The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

The United
Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime
Sanskriti Model United Nations
December 23rd- 24th, 2014
The Executive Board for the UNODC
Greetings, delegates! I’m Ava Haidar, and I’ll be chairing the UNODC along with
Sara Malhotra and Devaditya Agnihotri. My interest in MUN is fairly recent, but I
believe that with your coordination, I, along with my co-Chairs, will be instrumental in
giving you an unforgettable experience in this very special
committee!
Aside from public-speaking, I am very passionate about
acting, reading, learning history and math, and I love
watching movies, especially animated ones.
I truly enjoy a good challenge too, so I am excited to see
what you bring to the table. What I hope this experience
will do for you all is make you braver, or more
diplomatic, or just better at MUNing in some way. And
we as your directors hope to create the right kind of
environment to foster such improvement for you!
Remember that since this is a General Assembly, research is vital for fruitful sessions.
I would advise you all to read through the background guide and other information
carefully, extrapolate what is relevant to your solutions, keep in accordance with your
country’s position and invest in highly extensive research rather than rely solely on
your ability to ad-lib. Above all, I hope we have a marvelous time in committee.
Hello delegates and welcome to the UNODC!
I am Sara Malhotra and am extremely thrilled to serve as one
of your directors for SMUN 2014. The UNODC is a
specialized body whose work is pertinent and important to
all nations across the globe. This committee will give you the
opportunity to engage in rigorous and engaging debate. I
cannot wait to see you all rise to the challenge of tackling
some of the world’s most pressing social and political issues
to drugs and related crimes.
Throughout the duration of the conference, I hope to meet
and get to know you all! Just to tell you briefly about myself;
I have been debating ever since 2nd Grade and started taking part in Model United
Nations actively since 9th Grade. I have attended a variety of conferences such as
HMUN, WEMUN, IIMUN, AIMUN and ILMUNC India. Every time that I take
part in a conference, I make sure to try out a new committee. However, my favorite
issues to debate upon are those related to economic crisis, oil and energy deficit and
region specific crises.
Besides debating, I love swimming, playing chess and the piano, dancing and trying
out various cuisines. To give you a helping hand on how to prepare for the
committee, I would suggest staying abreast with the world events and to be precise
with the research. Make sure you have your facts right, be a confident and charismatic
speaker and you will surely sail through the two days of committee. Keep the
background guide as your base but do not limit yourselves to just that! Push beyond
the background guide and research avidly.
Hello delegates, I’m Devaditya Agnihotri and I will
be your Additional Director for the United Nations
Office on Drugs and Crime. I have the pleasure of
working with two extremely intelligent ladies, Sara
and Ava. I have been MUNing for 3 years, since
class ninth. My first committee was Legal. MUN
helped me to be more confident during public
speaking and also helped me realise that there is a
lot happening in the world. It helped me to be more
aware of my surroundings.
Other than MUNing, I love to play videos and
football. This committee is one of the best
committees I have been a part of, as this is the
second time I am doing UNODC. This committee
concentrates on one of the most pertinent issues of
the world. The issue of drugs affects everyone in the
world, directly or indirectly. I hope that we are successful in curbing the situation at
hand.
We look forward to meeting you all soon and hearing all your brilliant and innovative
ideas! If you have any queries or concerns before the conference, please feel free to
contact any of us. You can also email us on [email protected]. All the Best!
Introduction
An old Chinese proverb says “It is easy
to get a thousand prescriptions but hard to get
one single remedy.” Narcotics, drugs are
the few names given to this evil that
has been plaguing our society since the
time of the Egyptian civilization. After
this period the abuse of drugs has been
growing rapidly and the number of
deaths due to it has also been gradually
increasing. During the 19th century,
there was a burst of drug abuse. This
was a time of war; freedom was being
achieved by numerous nations all
around the world due to which the war
against drugs took a back seat. Today
we have realized the mistake we made
and countries are taking numerous
measures to control this evil from
further spreading, and preventing
letting the world succumb to it.
Countries like Afghanistan, Burma,
Mexico, Cuba and many other Latin
American countries as well as African
and South East Asian countries have
already fallen weak before the evil of
drug trade as many cartels and terrorist
organizations, like the Taliban, have
used this trade to fund themselves and
for them, the aforementioned countries
have become havens.
Earlier, non-state actors used to get
funding from states, which kept a good
flow of money for their coffers, but
soon their funding was stopped, which
made them seek another alternative
fast. Drugs came to be their best viable
option, over which they formed a grip
and now earn more they used to get
from their states. It is due to this fact
that these non-state actors gave rise to
illegal drug trade, and this lead to the
formation of the UNODC.
The United Nations Office on Drugs
and Crime was established in 1997 as
the Office on Drug Control and Crime
Prevention. It was a combination of the
United Nations International Drug
Control Program and the Crime
Prevention and Criminal Justice
Division in the United Nations Office
at Vienna. It was then renamed
UNODC in 2002. Its main function is
to lead the war on illicit drugs and
international crime. It is mandated to
assist member states in their struggle
against illicit drugs, crime and
terrorism. In the Millennium
Declaration, member states also
redouble their efforts to fight crime and
illicit drug trade.
There are three pillars of the UNODC
work program. These are:
 Field based technical
cooperation projects to enhance
the capacity of member states to
counteract illicit drug, crime and
terrorism
 Research and analytical work to
increase knowledge and
understanding of drugs and
crime issues and expand the
evidence base for policy and
operational decisions
 Normative work to assist States
in the ratification and
implementation of the relevant
international treaties, the
development of domestic
legislation on drugs, crime and
terrorism and the provision of
the secretariat and substantive
services to the treaty based and
governing bodies
There are numerous treaties that come
under the UNODC to help member
countries fight against illicit drug trade.
These are:
United Nations Convention against
Corruption (UNCAC):
Established in December 2005, it is the
first global legally binding anticorruption treaty with strong measures
on prevention of corruption on private
and public, domestic and international
scale. It includes measures on
prevention, criminalization,
international cooperation and asset
recovery.
United Nations Convention against
Transnational Organized Crime
(UNTNOC)
Adopted in 2000 at Palermo it is a
globally binding legal framework to
fight transnational crime. It includes
measures on the criminalization of
participation in an organized criminal
group, and protection to victims and
witnesses, special investigative
techniques, mutual legal assistance,
extradition and international
cooperation.
The UNTOC is supplemented by three
related Protocols:
 Protocol to Prevent, Suppress
and Punish Trafficking in
Persons, Especially Women and
Children;
 Protocol against the Smuggling
of Migrants by Land, Sea and
Air;
 Protocol against the Illicit
Manufacturing of and
Trafficking in Firearms, their
Parts and Components and
Ammunitions.
International Legal Framework against
Terrorism
The universal legal regime against
terrorism consists of the relevant
Security Council resolutions on
counter-terrorism, especially 1373
(2001) as well as the universal
instruments related to the prevention
and suppression of international
terrorism. In addition, in 2006, the
General Assembly, for the first time
ever, adopted a comprehensive global
counter-terrorism strategy that
recognizes UNODC as the lead office
for the delivery of legal assistance in
preventing terrorism.
United Nations Standards and Norms
in Crime Prevention and Criminal
Justice
Over the years a considerable body of
United Nations standards and norms
related to crime prevention and
criminal justice has been developed.
These standards and norms cover
issues such as juvenile justice, treatment
of offenders, international cooperation,
good governance, victim protection,
violence against women and urban
youth crime prevention. They represent
"best practices" that can be adapted by
States to meet national needs.
With all of these treaties and
collaborative international action, the
UNODC hopes that it may win the war
on drugs.
Drug Addiction and
Abuse
One of the major reasons that drugs
continue to grow is the effect it has on
the body. Addiction as a whole is a very
dangerous disease, which hampers the
functioning of the brain, due to which
an addict gets intense impulses to take
drugs. Drugs contain chemicals that
disrupt the communication system as
the nerve cells are not able to send
receive or process information as it
normally does. There are two major
ways in which drugs cause disruption
•
By imitating the brain’s natural
chemical messages
•
By over-stimulating the ‘reward
circuit’ of the brain
Due to these reasons, drug abuse also
grows. Abuse and addiction go hand in
hand. Today prescription drugs also
lead to drug addiction and abuse. Many
people experiment with drugs and this
leads to abuse and addiction which is
something that destroys one’s personal
and professional life and damages the
body in ways that, if not corrected
early, can cause permanent damage to
the body and affect the brain directly as
stated above. Some symptoms of drug
abuse are:
1.
Pupils larger or smaller than usual
2.
Change in appetite or sleep patterns
3.
Tremors, slurred speech
4.
Unusual smells in breath, body or
clothing
And may more ways in which one can
physically find out if someone is
addicted. Fortunately, there are ways to
stop addiction or abuse and prevent it.
One of the major ways to treat it is
therapy. It is considered the most
comprehensive way to treat drug
addiction. A common
misunderstanding is that if a person
relapses, it means a failure of the
treatment. This isn’t true. The effect
that drug abuse has on the body
following withdrawal of drugs
sometimes makes the body relapse, and
one has to be patient with the victim.
There are many biological or
environmental reasons due to which
addiction sets in. If addiction to drugs
is stopped, the drug trade will fall like
dominos. This is the very base on
which the narcotics market survives.
Types of Abused
Substances
Some of the most commonly-abused illegal
substances are cocaine and amphetamines,
heroin and opium, marijuana (cannabis),
MDMA and hallucinogenic drugs such as
LSD and PCP.
Cocaine, known as the “rich man’s
drug”, induces a fleeting high, and then
a state of depression and leaves the
user wanting more. Derived from the
coca plant, it increases the body
temperature, blood pressure and heartrate of the person, causes a loss in
appetite, paranoia, anxiety, and in the
long-term, seizures, severe personality
change and cardiac problems. The
deadliness of this drug lies in the fact
that it may require only a one-time use
for an addiction to set in. The same
health issues are found in persons who
overuse methamphetamines and
amphetamines. Over a hundred years
ago, in the 19th century, cocaine was
heavily popularized in the United States
in many forms; one manufacturer
claiming it would embolden the
crowds, make sufferers insensitive to
pain and even replace food. A few
decades later, it was sold in drugstores,
and whites encouraged its use by black
laborers. During Prohibition, it was
restricted to use only as per doctors’
directions.
Today, cocaine is used in high amounts
mostly to deal with fatigue and stress,
which must be taken into account
when dealing with solutions to curb its
use besides measures against its illicit
market.
Cocaine is the second-most trafficked
illegal drug in the world. Recent
numbers show that cocaine has reached
756 metric tons, with copious amounts
of it captured in South America, and
then North America. According to
official sources, cocaine is also the
second most commonly used illegal
drug in Europe.
Opium’s recreational usage in China
began in the 15th century with its
supposed abilities to aid masculinity,
regenerate vigour and serve as
contraception. Opium-smoking became
and continued to be the luxury of the
elite well into the 19th century.
Smoking opium delivers a brief high
which includes relaxation, pain- and
anxiety-relief and impaired
coordination. Users become tolerant to
these effects once they are addicted,
and over time, there is actual mental
deterioration and heightened anxiety.
Opium-smoking takes years for its
harmful effects to present themselves,
but it can lead to serious disorders of
the lung, brain, kidneys and liver, and
this damage can be irreversible.
Although rare, death by overdose of
opium is possible.
Presently, there are three main points
of opium supply: Afghanistan,
Columbia and Burma. Opium and
heroin are supreme trade commodities–
they are light products that don’t take
up much space, they are very profitable,
and of course, they are high in demand.
With modern transportation, it takes
mere days or weeks for large amounts
to be taken to different countries.
Opium and heroin have the ability to
maintain for long periods of time.
Heroin is derived from an alkaloid in
opium, which is more intoxicating than
opium itself. It is highly addictive and
also gives the user a rush, drowsiness,
sedation and can block pain signals
transmitted through the spinal cord.
However, frequent use causes
hormonal and neuronal imbalances.
Like several other drugs, it pushes the
users to physical dependence on it. It is
one of the most addictive drugs in
existence today, and it is very easy to
overdose or slip into a coma.
Afghanistan and Myanmar were the
largest producers over the last ten
years. Together they have about 80% of
the total area under opium poppy
agriculture and 90 per cent of illegal
opium production.
The third largest producer is Laos.
Cultivation and production in Thailand
and Pakistan have declined significantly
over the years, as well as Vietnam’s
production.
Colombia and Mexico are
comparatively small opium and heroin
producers. Heroin produced here is
brought to the North American market.
Opium and heroin production has
remained stable for a while, due mainly
to counter measures of eradicating
opium poppy.
Marijuana comes from the cannabis
flower and causes relaxation, slow
reaction time, disorientation, impaired
coordination and a high appetite. The
misconception that marijuana has only
it’s short-term effects has convinced
users that they are safe from health
deterioration, when in fact; there are
severe long-term results of marijuana
use. Marijuana smoke holds more
cancer-causing matter than tobacco
smoke. Those who have smoked for
long often suffer from bronchitis which
is inflammation of the respiratory tract.
Marijuana is not a hallucinogenic drug,
rather it is a dissociative drug which
disorients the perception of the user
but doesn’t necessarily cause fullfledged hallucinations. Although it is
psychologically attractive, marijuana is
not an addictive drug.
Marijuana also affects brain
development, and when it is routinely
used by young adults, its effects on
thinking and memory may be
permanent. An extensive study in New
Zealand showed that people who began
smoking marijuana in their teens lost
roughly 8 IQ points over the span of
20 years. The lost cerebral abilities were
not fully repaired in those who quit
smoking as adults.
Cannabis is also one of the few drugs
which cause abnormal cell division,
leading to severe transmissible defects.
A pregnant woman who uses this drug
is at risk of giving birth early to an
underdeveloped baby. Many children of
marijuana users have been born with
reduced initiative and lack of abilities to
concentrate on life goals. Even smokers
who later have babies risk mental and
physical defects of the baby and a
higher risk of leukemia in children.
MDMA or “Ecstasy” is a party drug,
developed in 1912. Ecstasy overwhelms
the panic signals produced by the body.
Thus, after taking the drug, a person
goes beyond their physical restraints
and capabilities. Being a mind-altering
drug, Ecstasy causes users to undergo
hallucinations, a feeling of nausea,
numbness, impulsive behavior and
rapidly fluctuating emotions.
Its use has expanded since its inception.
In 1953, it was used in psychological
combat tests by the US Army, and then
in the 1960s as psychotherapy drug to
reduce inhibitions. MDMA began its
use as a party drug in the next decade.
By the early 1980s, MDMA was being
endorsed as ‘happiness through
chemistry’ and used for many parties.
MDMA was marketed as “Ecstasy,”
but by 1985, the drug was banned for
the welfare of the people.
Since the late 1980s, drug-dealers have
begun selling products that they claim
is MDMA when in fact they may
contain very little or no MDMA at all.
What Ecstasy is asserted as today may
have a wide mixture of substances. This
is what makes Ecstasy, or any drug for
that matter, especially dicey; the user
may have no knowledge of what they
are taking.
Lysergic acid diethylamide, better
known as LSD, is the most intoxicating
mood-changing drug. It has only ever
been illegally produced and is also
known as ‘acid’. The effects of LSD are
random; they rely on the quantity
taken, the person’s behavior and
character, and the environment in
which the drug is taken. Users
experience low appetite, lack of sleep,
dry mouth and tremors. But, the most
severe of its effects is its ability to
distort the reality of the user
completely. LSD users become
enchanted by certain colors, they
experience rapid mood-fluctuation
from bliss to panic, hallucinations,
disruption of user’s sense of time, self
and touch and feelings of synesthesia.
The user becomes a danger to him and
to others due to the impaired judgment
and clouding of hazards.
Users grow tolerant of the drug as it
collects in the body. Thus, regular users
have to take greater doses to experience
the high it delivers. This is
unequivocally more harmful.
Administration of
Drugs via Injections
Although there are a variety of ways in
which drugs are taken, an especially
precarious method is administration of
drugs via injections.
This method of transmission is a recent
practice and consists of a drug pushed
into the syringe and then being injected
into the blood stream. Further, there
are different ways of injecting a drug:
subcutaneous injections, which inject
the drug directly into the soft tissue
underneath skin, intravenous injections
and intramuscular injections.
This method of drug intake is favored
as the effects of the drug are felt almost
immediately. It also evades many of the
body’s defenses and supplies more of
the drug to the brain. Thus, injection of
drugs is more threatening than any
other way of administration because
drugs which would have typically been
blocked can now infiltrate the
bloodstream with no barricades. There
are more threats with injections, like an
exponentially increased chance of
infection through tainted drugs or
needles, especially among people who
share needles. There are many who
have been diagnosed with HIV-AIDS
and hepatitis due to blood-to-blood
transmission through contaminated
needles. There can be scarring of veins
which may lead to a collapsed vein,
which is caused by rounded syringes.
There can be damage to the artery at
the place of injection, further
susceptible to hemorrhage, gangrene,
distal ischemia, etc. These diseases are
extremely fatal and often too expensive
to treat by a majority of users. There
must be more awareness against the use
of needles, as well as safeguards and
measures for those who have already
fallen at the mercy of drug-caused lifethreatening diseases and cannot pay for
them.
CRIMES RELATED TO
DRUGS
Today, the illicit trade of drugs is working in
the same way as a multi-national corporation
works. The production is based in one place,
the investment is coming from another place
and the market to which the drugs are being
sent is entirely different. In today’s world, the
UNODC as well as member countries have
realized that there are three major reasons due
to which even in a time of recession, this trade
survives with coffers being filled with currency
of different countries all around the world.
These three major reasons are:
1. Terrorism
The UN Security Council Resolution
1373, the most recent resolution on the
matter of counter terrorism, was
adopted on 28th September 2001,
nineteen days after the twin tower
attack in the US. Today, there are
various terrorist groups that are operate
all over the world. But how do they
procure funding? As mentioned earlier,
organizations like the Taliban were
earlier funded by their states, but once
the funding stopped, there was an
immediate need for an alternative, and
they found one in illicit drug trade. The
Islamic State has assets in over two
billion dollars; higher than the assets of
any other organization and even higher
than the GDPs of some countries.
Drug trade and extortion have been the
most crucial for the IS to acquire so
much. There are many reasons as to
why governments have failed at
disrupting this trade. To name a few:
i.
Poverty
Since a farmer is poor and unable to
earn a livelihood, he or she sees no
harm in growing poppy or cocoa so
that he is able to meet his daily
requirements, certifying a constant flow
of raw material for the creation of
narcotics.
ii.
Porous Borders
Due to lack of border security all
around the world, these organizations
find a way to bypass authorities and
make sure that the drugs reach their
destination, be it via air, water or land.
iii.
Education
As many people are unaware of the
damage drugs do to one’s personal as
well as professional life, they become
the target group for these organizations
to approach and sell narcotics to.
The UNODC has taken several
measures to try to curb the situation by
training the local law-enforcement,
sharing information all around the
world about the routes through which
drug-trade occurs, distributing
technology for border protection,
spreading awareness with the help of
local governments about the ill effects
and cultivation of drugs, etc.
2. ORGANIZED CRIME
In the 21st century, a breed of criminals
that is more organized than and not as
scattered all over other countries as
terrorists emerges as propagators of
organized crime. These groups are also
called cartels. Today, organized crime
has its grip on almost of the countries
in the world. They are worth billions of
dollars. Organized crime groups have
been present in the world for more
than 100 years and have not stopped
growing. They have come so far
forward that they are capable of
funding countries. The top five richest
cartels of the world are:
i.
Yamaguchi Gumi; Revenue $80
billion
Popularly known as the Yakuza, this
group has one of the most centralized
systems of control. The members have
to go through a lot of ceremonies to be
a part of this group. There is a
hierarchical system. All members once
part of the family must subvert all their
allegiances in favor of the group.
According to Hiromitsu Suganuma,
former national chief of police in Japan,
the Yakuza family earns their income
mostly from illicit trade of drugs, and
even though the government is
cracking down on them, they still are
flourishing.
ii.
Solntsevskaya Bratva; Revenue
$8.5 billion
This group is quite like a Russian
Yakuza of sorts, but their command
structure is highly decentralized. It does
not pool its resources, and the money is
actually overseen by a 12-member
council that meets all around the world
for discussion. The group earns mostly
from the drug trade, and is involved in
the heroin trade from Afghanistan.
iii.
Camorra; Revenue $4.9 billion
The Camorra’s history begins from the
19th century. This group was initially a
prison gang in the Naples (where it is
based), and upon release, used the
political struggle in Italy during this
time to grow, and they were successful
in this by offering protection services.
The group has recently seen a downfall
due to the government’s efforts, but it
is still maintained that the group still
has a lot of pull with the government,
and may at times use it to protect itself
from law-enforcement. It has earned its
revenue from many fields, one of
which is the illicit drug trade
iv.
Ndrangheta; Revenue $4.5
billion
This group is also based in Italy, and
has earned all its revenue from the drug
trade. It is building ties with South
American cocaine dealers, Mexican
cartels like Los Zetas and controls
much of the transatlantic drug market
that is aimed towards Europe. It has
also started to expand operations to the
United States, and has helped many
families in New York.
v.
Sinaloa Cartel; Revenue $3
billion
It is the largest drug cartel in Mexico. It
has been terrorizing the local
population as it serves as a middle man
between South American producers
and the American market. In February,
the group’s leader was arrested, but
unlike other cartels, there have been no
bloody and costly succession battles for
the new empty post.
3. CORRUPTION
Both the aforementioned reasons
cannot survive without the third one;
corruption. It is the backbone of illicit
drug trade. Terrorist groups or
organized crime groups cannot move
their money or the drugs unless they
buy out the officials. There is no
country in the world that does not have
corruption as it has grown out of
human greed. Unfortunately, this greed
leads to the destruction of peoples’
lives. Numerous efforts have been
taken by countries to curb this problem
and while it lessens, it doesn’t stop.
Numerous countries are taking joint
efforts to strengthen their judicial
systems and combat this problem. The
UN has numerous treaties over the
issue, but, one must not forget that a
country’s sovereignty is crucial. If it is
encroached upon, the entire
international community is affected.
Educational and awareness programs
have been taken up by the UNODC
with help of local authorities, but they
have failed to deliver, and as long as
corruption runs rampant, the war on
drugs cannot be won.
Case Studies:
Golden Triangle and
Golden Crescent
The Golden Triangle and the Golden
Crescent are Asia’s two main illicit
opium-producing areas. Since the
1950s, these two regions have
dominated worldwide opium
production, with the drug trade in these
regions posing a continuous threat.
The Golden Triangle area extends over
36,700 square miles and overlaps the
mountains and regions of three
Southeast Asian countries: Myanmar,
Laos and Thailand. This region was the
key producer of heroin until the early
21st century, when Afghanistan became
the world’s largest producer. Opium
was not used as a recreational drug on
wide scale in Southeast Asia until the
infamous Opium Wars of the 19th
century. The first Opium War (183941) was fought between China and
Britain, and the second Opium War
(also known as the Arrow War or the
Anglo-French war in China) was fought
by Britain and France against China
(1856-60). The war was resolved by the
Chinese government signing the Beijing
Convention, in which it also agreed to
observe the treaties of Tientsin. And
yet, till today, nations feel the lasting
effects of these wars. The Opium Wars
led to an increased demand for and
production of opium in the Southeast
Asian region, setting the stage for the
magnification of the Golden Triangle.
According to recent UN reports, opium
production in this region has increased
rapidly due to high drug usage in the
poppy-growing villages of Myanmar
and Laos. The two countries together
produced 893 metric tons of opium
which is a 26 percent leap from the
past the year. This drive is said to be
fueled by a growing demand in the
local and regional markets. In
Myanmar, a 15-year plan launched in
2000 targeted illicit opium poppy
production. It was supposed to
culminate by 2014, but has now been
extended by five years, and will now
end in 2019. This year is the seventh in
a row in which the UNODC measured
a rise in opium poppy cultivation in the
Golden Triangle region.
The Golden Crescent is located at the
intersection of Central, South and
Western Asia. This stretch
encompasses three nations:
Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan, whose
mountainous perimeters define the
crescent. Afghanistan and Pakistan are
the nations which produce the opiates,
with Iran bringing consumers and
trans-shipment route for the smuggled
opiates. After the 9/11 attacks, a
special focus lay on Afghanistan for
Osama Bin Laden, and Al Qaeda had
taken up residence in this region.
Within 10 years, Afghanistan had
become the largest opium producer in
the world. When the Taliban rose to
take control in Afghanistan in the early
1990s after a significant amount of
international pressure, they put a ban
on opium output that drastically
reduced the amount of drug production
in 2000 as it went against the fatwa.
United States intervention in
Afghanistan and the Taliban ban first
reduced the production of opium in
2000, but later during the post-Taliban
period (2002-2009), the opium
cultivation increase from 74,000
hectares to over 123,000 hectares. The
increased activity on Afghanistan due
to Osama Bin Laden and his
transitional criminal group, Al Qaeda,
allegedly acted as a middleman for the
drug trade in order to finance the
group’s operations. The Afghanistan
Opium Survey in 2007, which was
published by the UNODC, revealed
that the value of opium is equivalent to
more than half of the country’s licit
Gross Domestic Product. In the last
four years, there has been an escalation
in Afghan opium production which,
along with Pakistan’s opium cultivation,
has increased the net amount of opium
generation in Southwest Asian region.
The Vienna-based UNODC revealed in
2012 that the region had expanded
cultivation to over 154,000 hectares, an
increase of 18% since 2011. UNODC
spokesperson had confirmed in 2013
that the generation of opiates is
heading towards global record levels. In
Afghanistan, only one percent of the
heroin that is exported illegally is
intercepted and perished by the
national governments. The Balkan and
northern routes are the main heroin
trafficking-corridors connecting
Afghanistan to the large markets of
Russian Federation and Western
Europe. Although Afghanistan is the
market of opiates in the Golden
Crescent, most of the seizures are
produced in Iran.
