DrugSense FOCUS Alert Tuesday November 2, 1999 Newsweek International: Drug User More Convincing Than Prohibitionist TO SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE, DONATE, VOLUNTEER TO HELP OR UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS PLEASE SEE THE INFORMATION AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS FOCUS ALERT PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE DrugSense FOCUS Alert Tuesday November 2, 1999 Newsweek International offers an interesting overview of European drug policy this week with an article and two perspectives from opposing sides of the subject. Pino Arlacchi, executive director of the U.N. 0ffice for Drug Control, attempts to defend prohibition, while Mat Southwell, Network Coordinator for the National Drug Users Network, makes a compelling case for tolerance. Set side by side, it's easy to see who makes more sense. Both perspective pieces are below, while the main article can be found at http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v99/n1160/a10.html International drug czar Arlacchi not only admits his hypocrisy and ignorance, he revels in it: "Advocates of legalization often argue that alcohol and tobacco cause more harm to society--higher death rates, higher medical costs--than outlawed drugs. This is correct. But so what? Research has shown that, out of the 100 million U.S. alcohol consumers, 15 percent suffer long-term consequences. Heroin, unlike tobacco and alcohol, causes long-term consequences--as addiction--for almost all the people who use it." In contrast, Mat Southwell looks at the situation as a human, not a bureaucrat protecting his job. He issues a call for drug users to stand up for themselves, while honestly assessing the problem: "The stigma associated with being a public drug user is so great that many break cover only when compelled to do so, by health, social or legal problems. When we are asked to speak, it is often to play out scripted roles, as victims or villains, repenting of our past indiscretions. Politicians and the media wish to portray us only as hopeless, lost and in need of redemption." Please write to Newsweek International to expose the deception of Arlacchi, or to congratulate the magazine for sharing the refreshing viewpoint of Southwell. WRITE A LETTER TODAY It's not what others do it's what YOU do PLEASE SEND US A COPY OF YOUR LETTER OR TELL US WHAT YOU DID (Letter, Phone, fax etc.) Please post a copy your letter or report your action to the MAPTalk list if you are subscribed, or by E-mailing a copy directly to Your letter will then be forwarded to the list with so others can learn from your efforts and be motivated to follow suit This is VERY IMPORTANT as it is the only way we have of gauging our impact and effectiveness. CONTACT INFO Source: Newsweek International Contact: Pubdate: Mon, 01 Nov 1999 Source: Newsweek International Copyright: 1999 Newsweek, Inc. Contact: Website: http://www.newsweek.com/nw-srv/printed/int/ Author: Pino Arlacchi Note: Arlacchi is executive director of the U.N. Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention. Also: Newsweek publishes both a US and an International edition. The contents of the two editions is not identical. We request that newshawks be careful about identifying the source edition, as the contacts for each is not the same. Related: This article was published beside the "Europeans Just Say 'Maybe'" article at: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v99/n1160/a10.html THE CASE AGAINST LEGALIZATION The U.N.'s Drug Czar On Supply And Demand Legalization? the member states of the united nations vote "No." Making all controlled substances readily available is a risk society clearly wants to avoid. Instead, as expressed in the three U.N. conventions on controlling drugs, we should insist that our governments pursue a balanced strategy on drugs, giving attention to both supply and demand. This approach was soundly endorsed by the U.N. General Assembly last year in its Special Session on drugs. Still, the legalization debate continues. Let's examine the arguments. First, the medical argument. No one disagrees that many controlled substances have legitimate and completely legal medical applications. But there are various degrees of control, based on the degree of risk involved. In an ideal world, the risk would be determined on scientific grounds. In the real world, cultural and political factors also matter. The U.N. conventions reflect that; they can be amended in response to a consensus shift concerning the appropriate degree of control over given substances. Proponents of legalization cite the link between drugs and crime. It's true that short-term crime rates would fall if illegal drug markets disappeared. But the big-time criminals would quickly regroup and find other sources of profits--as they are already doing by expanding into corruption, extortion and trafficking in human beings. On the other hand, legalization would certainly increase the rate of abuse. After the introduction of legal opium into China, more than one quarter of the adult male population smoked it. These days, the easy availability and cheap price of heroin--made from opium produced mainly in neighboring Afghanistan--has given Pakistan one of the world's highest heroin-addiction rates. The same problem is occurring in Iran, where there are now 1 million addicts--about the same number as in Western Europe. Advocates of legalization often argue that alcohol and tobacco cause more harm to society--higher death rates, higher medical costs--than outlawed drugs. This is correct. But so what? Research has shown that, out of the 100 million U.S. alcohol consumers, 15 percent suffer long-term consequences. Heroin, unlike tobacco and alcohol, causes long-term consequences--as addiction--for almost all the people who use it. Until recently, most drug-control efforts concentrated on eliminating the supply, by hitting the trafficking routes and the source of raw materials. Today, policymakers unanimously believe that supply and demand must be addressed. There are signs that this may be working. In Europe, for example, heroin-use rates are static, and the average age of addicts is steadily increasing. In the United States, there has been a strong decrease of cocaine addiction. The next generation may be getting the message. Pubdate: Mon, 01 Nov 1999 Source: Newsweek International Copyright: 1999 Newsweek, Inc. Contact: Website: http://www.newsweek.com/nw-srv/printed/int/ Author: Mat Southwell Note: Southwell is the Network Coordinator for the National Drug Users Network and a founding member of the Dance Drugs Alliance. Also: This is one of three articles from this issue of Newsweek International that also included: "Europeans Just Say 'Maybe'" : http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v99/n1160/a10.html and "The Case Against Legalization": http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v99/n1174/a05.html HUMAN RIGHTS FOR THE WORLD'S DRUG USERS Fed Up With Being Stigmatized And Persecuted It is understandable that drug use provokes fear and uncertainty. It is absolutely right that we hold an informed and rational debate about it. But the voices of drug users are rarely heard. Prohibition drives us, the drug users, underground. The stigma associated with being a public drug user is so great that many break cover only when compelled to do so, by health, social or legal problems. When we are asked to speak, it is often to play out scripted roles, as victims or villains, repenting of our past indiscretions. Politicians and the media wish to portray us only as hopeless, lost and in need of redemption. Frankly, we've had enough. There's a small but growing movement of users who are no longer willing to sit back and have our human rights infringed and our culture denigrated. For many of us, drug use is a dynamic and exciting social activity and forms a key part of our culture. As such, drug use is clearly protected by the United Nations Charter on Human Rights. Some may argue that drug-related risks are self-inflicted. However, we would not oppose the acute treatment and rehabilitation of those injured while playing sports. Many sports in fact carry higher statistical risks of death and injury than many forms of drug-taking. When a dance-drug user takes ecstasy, he's statistically 700 times less likely to die than a parachute jumper. This is despite the fact that prohibition escalates and enhances the potential health and social risks of drug use. Where drug users face difficulties, they would be better managed in a climate free of judgment and punishment. Mainstream culture borrows freely from drug culture. In fact, many dance-drug takers feel that their culture has been repackaged by Tony Blair as the "Cool Britannia" product. The vibrant, 24-hour cities promoted by New Labour are the centers of dance-drugs culture. Yet New Labour's leaders instinctively scapegoat drug users. Many dance-drug users languish in British prisons for up to five years, for buying the equivalent of a round of drinks. In Chemical Britannia, the drug culture creates significant wealth for both illicit and legitimate businesses, while expecting the consumers to live with a constant fear of exposure and discrimination. The move toward routine use of drug screening by the government and companies threatens our rights to drive and to be employed, despite the fact that a period of intoxication may have taken place more than a month prior to the test. This singles us out for persecution. Of course, with rights come responsibilities. As drug users, we must engage in a dialogue about how to manage and effectively regulate drug-taking. However, the refusal to recognize the cultural significance of drug-taking only serves to reinforce and widen the gap between the chemical generation--and those who smoked but never inhaled. SAMPLE LETTER (sent) In his article of Nov. 1, "The Case Against Legalization", Pino Arlacchi, the executive director of the U.N. Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, conceded that, "crime rates would fall if illegal drug markets disappeared," but countered, "big-time criminals would quickly regroup and find other sources of profits." Am I to understand that the perpetual war on drugs is a make-work project for unimaginative crooks? If this is the case, then the drug war has been a resounding success. In addition to making big-time criminals deliriously wealthy, it creates lucrative entry-level jobs for unskilled youth and keeps police officers, lawyers, judges, prison guards, coroners and Pino Arlacchi gainfully employed. Matthew M. Elrod IMPORTANT: Always include your address and telephone number Please note: If you choose to use this letter as a model please modify it at least somewhat so that the paper does not receive numerous copies of the same letter and so that the original author receives credit for his/her work. ADDITIONAL INFO to help you in your letter writing efforts 3 Tips for Letter Writers http://www.mapinc.org/3tips.htm Letter Writers Style Guide http://www.mapinc.org/style.htm Mark Greer Executive Director DrugSense http://www.drugsense.org http://www.mapinc.org = Please help us help reform. Send drug-related news to

Focus Alert Archive