Committee: HRC Topic: Illegal trade of Narcotics
[1]
Committee: Human Rights Council
Issue: Illegal trade of Narcotics
Written by: Jonah Kramer
Position: Member of the board of directors
Introduction
Illegal Trade of Narcotics otherwise known as Drug trafficking is the trade of drugs both inside a given country and from country to country. Illegal narcotics trade occurs on a global black market with substances that are under drug prohibition laws. It also happens transnationally between individual buyers and sellers to meet demand. UNODC(United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) monitors drug flows in order to help governments’ police forces combat narcotics entering or being produced in their countries. Drugs that are considered high risk to UNODC include Heroin, Cocaine, Marijuana, Fentanyl, Ub770, Carfentanil, Crack Cocaine, Methamphetamine, LSD and MDMA/Ecstasy. Recent drug abuse and trafficking news include the likes of the opioid crisis in the USA, where drugs like Fentanyl, Heroin and Carfentanil are causing the large proportion of deaths. According to the global drug survey, the most expensive drug is Cocaine and the most commonly used drug is Marijuana. [2]
Key terms
Illegal Narcotic An illegal narcotic constitutes a substance taken by humans to change the way the brain works. An illegal narcotic is one widely recognised to be illegal in the majority of countries in the UN.
Trafficking The transportation of Illegal Narcotics across international borders or nationally. Trafficking is usually done by smugglers and in mass quantities. Traffickers are constantly tracked by the UNODC. UNODC The UNODC is the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, who work with governments’ national police forces in order to try and tackle drug trafficking.
Dark Web The platform online drug markets run on. It contains every Illegal Narcotic and contains the largest illegal market on the planet. It is not possible to shut the dark web down as it is encrypted and runs on TOR(The Onion Router).
War on Drugs The war on drugs is a military and police operation that sees countries wage war on cartels and gangs in order to prevent drug trafficking and drug related violence.
Drug Addict This refers to an individual who is addicted to a certain illicit substance, these people perpetuate the illegal trade of narcotics.
General Overview
Illegal trade of narcotics has fueled so-called ‘drug wars’ across the globe. Colombia and Afghanistan, are examples of countries leading drug wars as they produce Cocaine and Heroin respectively. Drug trafficking is commonly accomplished through shipping and trucking, where officials are bribed or traffickers bypass security. This is possible in Colombia and Afghanistan where police forces are underpaid and thus willing to take bribes. These countries also do not invest much money into methods of finding traffickers. Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug worldwide, with especially high usage rates in north African and Muslim countries as alcohol is banned by Islam. High usage rates are also apparent in the USA and Canada where Cannabis is partially legalised and decriminalised. Cannabis is, however, generally considered an Illegal Narcotic as the vast majority of UN countries class it so. [3] [4] According to Drugfreeworld, there are 158.8 million people worldwide use Marijuana which is more than 3.8% of people worldwide. It is generally classed as a class B drug and was used by 6.7% of 12 to 17 year olds. This makes it seem a threat to some countries as it is so widely used. It is also seen as a step forward for countries that have legalised Cannabis as it is now better regulated, taxed and money which would otherwise go to drugs is now going towards infrastructure. According to DrugPolicy.org, the leading cause of death in the USA for under 50-year-olds is an accidental overdose. In addition to this Heroin overdoses have quadrupled since 2010. This is part of a general trend of higher levels of overdosing due to stronger drugs, often opioids, being readily available. Generally in the United States doctors are quick to give prescriptions to those suffering any sort of mental illness, leading to many abusing their medicine with high usage rates of Xanax, Oxycodone and other Opioids. Many get addicted to these prescription drugs and then are pushed towards harder drugs due to their wide availability.
Major Parties Involved
Venezuela
The main concern in Venezuela is the production and shipping of large quantities of cocaine. [5] According to insightCrime this is often facilitated through state officials turning a blind eye on drug trafficking as a means to gain power. The government officials responsible for this have been dubbed the ‘Cartel of the suns’, the name relating to the stars government officials wear on their epaulettes. Current president Nicolás Maduro has promoted many accused of being involved to powerful roles in the government. With the drug trade stealing money from the government through a network of corruption it is no wonder Venezuela currently in a fractured state.
United States
Americans are large consumers of Illegal Narcotics and with the rise in prescription drugs, the USA has seen an increase in its citizens overdosing as a result of opioids. [6] According to drugabuse.com in 2016 there were 6 drugs that accounted for the vast majority of drug trafficking offences (Methamphetamine, Cocaine, Marijuana, Heroin, Crack, Oxycodone)with Methamphetamine accounting for 33.6%. This being the largest but not most commonly used drug in the country. The USA has little drug manufacturing occurring in its borders and therefore gets a large amount imported, often from mexico.
