Pubdate: Sat, 23 Jul 2016
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer (Philippines)
Copyright: 2016 Philippine Daily Inquirer
Contact:  http://www.inquirer.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1073
Author: Charlie A. Agatep
Note: Charlie A. Agatep is chair-CEO of Grupo Agatep, an integrated 
marketing communications agency; former president of the Public 
Relations Society of the Philippines; and former professor of PR, 
journalism and communication arts at the Univ

DEFINE THE DRUG PROBLEM

ALBERT EINSTEIN, the most influential physicist of the 20th century, 
reportedly said that if he were given one hour to save the world he 
would devote 55 minutes to defining the problem and five minutes to 
finding the solution.

I think that is a rather lopsided proportion, but it does illustrate 
the point that we should not jump into solving a problem without 
spending time to understand it.

Before rushing to solve a problem, whether it be the traffic mess, 
poverty, or drug addiction and crime, it is best to view it from 
different perspectives so as to come up with various insights.

It makes sense to devote time to analyzing a problem.

What often happens is that as soon as we have a problem to work on, 
we're so eager to formulate a solution that we do not spend time 
refining it. We fail to realize what Einstein might have been 
alluding to-that the quality of the solution we come up with is the 
result of the quality of our examination of the problem.

In defining the drug problem, we find that it is composed of several 
related problems, each more specific than the original.

In the matter of drug supply, there are the Chinese drug 
manufacturers, the drug lords who smuggle in the substances through 
cartels and mules, and the drug dealers and pushers who furtively 
sell the stuff to the users. They are the major players in the supply 
chain whose common interest is to amass millions of pesos in profit 
under the protection of politicians and police officers.

These are the culprits that President Duterte has declared war 
against in order to cut the drug supply.

In his zeal to wipe out drug-related crimes in three to six months 
and create the illusion of a drug-free Philippines, Mr. Duterte has 
encouraged a tough vigilantism that may do nothing to reduce drug 
supply or demand, or take control of the criminal organizations that 
direct the drug trade.

The thousands of drug abusers and pushers who allegedly surrendered 
to the authorities for fear of being killed have given the public 
some measure of satisfaction and relief.

It looks pleasing at first, but will it last? Indeed, the war on 
drugs has done too much damage to so many people already.

The history of drug wars around the world is a history of consistent 
failure. It is wishful thinking to hope that the Duterte 
administration's drug war will be an exception.

In Mexico's experience, then President Felipe Calderon led thousands 
of soldiers in fighting the drug cartels in 2006, but in the end that 
country was far from winning the war. It is estimated that over 
100,000 people have been killed in Mexico's drug war since 2006.

The United States itself has spent over $1 trillion to wage a massive 
drug war that was launched by President Richard Nixon in 1971. Today, 
with 27 million drug abusers, America remains the world's top 
consumer of illegal drugs.

No less than 1,000 world leaders, including law enforcement 
officials, members of the clergy, health and medical professionals, 
celebrities, athletes and business executives, together with DJ 
Khaled, Michael Douglas, Tom Brady and Warren Buffett, and Democratic 
presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, have declared in a recent 
letter to the United Nations that the global war on drugs has proven 
"disastrous" and that "humankind cannot afford a 21st-century drug 
policy as ineffective and counterproductive as the last century's." 
They said the global drug wars "focused on criminalization and 
punishment, and created a vast illicit market that has enriched 
criminal organizations, corrupted governments, triggered explosive 
violence, distorted economic markets and undermined basic moral values."

Anthony Papa, Filipino artist, writer, and noted advocate against the 
war on drugs, said: "President Duterte is out of his mind. In my 
experience as a convicted drug dealer who was sentenced to two, 
15-year-to-life sentences ... I clearly see that killing drug dealers 
is not the answer to solving the problems associated with crime and 
the war on drugs.

The methods used by President Duterte in fighting crime and curbing 
problems associated with the drug war are totally insane. To take 
human lives in the name of justice is despicable. It is hoped that 
they do not catch on and spread to other countries and Duterte comes 
to his senses before more tragedy occurs."

On the demand side of the drug trade, the Dangerous Drugs Board said 
there were 6.9 million Filipino drug abusers in 2015. They are not 
criminals per se. Since the dawn of history, alcohol, opium, tobacco 
and marijuana have been used by individuals to escape reality in 
order to cope with their lives.

Instead of punitive punishment, the government should help them flee 
their misery and provide them with rehabilitation and healthcare. 
Drug addiction should be considered a public health issue that calls 
for maximum understanding and responsibility.

The Global Commission on Drug Policy has recommended that nations 
invest in drug prevention and treatment, and ensure equitable access 
to essential medicines that relieve unnecessary pain and suffering; 
that there be an end to criminalization and incarceration for drug 
use; that capital punishment for drug-related offenses be abolished; 
and that law enforcement be redirected from nonviolent participants 
in the drug trade.

And finally, let's look at the millions of children who have yet to 
taste any illegal substance but who have the potential to become the 
next generation of drug abusers.

Prevention through role-model parenting is the ideal way to 
"immunize" children against drug use. When kids don't feel 
comfortable talking with their parents, they'll seek answers from 
their friends or barkada.

These are the bad influencers who could lead our kids to experiment with drugs.

Perhaps we should go back to the Aquino administration's holistic 
approach to the drug problem, which viewed it as an issue of security 
or public health that encompasses "social, economic, psychological, 
and economic interests." P-Noy's nonviolent drug war was waged 
against drug traffickers and couriers, undercover laboratories and 
illegal drug plantations. P-Noy launched a public and youth awareness 
campaign like the "Barkada Kontra Droga" program, and managed the 
reduction of drug demand and supply through the Integrated Drug Abuse 
Data and Information Network, an online data pooling and collection system.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom