign policy will be of the utmost importance. Knowledge of

international politics, the state of global affairs is required to make

constructive progress to complex and intertwined multi lateral problems.

The topics we have on the floor are multifaceted and highly relevant in the

twentyfirst century global scenario. As, the President I would implore you

to explore the issues with multiple lenses and consider diverse viewpoints of

various actors, nations and regions impacted directly or indirectly by the

issues for a comprehensive approach while researching for the conference.






The following pages will guide you on the working of the council, and also

with relevant information related to both the agendas. The Background

Guide is intended to give you an insight as to what we as the Executive

Board expect from you in terms of what to debate upon, how to frame a

solution, etc. Please NOTE once again – this guide may NOT be the only

source of your research, and citing arguments, statements, and accusations

from the guide will NOT be accepted. Please understand that the UN is not a

court of law, discussions and deliberations that happen in the UN chambers

although should be done within the ambit of proper legality but the force of

law is not the only instrument that is used while negotiating or discussions

for the issue at hand. Since most of you delegates are law students, it would

be advisable to take committee in a way that you do not go overboard with

your knowledge about the legal aspects.

The entire Executive Board and I are eager to meet you expect the best from

all the delegates; I know each one is equally talented to rise to the occasion

to solve the agendas at hand. I anticipate you to enjoy the conference make

new bonds and friendships in the 2 days of the conference.

Regards,

Gourab Ray,

Chairperson, UN General Assembly, VIPSMUN 2013

Email Address: [email protected]






The Nature of Proof/Evidence in Council

Evidence or proof is acceptable from the following sources → News Sources:

1. REUTERS – Any Reuters article which clearly makes mention of the fact or is in contradiction of the fact being stated by a delegate in council. http://www.reuters.com/

2. State operated News Agencies – These reports can be used in the support of or against the State that owns the News Agency. These reports, if credible or substantial enough, can be used in support of or against any Country as such but in that situation, they can be denied by any other country in the council. Some examples are – RIA Novosti (Russia) http://en.rian.ru/, IRNA (Iran) http://www.irna.ir/ENIndex.htm, BBC (United Kingdom) http://www.bbc.co.uk/, Xinhua News Agency and CCTV (P.R. Of China) http://cctvnews.cntv.cn/

→ Government Reports:These reports can be used in a similar way as the State Operated News Agencies reports and can, in all circumstances, be denied by another country. However, a nuance is that a report that is being denied by a certain country can still be accepted by the Executive Board as credible information.

Examples are Government Websites like:

1. State Department of the United States of America: http://www.state.gov/index.htm, Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation http://www.eng.mil.ru/en/index.htm,

2. Permanent Representatives to the United Nations Reports http://www.un.org/en/members/ (Click on any country to get the website of the Office of its Permanent Representative.

3. Multilateral Organizations like the NATO (http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/index.htm),ASEAN (http://www.aseansec.org/),OPEC (http://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/), etc.


http://www.reuters.com/

http://www.aseansec.org/),OPEC

http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/index.htm

http://www.un.org/en/members/





→ UN Reports:

All UN Reports are considered as credible information or evidence for the Executive Board of the Security Council.

1. UN Bodies: Like the SC (http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/), GA (http://www.un.org/en/ga/), HRC(http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/HRCIndex.aspx) etc.

2. UN Affiliated bodies like the International Atomic Energy Agency (http://www.iaea.org/),World Bank (http://www.worldbank.org/), International Monetary Fund

(http://www.imf.org/external/index.htm), International Committee of the Red Cross (http://www.icrc.org/eng/index.jsp), etc.

3. Treaty Based Bodies like the Antarctic Treaty System (http://www.ats.aq/e/ats.htm), theInternational Criminal Court (http://www.icc-cpi.int/Menus/ICC)

Under no circumstances will sources like Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org/), Amnesty International (http://www.amnesty.org/), or newspapers like the Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/), Times of India (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/), etc. be accepted.


http://www.icc-cpi.int/Menus/ICC





The General AssemblyCOMPOSITION

Article 9

1. The General Assembly shall consist of all the Members of the United Nations.2. Each Member shall have not more than five representatives in the General Assembly.

FUNCTIONS and POWERS

Article 10

The General Assembly may discuss any questions or any matters within the scope of the present Charter or relating to the powers and functions of any organs provided for in the present Charter, and, except as provided in Article 12, may make recommendations to the Members of the United Nations or to the Security Council or to both on any such questions or matters.

Article 11

1. The General Assembly may consider the general principles of cooperation in the maintenance of international peace and security, including the principles governing disarmament and the regulation of armaments, and may make recommendations with regard to such principles to the Members or to the Security Council or to both.

2. The General Assembly may discuss any questions relating to the maintenance of international peace and security brought before it by any Member of the United Nations, or by the Security Council, or by a state which is not a Member of the United Nations in accordance with Article 35, paragraph 2, and, except as provided in Article 12, may make recommendations with regard to any such questions to the state or states concerned or to the Security Council or to both. Any such question on which action is necessary shall be referred to the Security Council by the General Assembly either before or after discussion.

3. The General Assembly may call the attention of the Security Council to situations which are likely to endanger international peace and security.






4. The powers of the General Assembly set forth in this Article shall not limit the general scope of Article 10.

Article 12

1. While the Security Council is exercising in respect of any dispute or situation the functions assigned to it in the present Charter, the General Assembly shall not make any recommendation with regard to that dispute or situation unless the Security Council so requests.

2. The SecretaryGeneral, with the consent of the Security Council, shall notify the General Assembly at each session of any matters relative to the maintenance of international peace and security which are being dealt with by the Security Council and shall similarly notify the General Assembly, or the Members of the United Nations if the General Assembly is not in session, immediately the Security Council ceases to deal with such matters.

Article 13

1. The General Assembly shall initiate studies and make recommendations for the purpose of: a. promoting international cooperation in the political field and encouraging the progressive development of international law and its codification; b. promoting international cooperation in the economic, social, cultural, educational, and health fields, and assisting in the realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion.

2. The further responsibilities, functions and powers of the General Assembly with respect to matters mentioned in paragraph 1 (b) above are set forth in Chapters IX and X.

Article 14

Subject to the provisions of Article 12, the General Assembly may recommend measures for the peaceful adjustment of any situation, regardless of origin, which it deems likely to impair the general welfare or friendly relations among nations, including situations resulting from a violation of the provisions of the present Charter setting forth the Purposes and Principles of the United Nations.

Article 15






1. The General Assembly shall receive and consider annual and special reports from the Security Council; these reports shall include an account of the measures that the Security Council has decided upon or taken to maintain international peace and security.

2. The General Assembly shall receive and consider reports from the other organs of the United Nations.

Article 16

The General Assembly shall perform such functions with respect to the international trusteeship system as are assigned to it under Chapters XII and XIII, including the approval of the trusteeship agreements for areas not designated as strategic.

Article 17

1. The General Assembly shall consider and approve the budget of the Organization.

2. The expenses of the Organization shall be borne by the Members as apportioned by the General Assembly.

3. The General Assembly shall consider and approve any financial and budgetary arrangements with specialized agencies referred to in Article 57 and shall examine the administrative budgets of such specialized agencies with a view to making recommendations to the agencies concerned.

VOTING

Article 18

1. Each member of the General Assembly shall have one vote.

2. Decisions of the General Assembly on important questions shall be made by a twothirds majority of the members present and voting. These questions shall include: recommendations with respect to the maintenance of international peace and security, the election of the nonpermanent members of the Security Council, the election of the members of the Economic and Social Council, the election of members of the Trusteeship Council in accordance with paragraph 1 (c) of Article 86, the admission of new Members to the United Nations, the suspension of the rights and






privileges of membership, the expulsion of Members, questions relating to the operation of the trusteeship system, and budgetary questions.

3. Decisions on other questions, including the determination of additional categories of questions to be decided by a twothirds majority, shall be made by a majority of the members present and voting.

Article 19

A Member of the United Nations which is in arrears in the payment of its financial contributions to the Organization shall have no vote in the General Assembly if the amount of its arrears equals or exceeds the amount of the contributions due from it for the preceding two full years. The General Assembly may, nevertheless, permit such a Member to vote if it is satisfied that the failure to pay is due to conditions beyond the control of the Member.

PROCEDURE

Article 20

The General Assembly shall meet in regular annual sessions and in such special sessions as occasion may require. Special sessions shall be convoked by the SecretaryGeneral at the request of the Security Council or of a majority of the Members of the United Nations.

Article 21

The General Assembly shall adopt its own rules of procedure. It shall elect its President for each session.

Article 22

The General Assembly may establish such subsidiary organs as it deems necessary for the performance of its functions.






Introduction

A drug is defined as a substance that causes a change in state of mind by acting on the central nervous system, and while many legal drugs exist, such as caffeine and tobacco, it is the production, trafficking, and usage of narcotic drugs that presents us with the current world drug problem. It is estimated that globally, up to 272 million people aged between 15 and 64 have used drugs in the past year, and though this number has increased within the last ten years, the overall prevalence of drug usage has remained relatively stable. Currently, cannabis is the most widely produced drug, with cannabis herb production taking place in countries such as Belgium, Brazil, the Congo, and Colombia, just to name a few. This is followed by cocaine and heroin, though production of these two drugs has fallen in recent years, whereas production of amphetaminetype stimulants (ATS) has increased to a point comparable to heroin.

Aside from the myriad problems that drug abuse brings about for the individual consumers, drug trafficking also threatens the security of nations where, due to poor border regulation and internal security, the drug trade has become rampant and spread corruption throughout the population, even up to government officials. For these reasons, and more, it is crucial that a solution can be found to reduce the supply and demand of these illicit drugs and to ensure that drugrelated corruption does not pose a risk to public or national security. International cooperation is important in this as it can help tighten border security, which would help to curtail the problem of transnational drug trafficking.

It is a wellknown fact that Drug abuse is ubiquitous throughout the world. The use of drugs, both legal and illegal is widespread. In 2005, the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime estimates that approximately 200 million people (or 5% of the world’s population aged 15 to 64) had used illegal drugs at least once in the past 12 months and suggested that the retail value of illicit drugs in the world was around $321 billion. It is pertinent to note that in many countries including the United States, the most noteworthy response to the alleged illegal drug problem has been the incarceration of massive numbers of people. In fact there are more number of people imprisoned for the commission of drug offences in the United States (around 500,000) than are incarcerated in England, France, Germany and Japan for all crimes combined. These paradoxes require us to consider the distinctions between legal and illegal drugs and, more directly, to examine how certain drugs have been demonized in order to justify their illegal status. It appears that people need to ingest an increasingly diverse array of substances in order to alter their consciousness. But this need for psychoactive substances extends to other constituencies, including the government, the criminal justice system officials and the popular media. Government officials need drugs in order to create heroes and villains and, in many cases, to divert attention from policies that lead to drug use in first place. Criminal justice system officials need psychoactive substances in order to justify increases in






financial and other resources devoted to their organizations, and the media need drugs in order to create moral panic and sell newspaper and advertising time.

Illegal drugs have also been demonized throughout the century by claims that primarily members of minority groups consume them and that substances are frequently distributed by “evil” foreign traffickers. The projection of blame on foreign nations for domestic evils harmonized with the ascription of drug use to ethnic minorities.

The system of global drug control is regulated by three international conventions: The 1961 Single Convention of Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the 1988 Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic substances; these represent the consolidation of 9 international drug control treaties negotiated between 1912 and 1913. These conventions serve as major barriers to the introduction of progressive and pragmatic drug control policies in individual countries, and they tend to promote unrealistic goals, including the eradication of an illegal drug use in the world. For example, one of the stated objectives of the 1961 United Nations Convention on Narcotic Drugs was to eliminate the chewing of coca leaf and the use of cannabis for other than scientific and medical purposes within 25 years and nonmedical use of opium within 15 years. Needless to say, none of these objectives were achieved. Poor counties cannot and should not be expected to bear the brunt of the rich countries’ internal social failures. A growing number of poor countries are

being politically destabilized and being destroyed as crime takes over, due to the impossible Western Market that both demands drugs and outlaws them.

International bodies have also suppressed the publication of reports on drugs that are not consistent with stringent prohibitionist policies. For example, in 1995 the World Health Organization and the United Nations Interregional Institute completed one of the most extensive studies of cocaine use everundertaken. However, the publication of the study was prevented by the World Health Assembly due to the fact that it “failed to reinforce proven drug control approaches” and had recommended investigation of “the therapeutic benefits of the coca leaf”

While the international conventions are important to consider in context of policies on illegal drugs in individual countries, it is important to realize that there are no provisions in any of the conventions requiring countries to reinforce their drug control legislation, and the International Narcotics ControlBoard, the administrative body responsible for overseeing these conventions, has no power to issue sanctions against countries for noncompliance with the conventions. As a result, signatory nations have a certain amount of freedom with respect to their drug policies; this is why there is considerable variation in policies across countries, including the de facto legalization of marijuana possession in a number of countries.