Although the Golden Triangle heroin
controls the illegal Asian drug markets,
the Golden Crescent is rapidly soaring
and becoming a source of illegal
trafficking of drugs into Western
China. The high amount of drug
trafficking also brings along increased
levels of terrorism, violence and
human-trafficking. The persistence of
drug networks in trafficking their
freights throughout the world (even
with international frameworks around
them) as well as the growing number of
consumers in Central Asia itself should
be taken seriously and countries should
devise stronger frameworks as well as
politically stable solutions to address
the issue both directly and indirectly.
Latin America Cocaine
Latin America is a critical geographical
zone for drug production and
trafficking. The Andean countries of
Bolivia, Columbia and Peru add up to
the world’s main cocaine producers.
The Central America, Mexico and the
Caribbean have become the prime
corridors for transporting drugs into
North America and Europe. The
evolution of the ‘Wonder Drug’,
cocaine, was sold as a cure-all medicine
and was praised by the greatest
personalities in the field of medical
history. The flow of the drug peaked in
the 1980s. During this era, Columbian
traffickers dominated the market and
they preferred to smuggle the drugs
through the Caribbean transit area. Due
to strict and vigorous law enforcements
in the region, in the 1990s Columbian
groups were weakened and the Mexican
groups progressively seized control of
most of the trafficking chains. Because
of this shift in production, increasing
amounts of cocaine began to be
shipped towards Northern America.
United States was a prime destination
for drug smugglers but nearly 30
percent of the global cocaine
production travels towards Europe, via
West-Africa. The major drugtrafficking groups or the drug cartels
are either Mexican or Colombian, and
are said to generate a total of 39 billion
dollars in wholesale drug proceeds per
annum. The outcome of the increased
levels of cocaine production in the
Latin America and the Caribbean has
caused this region to have the world’s
highest crime rates, with the murder
aspect reaching a high of 32.67 per
100,000 of population in 2008. The
Mexican Drug war was intensified in
2006 due to an upsurge in violence.
According to the World Drug Report
of 2014, cocaine manufacturing and
trafficking have had a serious footprint
in the Western hemisphere. However,
there are significant indicators which
tell us that the overall global availability
of cocaine in the region has fallen.
Though there is no conclusive proof
regarding the extent of cocaine usage in
Africa and Asia, global debate indicates
the rise of cocaine in these two areas,
related to the rise in trafficking through
Africa and increased influence in
African and Asian regions. American
consumption and production of
cocaine has shown to be most
problematic. In North America,
cocaine declined to sustained shortage
in 2006 but has been rising significantly
since, as has the increase in maritime
seizures. Often owing to political
reasons, the United States Central
Intelligence for Investigation Agency
has at times used, supported and
permitted drug trafficking in Latin
American region in order for it to be
the pillar for certain individuals or
groups. The most famous instance is
the CIA and Contras cocainetrafficking in the United States, which
was one feature of the now Iran-Contra
Affair. The CIA has often also
safeguarded Panama’s President,
Manuel Noriega, from the US Drug
Enforcement Administration.
Connections with the President broke
when he became a liability. Cocaine in
Brazil has risen due to factors including
its geographical location, a large
amount of money amongst the urban
population, and rise in the mafia
groups.
The Question of
Legalization and
Decriminalization
Legalization entails rules and
regulations put on the production
and/or sale of drugs, whereas
decriminalization only removes the
punishment for them. While it may
seem outrageous to consider either,
many countries have embraced these
ideas and they have proved to have a
positive effect.
For instance, Portugal is a country that
has had success with it. It eliminated all
penalties in 2001, or brought drug
possession down to the same penalty
an act of illegal parking would call for.
Since then, there has been an increase
in the acceptance of treatment and a
decrease in HIV diagnoses among drug
users, drug-related deaths, and drug-use
among teens and in the street value of
drugs. The way Portugal has described
it is that it treats drug-use as a health
and social issue, as opposed to as a
criminal issue. Italy, Spain and the
Netherlands have followed this model
to some extent.
In the last four to six years, drugdecriminalization has been given more
and more support by several Latin
American nations. Leading the
movement, the government of Uruguay
declared plans to authorize statecontrolled sale of marijuana to combat
drug-related crimes, and some
countries have worked towards
decriminalization of drugs for personal
use.
The United States has led the strongest
anti-drug approach, and yet, it is one of
the highest drug consumers. Drugrelated crime runs rampant and no
numbers go down. Recently, however,
the US legalized the possession and sale
of marijuana in two states, and has
placed regulations for states that feel
the need for legalization. The changing
political landscape in the country has
definitely weakened the anti-marijuana
proponents, with even the Democrats
and liberal Republicans supporting
legalization.
Having had a rough past with its opium
problem, China is now very tough on
illegal drug use. Experts and
rehabilitators have expressed negative
views toward legalization, calling its
advocates ignorant. They argue that it
would be disastrous to legalize
marijuana in a big country like China.
The prohibition of marijuana has made
access to it for medicinal purposes
tough for those living in countries that
do not recognize or are in scrutiny of
its medical advantages. Marijuana
relieves and reduces several effects of
conditions like AIDS, glaucoma,
epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, cancer,
chronic pain, anxiety and depression.
The Gateway Drug Theory says that
smoking marijuana leads to the use of
more serious drugs such as cocaine and
heroin; this means that marijuana opens
entry and propels users towards the
harder drugs. This theory takes its base
on the observation that many
consumers who use those serious drugs
have earlier used marijuana. Various
reasons for marijuana being a gateway
drug could be that 1) experience with
cannabis boosts experimentation with
other drugs, 2) drug-users are inevitably
in direct contact with dealers and 3)
marijuana may actually modify the
mindset of the young to make them
more inclined to trying other drugs.
