Pubdate: Thu, 11 Jun 1998
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Contact:  213-237-4712
Website: http://www.latimes.com/
Author: Robert H. Reid, Associated Press Writer

NATIONS ENDORSE ANTI-DRUG CAMPAIGN

UNITED NATIONS--Endorsing a global campaign against drugs, 150 nations have
pledged to coordinate efforts to reduce demand, curb money-laundering and
sharply cut the supply of narcotics in the next 10 years.

"We are not starting a new 'war on drugs"' Pino Arlacchi, head of the U.N.
Drug Control Office, told delegates Wednesday at the end of their three-day
U.N. special session on drugs.

A better analogy, he said, was "a doctor facing a deadly disease. Drugs
quite simply kill people. And it is our responsibility to find the cure."

The summit ended with participants approving a 31 -page plan for
governments to work together to curb trafficking, reduce demand, improve
judicial cooperation, combat money-laundering and reduce the cultivation of
narcotic crops.

Despite the approval, delegates were divided about how to wage the
campaign. Leaders of drug-producing countries in Latin America and Asia
said the United States and other consumer nations must reduce demand.

President Clinton, who addressed the conference Monday, announced a $2
billion media campaign against drugs. But he refused to endorse one of the
pillars of the U.N. program: financial incentives to persuade Third World
farmers to quit growing narcotic crops.

U.N. officials estimate the program will cost more than $250 million
annually for 10 years.

"There needs to be money," said Dr. Hamid Ghodse, president of the
International Narcotics Control Board. "Regrettably, I didn't hear any of
the countries openly and frankly commit themselves to any cash."

Without the money, Ghose said, "all of this would be wasted."

Singapore defended its policy of mandatory executions for drug traffickers.
The Netherlands and Switzerland argued their approaches -such as tolerating
"soft drugs" and prescribing heroin to addicts -are the best way to curb
drug-related crime.

"I wish to repeat this loud and clear here: Switzerland is not moving
toward drug liberalization," Swiss Vice President Ruth Dreifuss said.

Dreifuss said Switzerland's controversial program to prescribe heroin to
hardcore addicts had enabled authorities to "reach high-dependent drug
addicts who had tried other forms of therapy but without success."

Some private drug research organizations said the United Nations was
focusing too much attention on law enforcement programs, such as tracing
and conficating drug profits.

"Like the drug war itself, the U.N. drug summit was a failure," said Dr.
Ethan Nadelmann, director of the Lindesmith Center. "Rather than producing
the intended unity, the drug summit exposed deep divisions ... between drug
war zealots who advocate spending on a failed policy and the reformers who
want new approaches."

Copyright Los Angeles Times

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