Definition of Key Terms

Amphetaminetype Stimulants (ATS)A new class of drugs synthesized in a laboratory, sometimes marketed as ecstasy. These drugs are becoming very popular due to the fact that for many reasons, as they can be made close to their markets, are easy and cheap to make, and are easy to take in the form of tablets and liquids.

CannabisThe most widely produced drug in the world, also known as marijuana.

OpiumA natural drug made from the hardened sap of the unripe seed pods of opium poppies, usually smoked or eaten. Opium can be refined into more potent and addictive drugs, such as heroin and morphine.

Hard DrugsDrugs that pose a large threat to public health, such as heroin, cocaine, LSD, and ecstasy.

Soft DrugsDrugs that do not pose as large a risk to public health, such as cannabis.

LEDCLess economically developed country, e.g. Bolivia, Afghanistan, and Nepal.

MEDCMore economically developed country, e.g. France, Canada, and Germany.






History

Drug use has been a part of human civilization for thousands of years, originally being used for religious, medicinal, and recreational reasons. Drug use did not become an issue until about the 20 th

century when advances in chemistry allowed the natural drugs to be refined into more potent forms, such as heroin, and artificial drugs to be synthesized. At first, these drugs were legal and doctors would freely prescribe them, however the addictiveness of the drugs and the effect that they had on the users led to numerous social problems. Now almost every country has made these drugs illegal, though the law may vary about which types of drugs, and some countries are more effective at enforcing these bans than others.

The Opium WarAround the late 1700 s, China, which before had been almost completely sealed off to foreign trade,‟ began to expand their trade with the Western nations. Due to China s selfsufficiency, however,‟ Western nations found that the trade was unbalanced as the Chinese economy was not interested in any of the products they had to offer. The answer to the West s dilemma came as opium smuggling in‟ China increased. By the 1830 s, up to 12 million people in China were addicted to opium, including‟ the Chinese army, and the Western nations were able to make a huge profit, trading opium from India for Chinese tea, silk, and silver. This resulted in a decline in the Chinese economy, which weakened the government, putting the country in serious jeopardy. In response, the Chinese emperor declared smoking and trading opium punishable by severe measures such as death, and appointed a Special Commissioner to enforce the new rules. Once the Commissioner ordered that China should completely close off foreign trade, this allowed the British an excuse to launch hostilities, beginning the Opium war, a humiliating failure for China that resulted in the unequal Treaty of Nanjing that forced China to be completely open to the West.

The Birth of International Drug ControlBy the 19th century, the United States began to have an opium problem of their own, as Chinese immigrants brought with the practice of opium smoking, and wounded Civil War veterans had been injected with opiates as painkillers. In addition to this, many newly created medicines, such as laudanum, contained opium extract, and morphine soon became a popular „cure for opium addiction.‟ This, coupled by the desire for a strong Chinese market that would be a market for American goods, caused the USA to begin trying to stamp out opium use in the late 1800 s. In 1909, the US sponsored‟ the world’s first international drug control conference in China, the Shanghai Opium Commission. Although the commission could not make binding international agreements, resolutions were passed that encouraged countries to control the use of opium within their borders. In 1912, the Hague International Opium Convention was signed by 11 countries, concerning the control of opium, morphine, heroin, and cocaine. This convention was eventually signed and ratified by 67 nations by






1949, and was the inspiration for many national drug policies. By 1936, three more drug conventions were created. The first two conventions dealt with regulating the trade in opium and the production and distribution of narcotic drugs. The USA was unhappy with the result of these treaties and was convinced that the world drug problem could only be resolved by resorting to firmer measures. The 1936 convention, dealing with the illicit trafficking of dangerous drugs, though not widely accepted, was significant in that it was the first treaty to criminalize the manufacture and distribution of drugs.

Post WWIIIn 1946, the United Nations created the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) to succeed the League of Nation’s Advisory Committee on Traffic of Opium and Other Dangerous Drugs. Within the next few years, new synthetic compounds and the opium poppy would be internationally regulated. The 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs created the INCB (International Narcotics Control Board) and melded effective and relevant early drug treaties. The Convention also added regulation over cultivating narcotic plants and named 116 drugs that required international regulation, and made it illegal to smoke or eat opium, chew coca, and smoke hashish. By 1972, the convention was amended to include rehabilitation and treatment for drug users instead of punishment.

Synthetic DrugsAs chemistry and pharmacology improved in the 20th century, this allowed the creation of whole new synthetic and semisynthetic drugs such as ATS and LSD. These drugs were brought into international regulation in the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. The 1988 United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances also targeted the chemicals that go into creating these synthetic drugs.






Key Issues

The issues related to the world drug problem are numerous and grave. The drug trade finances organized crime, terrorism, causes corruption, inhibits development in LEDC s, and increases the‟ vulnerability of both national and international security. However, some of the measures that individual countries, such as Mexico, have taken to combat the drug issue raise concerns over violence and human rights violations. While it is necessary to produce drugs for medical and scientific reasons, it is also important to prevent these drugs from being diverted into illegal channels to be trafficked and sold to drug abusers. At the same time, it is important to be able to reduce the demand for such narcotic drugs, and to identify, treat, and rehabilitate drug abusers, including those that may not normally have access to health care.

Terrorism, Corruption, and Organized CrimeWhile cannabisremains the world s most prolific narcotic crop, global trends show the cultivation of‟ opium and coca are decreasing, with ATS production increasing drastically to a similar level as heroin. Trafficking of these drugs is an extremely lucrative business, which causes corruption in many nations where weaker security allows for the production or transportation of drugs across their borders to reach larger markets. The drug trade also lowers productivity and harms countries economies as,‟ in some poorer nations it is the most profitable industry, and the governments of these nations cannot capitalize on it. At the moment, the world’s leading producer of opium is Afghanistan, responsible for 95% of the world’s supply, followed by Myanmar. In Afghanistan, it seems that the reason for growing is not poverty, but is motivated by other factors as the regions that grow the most opium are those under the insurgents and with the least security. In addition to this, poor border control in certain areas of Afghanistan allows

Drug Usage around the world

the opium and heroin produced to be trafficked to markets in Europe and East Asia, a profitable business that generated $61 billion in 2009 alone. Much of the profit from the multibillion dollar drug trade goes not into the hands of farmers, but those of the Taliban and transnational drug






traffickers. This is alarming as the drug trade is funding the insurgents and could lead to more violence and unrest in a country where security is already an issue due to its underresourced government. As the European market demand has increased in recent years, cocaine is now being shipped to Europe via West Africa, threatening the security of the nations there as more and more public servants and officials become corrupt. In the Americas where it continues to be produced and trafficked, rates of murder are extremely high as police and drug cartels battle each other, with many civilian casualties.

ConsumptionIn addition to the abuse of drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, and heroin, there are global rising trends in the abuse of synthetic and semisynthetic drugs, as well as prescription drugs. In nations where drug use is criminalized, many drug abusers are punished or incarcerated, which causes a drain on the government’s resources. Drug use poses a major threat to the health of abusers, due to overdose coupled with the general deterioration of health that drug use causes, as well as the fact that HIV/AIDS can be spread through the reuse of hypodermic needles involved in injecting heroin. Because of this, it is important for abusers to be able to seek medical help as well as treatment and rehabilitation to break their addiction. However, many abusers are not able to obtain this kind of help, especially those in LEDC’s, where government healthcare is a problem.






Major Parties Involved and Their Views

CND (Commission on Narcotic Drugs)A commission of the United Nation s Economic and Social Council, the CND was founded in‟1946 as the successor the League of Nation s Advisory Committee on the Traffic in Opium and Other‟

International poppy and coca cultivation from 1990 to 2010

Dangerous Drugs. The CND monitors the global drug trends, decides which drugs to be controlled and the methods of doing so, supervises the efforts of the international community against the world drug problem, recommends new treaties, and also makes sure that there is an adequate supply of licit drugs for medical and scientific uses, however, enforcement of these policies is the duty of the INCB.

INCB (International Narcotics Control Board)Established in 1968, the INCB is an independent monitoring body that, like the CND, ensures the availability of licit drugs for medical and scientific use while trying to prevent the production, trafficking, and use of illicit drugs. To this end, the INCB communicates with governments to monitor and promote their drug control policies, as well as advises them on how best to comply with international drug treaties.

The United States of AmericaThe USA has always had the view that drugs should be very firmly controlled, being the nation that brought about the 1909 Shanghai Opium Conference. Historically, the USA has tried, unsuccessfully, to resolve the drug issue by criminalizing the use and possession of it, and example of this being the prohibition of alcohol that occurred in the 1920 s. As an influential P5 nation, the United States‟






would like to eradicate the world drug problem.

