Decriminalization Of Drugs

Narcotics or drugs have been plaguing our society for many thousands of years. They were used as pain relief in the early Egyptian civilization and opium was smoked for sedative effects in ancient China. Medicinal use, however, eventually gave way to recreational use. Hundreds of years passed before anyone realized the dangers of addiction or abuse and even after that, substance abuse has continued widely and openly. It was soon realized that this was a global problem that required a global solution. The first international conference on narcotic drugs was held in Shanghai in 1909, paving the way for the International Opium Convention of The Hague in 1912. Over the next fifty years, a multilateral system to control production, trafficking and

To curb demand, we must focus on people who are already drug users. Rehabilitation is the best form of treatment so it must be made available and easily accessible. A system of drug courts (like in USA) should be put into place so that people charged with consumption of drugs can plead guilty and check into rehabilitation rather than going to prison. Decriminalization or legalization is currently not a viable option for UK. Though it has been successful in Portugal, there is no guarantee that it will have the same effect in UK. Decriminalizing or legalizing drugs could well tempt more people to experiment with an evil which will be easily accessible. Another major problem is corruption. Though stringent measures have been put in place to curb corruption, there is a lot to be done. One way to deal with this is to treat corruption as an international issue. A system where countries keep a check on each other could be put into place. The UNCAC must also be amended to tackle political corruption which it currently fails to do. Another helpful measure would be to define the 'medical, ethical and legal' use of drugs both domestically and internationally. The Single Convention does not define the scientific and medicinal purposes for which certain drugs may be used and leaves room for open interpretation. Additionally, giving guidelines on how users are to be punished, which the 1988 Convention fails to do, will also help. It has also been seen that over three-quarters of dealers began dealing through contacts with friends and family. This implies that many drug abusers or dealers have been associated with the trade while they were children. Strengthening child protection services and emphasis on keeping children and young adults away from such illicit activities will certainly make a difference. Special focus should be put on educating youth about the harmful effects and