Mexico
Mexican cartels are the main drug suppliers to the USA, the world's largest economy. The largest of these cartels including Sinaloa, Gulf and Los Zetas have immense political control in the country and are able to use creative measures of smuggling drugs across borders. These methods include tunnels built underground to take drugs under the border and bribing officials. Marijuana, Cocaine, Crack and Methamphetamine are all among the drugs these gangs export.
Colombia
The largest proportion of Cocaine is produced in the heart of Colombia’s dense jungle, where the Coca leaf is native. Coca is a big part of the colombian economy as the leaves can be chewed to give mild stimulating effects. In its raw form the coca leaf is legal to possess and use however, this is often taken advantage of. Farmers in Colombia usually grow Coca leaf as they can make more money this way rather than growing other crops. International agencies have thus recently started paying farmers to grow other crops as a means to hinder Coca leaf production. Russia
The Russian drug market is largely an online market unlike any other. Drugs do not tend to be produced in russia but rather consumed and trafficked into western Europe.
Afghanistan
Historically Afghanistan has been the world's largest producer of Opium and Heroin as the native Opium Poppy is used to make both drugs. [7] According to the UNODC 2010 report Afghanistan as been leading opium producer since 2001. Production of the Opium has thrived under an unstable government and Afghanistan consistently produces around 70-80% of the world's supply. This is compared to the 1990s where the rest of the world made around 50% with Afghanistan only producing around 20%.
Timeline of Key Events
Timeline of events in reverse chronological order leading up to present day. Date Description of Event
23rd May 2009 Record breaking drug bust in Afghanistan finds 92 tons of opium and poppy seeds. The crops are priceless and not formally valued but are an integral part of an opium/heroin growing operation.
1997 UNODC is founded as a response to global drug use. It currently has an estimated budget of 700 million US$.
24th November 1949 The first international drug resolution is passed in which the united nations is to commence a study on the effect of Opium on the economy.
Previous Attempts to Resolve the Issue
Many have called the war on drugs pointless over the past few years as it seems to be a constant, unwinnable battle. Certain countries have attempted other strategies with varying degrees of success. One such notable strategy was Portugal, which changed its laws to decriminalise the possession of most drugs if they were classed to be for personal use. [8] Results concluded that there was a decrease in the street value of such drugs and a BMJ report the number of drug related deaths was reduced from 131 in 2001, before the law was implemented, to just 20 in 2008. Additionally in 2012 the drug death toll in portugal was 3 per million people compared to the 17.3 per million in the rest of the EU. [9] Other attempts include the resolution passed by the Commision on narcotic Drugs, 60/9 stating among other things that the UNODC was to help nation states monitor the flow of drugs into their countries in an effort to communicate better. It also called for member states to implement further training to certain police forces to better dismantle and disrupt criminal groups operating transnationally.
Possible Solutions
Possible solutions vary from country to country depending on the government. Many right wing governments prefer to raise the punishment for drug traffickers as a deterrent to anyone smuggling drugs into their borders. This includes the likes of Thailand, where you can be put to death for trafficking drugs and the Philippines where traffickers are not only sentenced to death, but are also classed as such for carrying just a third of an ounce of any Narcotic. Certain national governments have also decided to wage war on the cartels and gangs trafficking drugs like Mexico. This although is more of a war on those who commit drug related violence as gang violence is a problem in Mexico.
Appendices
Appendix A In researching for this report UNODCs website was very helpful in giving me facts and having links to the annual world drug abuse reports. This helped me flesh out my knowledge of the drug system in portugal and how decriminalisation affected the countries drug users. The website and reports are very helpful for those looking to get a general overview of drug trafficking and current statistics.
Bibliography
Please use the MLA referencing style
[1] Telegraph, The. “Australian Police Seize $500 Million in Drugs Ring Bust.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 31 July 2012, www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/9440126/Austral ian-police-seize-500-million-in-drugs-ring-bust.html. [2] "INCB Publications". Incb.Org, 2020, https://www.incb.org/incb/en/publications/incb-publications.html.
[3] "Drug Overdose". Drug Policy Alliance, 2020, http://www.drugpolicy.org/issues/drug-overdose. [4] "Marijuana Statistics - Cannabis Use Statistics - Drug-Free World". Foundation For A Drug-Free World, 2020, https://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/marijuana/international-statistics.html.
[5] "Drug Trafficking Within The Venezuelan Regime: The 'Cartel Of The Suns'". Insight Crime, 2020, https://www.insightcrime.org/investigations/drug-trafficking-venezuelan-regime-cartel-of-the-sun /. Accessed 26 Jan 2020.
[6] "Drug Trafficking Statistics In The United States". Drugabuse.Com, 2020, https://drugabuse.com/statistics-data/drug-trafficking/.
[7] Unodc.Org, 2020, https://www.unodc.org/documents/wdr/WDR_2010/World_Drug_Report_2010_lo-res.pdf. [8] https://www.bmj.com/content/341/bmj.c4554 [9] https://www.unodc.org/documents/commissions/CND/CND_Sessions/CND_60/CNDre s_2017/Resolution_60_9_60CND.pdf