This theory has been used by those
strongly against legalization.
Although decriminalization has had its
positive effects in some countries,
there’s no saying what it will do for
everyone, as every country has its own
dynamic which can either supplement
this movement or ensure total chaos
after it. Marijuana is not the only drug
in existence, and to really commit to a
decriminalization venture, countries
will have to weigh the outcomes of
decriminalizing every drug before
coming down to a conclusive set of
plans.
For some nations, drugs are far from
taking centre-stage as a high-priority
issue. Decriminalization in developing
countries can go either way. That is
why it is necessary to handle such a
delicate matter with much deliberation.
BLOC Positions
Asia
With the United States accelerating its
withdrawal from Afghanistan after
giving a helping hand in establishing a
unity government there, recent news
gives evidence that despite the signs of
progress, Afghanistan is more unstable
than ever before. Insurgent attacks are
on the rise and derive their funding
from an under-investigated and thriving
opium based economy. The Special
Inspector General for Afghanistan
reconstruction (SIGAR) has told the
global community that as long as the
insurgent commanders are able to fund
themselves through the opium trade,
the instability in the region will be on
the rise. In addition, Myanmar has
witnessed an expansion in the area of
opium poppy cultivation, although less
pronounced. In 2013, the estimated
global production of heroin in this
region has rebounded to the levels in
2008 and 2011. The global area of illicit
opium cultivation in 2013, has reported
by the UNODC, stood at 296,720
hectares- the largest area since 1998,
when estimates became available. New
markets for opium trade are emerging
such as Oceania. The so called
“southern-route” is growing deeper
with heroin being smuggled through
South of Afghanistan and ultimately
reaching Europe, via the Middle East
and Africa.
Africa
The high levels of instability in the
African region and the various terrorist
organizations present there are all a
result of the illicit drug trade in the
region. Due to upsurge of Ebola
disease in the area, a new drug called
ZMapp is being used for medical
treatment tests. In North Africa, large
seizures of cannabis herb are reported
from Morocco. About a quarter to twothirds of the cocaine produce which is
on its way from South America to
Europe passes through many Western
African nations, specifically Benin,
Cape Verde, Mali, Nigeria, Togo,
Guinea-Bissau and Ghana. Many of the
cocaine producers now reside in these
African nations. According to BBC
news, West Africa has become an
important hub for smuggling of South
American Cocaine. Since GuineaBissau used to be a Portuguese colony,
the residents of this region do not need
visas to enter Portugal, hence making
drug smuggling an easier process.
Furthermore, the colossal profits that
are gained from the drug trade can be
used to fund criminal and violent
organizations in the region which will
make it an even more volatile region.
Due to the drop in price of cocaine and
low levels of income amongst most
African countries, marketing of these
drugs is becoming an important
business. The UN reckons that nearly
$1.25 billion passes through West
Africa per annum which is more than
the national budgets of several
countries in the region.
Middle-Eastern
This region has reported high levels of
amphetamine seizures in the recent
years. Amphetamine seizures from the
nations in the Middle-East continue to
refer predominantly to tablets having
the Captagon logo. Jordan, Lebanon,
Turkey and the Syrian Arab Republic
serve as main transit points for drug
trade. Turkey plays a key role in heroin
smuggling. The high levels of conflict
in the region, namely the ongoing ISIS
crisis and the continuing instability in
Iraq and Sudan, cause dire unrest in the
region and weaken border security.
Throughout the region, this instability
is causing increasing incidences of illicit
trafficking in drugs, human trafficking,
money laundering and arms.
HIV/AIDS which before was not a
particularly prevalent problem in the
MENA region is now increasing,
particularly between injecting drug
users and the prison settings. The
situation is further aggravated by the
poor performance of the criminal
justice system.
Western
These nations do not tolerate illicit
drug trade. They have had changes in
their views regarding the penalization
of drug-users and abusers, but few have
been able to soften their policies
towards them. Several European
countries are turning towards
decriminalization, while the position of
the US is still ambiguous, although it
has several penalties for drug-users. In
fact, having spent billions in the
prosecution of marijuana offenses,
reports say that 85% of adolescents
aged 16-19 find marijuana “easy to
obtain”. Canada has declared that it is
considering legislation of marijuana
possession, while cracking down harder
on large drug circuits. Although drug
rates have stagnated or gone down in
most European countries, Russia has
had hundreds of poisonings in the last
month from synthetic marijuana. It is
extremely on the anti-drug forefront
and oppresses the liberal outlook of its
NGOs.
Latin America
As is previously mentioned, many
Latin American countries began to
show support for decriminalization of
drugs in the last few years. Ranging
from full-fledged to partial
decriminalization of drugs for personal
use, the policies of countries like
Uruguay, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia
and others put certain restrictions, like
a cap on the dosage, as well as
prohibition of drug-consumption near
schools, police-stations or correctional
facilities. However, the Latin American
region is dangerously afflicted with
drug-trafficking and drug-related crime,
and a significant drop in crime is yet to
be seen. Mexico, famous for its drug
cartels, is a major producer of many
drugs. The numbers of addicts rise in
accordance. The consumption of
cocaine has also increased. The climate
of these regions is suitable for growing
and producing drugs, making it that
much harder for authorities to crack
down on those involved in drugs.
Treatments and
on-going efforts
The three international drug treaties are
currently in place are:
1. 1961 Single convention on
Narcotic Drugs
2. 1971 Convention on
Psychotropic Substances
3. 1988 United Nations
Convention against Illicit Traffic
in Narcotic Drugs and
Psychotropic Substances.
The first two treaties codify control
measures applicable on the global scale.
This includes ensuring that drugs
remain available for medical and
scientific purposes as well as preventing
the division of those drugs into illicit
channels. The third treaty seeks to
extend the control regime to
precursors. Instead of merely stating
provisions on drug trafficking it gives
concrete steps and measures to combat
drug trafficking and strengthen
coordination between nations on topics
such as eradication and mutual legal
assistance.
The UNODC has a wide range of
operations that are involved with the
Central Asian region. The general stage
for these programs is named the
Regional Programme for Afghanistan
and its neighboring countries, and it
allows the regional and international
actors to target drug trafficking related
threats and facilitate joint evidencebased investigations. Various UNODC
initiatives include:
1. The Paris Pact Initiative, which
functions under the principle of
shared responsibility in the fight
against opiates trafficking from
Afghanistan. The initiative
utilizes Consultative
Mechanisms which creates
periodic discussions amongst
working groups and policy
partners; Research and Liaison
Officer Networks (RLO) which
use field-based individuals for
data collection and program
support; Automated Donor
Assistance
Mechanisms(ADAM), which
uses a web-based system to
provide project transparency,
coordinate donor assistance and
avoid the overlapping of
projects related to drug
trafficking in Central Asia
2. The Triangular Initiative, which
brings the senior officials from
the Golden Crescent region
together to improve cooperation
3. The Central Asian Regional and
Information Coordination
Centre, which facilitates
information exchange and
organizes bilateral and
multilateral operations.
Besides the technical aspect, UNODC
has also been active in training
personnel. UNODC’s joint training
with the NATO-Russia council brings
customs from Belgium, Germany,
United States, Russia and Turkey to
train mid-level counter narcotics
officers in Central Asia on suspect
profiling techniques, informant
handling and other such measures.
Currently UNODC’s allocates only 11
percent of its budget to prevention of
drugs, while the other 89 percent goes
directly to the fight against drugs.
Latin America frustrations with the
harsh anti-drug laws have failed to stem
the soaring of drugs and incarceration
rates are climbing up with 40 percent
on an average in Mexico and South
America over the last decade. This is
due to more drug users and less dealers
behind the legal bars. Increasingly,
many countries in Latin America are
now leaning towards decriminalization
as an alternative approach, hoping that
it will be effective in both reducing
consumption and controlling health
related issues. The Regional
Programme for Central America is the
outcome of a detailed consultation
process fully abided by the Member
States of the region. In the final
declaration of the Managua Ministerial
Meeting which was held in Nicaragua
in June 2009, Member States forwarded
the idea for the creation of Centers of
Excellence in the region which will help
in drafting better projects and
programmes for reducing trafficking of
drugs. UNODC has created many
programmes, initiatives and pacts in
Central America which include:
1. Santa Domingo Pact- which has
the goal to enhance policy
coordination in the area of drug
trafficking and organized crime.
The objectives give a detailed
view towards the functioning.
2. Regional Centre of Excellence
on Maritime Security in Panama
which has the objective to assist
governments in the region to
build up national and regional
capacity in dealing with threats
and risks originating from illicit
trafficking of drugs, drug abuse,
organized crime, and related
violence as well as to strengthen
the rule of law.
3. Regional Centre of Excellence
on Crime Statistics- The
UNODC along with the
National Institute of Statistics of
Mexico (INEGI) have
established this in order to
facilitate the strengthening of
statistics and analytical capacities
in public security, victimization
and justice status in Mexico.
Even with the legal framework in place,
the overall production and
consumption of drugs has not
significantly curbed. Given the lack of a
global control mechanism for new
psychoactive substances, the chemicals
needed to produce them are, in general,
easily obtainable. It is important to note
that the precursor chemicals have a
wide range of harmful uses. Any
control system must be aimed at
limiting the availability of such
chemicals that produce drugs, while not
causing much damage to the country’s
economy which would be furthered by
political instability in the region. A
balance, strategic plan must confront
the political, social as well as the
criminal aspects of the issue at hand.
Delegates in the UNODC must use
their valuable technical expertise in
drafting a mechanism which will cause
a change at the global front. They must
make sure that their solutions are
economically viable, legal as well as
diplomatic in nature. Only with
balanced thinking, proper negotiations
and cooperation will there be any
progress.
Questions a resolution
must answer:
1. How will legalization of some
substances in many regions
cause an effect on the
international trade of narcotics?
2. How will nations go about
regulation and eradication of
certain drugs, without damaging
ethical, legal and the medical use
of these drugs?
3. Without eliminating demand for
drugs, curbing of supply will not
occur. How can one bring a
change about in this supply and
demand?
4. What amendments need to be
brought in to the International
Legal Framework of Drug
Trafficking?
5. Is decriminalization or
legalization of drugs a viable
option for countries to
implement?
6. How do drugs affect the underdeveloped or developing
nations?
7. What action must be taken to
curb the Mexican war on cartels?
8. How will curbing of drugs hit
the international market?
9. How can one accurately estimate
the market area for illegal drugs?
10. Will improving data collection
and analysis methods lead to a
better tomorrow? If yes, how
must one improve it?