ColombiaColombia is currently the largest supplier of cocaine in the world, though it was recently taken off the INCB s special observation list due to changes in state institutions and judicial systems allowing the‟ country to better control the production and trafficking of the drug. At present, the country is still trying to combat the production of drugs within their borders with the help of civilians that live in drug producing areas, and is not likely to let their guard down on the drug problem in the near future.

PortugalIn order to reduce the number of deaths and HIV cases related to drugs, Portugal decriminalized the use and possession of all drugs in 2001, a practice which has been reported a success. Portugal’s focus is on getting medical help for drug abusers instead of punishing them.

AfghanistanThe world’s leading supplier of opium and also one of the poorest nations in the world,Afghanistan produces drugs for licit medical and scientific uses, though much is diverted for illicit purposes, with the profits going into the hands of insurgents. Because of the destabilizing effect that this has on the nation, it is in Afghanistan s best interest to tackle the issue of drug trafficking.‟






Timeline of Relevant Resolutions, Treaties and Events

Date Description of Event

February 26, 1909The Shanghai Opium Commission, the world s first multinational conference to address the issue of‟ drug control was convened. Resolutions were passed that urged governments to discourage the smoking of opium in their countries, though no binding international agreements could be made as this was only a commission.

January 23, 1912The Hague International Opium Convention was signed by 11 countries. The convention covered drug control for morphine, opium, cocaine, and heroin. By 1949, 67 countries would sign and ratify this treaty.

1920The League of Nations sets up the Advisory Committee on Traffic of Opium andOther Dangerous Drugs, the predecessor to the United Nation’s Commission on Narcotic Drugs.

November, 1924The first Geneva Opium Convention was concluded, with a focus on nations that produced opium. Restrictions were based on signatories so that they could only sell their opium through monopolies run by the government, and after 15 years the trade would have to end completely

February, 1925Meant as an extension of the first Geneva Opium Convention, the second Geneva Opium Convention in 1925 was to expand the treaty to include international control over a wider range of drugs, including cannabis. The PCOB (Permanent Central Opium Board) would be responsible for the international drug trade by regulating the amount of drugs that each country could import. The USA and China never signed these two treaties, the US feeling they were too weak, and China because there could be no agreement on suppressing opium smoking.

1931The 1931 Geneva Narcotics Manufacturing and Distribution Limitation Convention was held in order to regulate the production and distribution of morphine, heroin, and cocaine. This treaty stated that countries would have to send estimates of their needs of drugs for medical and scientific purposes to the PCOB that would then calculate the amount of drugs the country could manufacture, and the system was to be administered by the Drug Supervisory Body (DSB). The League of Nations thought






this treaty was a good model, which allowed it to come into action very quickly. Another conference held in Bangkok later in the year produced a weak result, as the European nations were unwilling to commit to effective regulations on opium while production and smuggling was still so rampant, convincing the USA that tougher policies would be needed to control the drug problem.

1936The Convention for the Suppression of the Illicit Traffic in Dangerous Drugs concluded. This convention was significant as, instead of regulating „legitimate drugs, it made all actions related to‟ drugs criminal, and punishable by a nation’s own criminal law system. Despite this, the convention had a minimal affect and was not widely accepted

1946 Commission on Narcotic Drugs (E/RES/1946/9(I))

March 30, 1961The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs brought together old treaties that had been effective and were appropriate, included control over the farming of narcotic plants and identified over 100 drugs that needed international regulation. In 1972, the convention was changed to include treatment and rehabilitation for drug users instead of incarceration.

February 21, 1971The Convention on Psychotropic Substances brought hallucinogens such as LSD, as well as synthetic drugs like ATS under international regulation, as well as targeted drug trafficking, and the identification, treatment, and rehabilitation for drug abusers.

December 17, 1979 International cooperation on drug abuse control. (A/RES/34/177)

December 19, 1988The United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (A/RES/43/120)

April 17, 1998Measures to Enhance International Cooperation to Counter the World Drug Problem (A/S20/4)December 17, 1999 International Cooperation Against the World Drug Problem (A/RES/54/132) 2011 Promoting rehabilitation and reintegrationoriented strategies in response to drug use disorders and their consequences that are directed at promoting health and social wellbeing among individuals, families and communities (Resolution 54/5)






Evaluation of Previous Attempts to Resolve the Issue

One of the attempts to resolve the drug issue is the international „War of Drugs . Although it has‟ achieved several goals in this direction, it has also increase rates of violence in nations such as Mexico and Brazil as police attempt to crack down on drug cartels that try to fight back, as well as increasing the number of drugrelated incarcerations, which has a negative effect as this is a drain of resources for the government, causing it to become ever harder for governments to be able to monitor and control the drug problem.In Portugal, where the possession and use of all narcotics has been decriminalized (with production, trafficking and dealing remaining illegal), rates of death from overdose and drug related HIV cases dropped dramatically since the change. Instead of punishment, drug addicts are given medical help and rehabilitation, and this treatment of drugs as a health issue rather than a criminal issue has been reported to be a success, as the decriminalization did not lead to an increase in drug use, and in fact statistics show even a decrease in drug use for youths.

Possible Solutions

The example of the Netherlands and Portugal seems to demonstrate that the decriminalization of the usage of a drug does not necessarily increase its usage. Considering this fact, it may be possible to decriminalize the usage of other narcotics on the terms that users purchase the drugs from the government and use them under special supervision. This could then allow the governments to tax the drugs very highly, which would be helpful in nations where the government’s weaknesses come from the lack of resources, and the higher prices may discourage some potential drug users, though it would not eradicate use, and would be similar to the control of tobacco in Singapore. Decriminalizing drug use would also reduce the incentive for drug smuggling, as well as the issues that come along with it, such as the resourcedraining war on drugs. However, though this resolution might be able to curb some of the issues related to drugs, it would not be able to completely stamp it out, and as such it may be hard for the public to accept it. In addition to this, it would also be hard for the governments to prevent criminal organizations from continuing to produce drugs, and the governments would also have to produce their own drugs in this case, opening up other corruption fears with this.

Although it is unlikely that drug use and trafficking can ever be completely eradicated, at the very least, countries should focus on preventing the violence and corruption that follows the drug trade, possibly by not trying to crack down on drug cartels and abusers, but instead providing health care to civilians that includes treatment and rehabilitation for drug addiction. This way, addicts are given the tools they need for second chances, and governments would not have to waste so many resources on






trying to bring drug users to justice. While this solution may sound as though it promotes drug use, it would have to be clear that drug use and possession is still an offense, but one that has less severe consequences and governments should still crack down on the problem of drug cartels and illicit trafficking. One of the reasons for the decline in heroin and opium production in recent years is a blight that has been affecting opium poppies in Afghanistan. With this in mind, it may be possible to further reduce the production of other plantbased narcotics as well, such as cocaine and cannabis, by genetically engineering a disease which targeted these plants and releasing it in the areas where these drugs are produced. While this is possible in theory, this strategy cannot be taken lightly and may not be an effective longterm solution, as the repercussions of genetically engineering anything can be huge if it is not comprehensively tested to ensure that it does not target other crops and negatively harm the environment as well, and even if it is, it is almost certain that this would lead to the evolution of new strains of narcotic crops that are resistant to the blight.






References and citations:

• <www.unodc.org/documents/aboutunodc/About_UNODC_.pdf>.• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/worldlatinamerica12616533.• http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/drugpreventionandtreatment/index.html.• www.unodc.org/documents/dataandanalysis/Afghanpovertypaper2008.pdf.• http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/08/drugslatinamericalegalisationkaram?

INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487.• http://www.incb.org/incb/mandate.html.• http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/legaltools/modeltreatiesandlaws.html#Drug_Contol.• www.unac.org/en/link_learn/monitoring/susdev_bodies_drugs.asp.• http://www.narconon.ca/opium.htm.• www.economist.com/node/14309861.• "Resolutions : General Assembly (GA), 54th session : United Nations (UN)." Welcome to the

United Nations: It's Your World. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Sept. 2011. <http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/resguide/r54.htm>.

• "Resolutions and Decisions." United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Aug. 2011. <http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/commissions/CND/09resolutions.html>.

• "Shanghai Opium Conference: Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol, and Addictive Behavior." eNotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Sept. 2011. <http://www.enotes.com/drugsalcoholencyclopedia/shanghaiopium

• "The 1912 Hague International Opium Convention." UNODC. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Sept. 2011. <http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/the1912hagueinternationalopiumconvention.html>.

• http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39186&Cr=afghan&Cr1= •The website for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime http://www.unodc.org/unodc/index.html


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