NCJ Number
131482
Journal
Comunidad Y Drogas Issue: 15 Dated: (June 1990) Pages: 91-100
Date Published
1990
Length
9 pages
Annotation
At the World Ministerial Conference in London on April 11, 1990, the participating governments -- conscious of the gravity of the drug problem and the belief that some action needs to be taken at the international, national, and regional levels -- agreed to give the highest priority to a program for suppressing and reducing the demand for illicit drugs.
Abstract
In this agreement, the developed countries undertook a commitment to intensify their technical cooperation (both on a bilateral basis and through the United Nations) to help formulate, adopt, and carry out such a program in cooperation with the developing countries. Community-based initiatives will also be undertaken, especially in the education and informational fields -- both in the school and in the workplace -- to fight this battle. The causes of drug abuse must be investigated, and steps for the treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts must be taken by meeting their needs -- better living standards and opportunities for work and recreation -- to motivate them to lead a drug-free existence. It is vital to emphasize the importance of adequately supporting the professionals who work with drug addicts and to provide them with the most recent technical advances, especially for the treatment of AIDS in all of its medical, psychological, and social dimensions. Stronger support should also be given to the United Nations Fund for the Prosecution of Illicit Drug Use in order that a global strategic action plan can be implemented that emphasizes the Andean countries, where most of the coca crops grow. The article concludes by referring to the Cartagena Conference on February 15 which involved the Presidents of Bolivia, Colombia, the United States, and Peru. In particular, the clauses pertaining to the eradication and substitution of licit for illicit crops and the 1988 United Nations Convention against the Illicit Traffic of Drugs and Psychotropic Substances were stressed. A report by the Special Group of Financial Experts, a follow-up to the G-7 Summit in Paris in July 1989, is expected to take place in the near future.