The international day for fighting narcotics was observed last week with the usual fanfare. It is sad to note that the international efforts to wipe out the menace have not been successful. This is because the steps to tackle the issue were focused on two fronts. First, to bring down the supply of the drugs with the help of appropriate legislation and security agencies to enforce them. Secondly, to enlighten the people on harmful effects of drug addiction on a person’s health, family and on society as a whole. There are also agencies to rehabilitate the addicts.
Despite all these efforts, narcotics are easily accessible in large quantities to addicts, according to a study made by the United Nations.
The security agencies have been capable of intercepting only 10 to 20 percent of the smuggled narcotics while the remaining reach the black market, according to a report published in connection with the UN day.
The failure in checking the spread of the menace signifies the weakness of the strategies adopted in fighting the menace. The principle of supply and demand should never be a guideline for tackling the issue. The policies should be evolved to strike at the root of the issue. Drug barons and manufacturers should be the main target of the campaign.
Cultivation of traditional narcotics such as hashish, opium, cannabis, marijuana etc. can be stopped using various means including force. Farmers of narcotic crops should be trained in the farming of alternative crops apart from enlightening them on the far-reaching consequences of their actions.
Governments should also take effective steps to stop the manufacture of synthetic products such as cocaine, heroin, LSD, etc. Government should keep up a strict surveillance over the manufacturers of narcotic drugs for medical or other essential purposes. In my opinion, there is no harm in seeking the help of military force to closing such factories and farms even if they are outside a country’s border.
The world’s leading narcotic manufacturers are based mainly in a few Central American states including Colombia, Caribbean countries and the Golden Triangle in Asia.
The United States, the largest narcotic market in the world, should spearhead the campaign to banish the evil from the face of the earth. It should chalk out a foolproof action plan in collaboration with the United Nations to stop the manufacture and supply of the poison and use the military if required. No sensible man would say that a US military strike against narcotic manufacturers in other countries is a violation of the sovereignty of a country because the action is a service to the whole humanity. Such an act can be justified as US has, in the past, interfered in the internal affairs of other countries for lesser reasons. At the least US can do it in Latin American countries while the manufacture in the Golden Triangle can be tackled by China or other Asian countries.
The menace can, no doubt, be stopped with a political will to endorse the military intervention more than the internal efforts of a country’s police force. But one wonders if there are nations which benefit from drug trafficking.
