http://www.drugsense.org/unletter.htm
UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs
June 8-10, 1998
Public Letter to Kofi Annan
June 1, 1998
Mr. Kofi Annan
Secretary General
United Nations
New York, New York
United States
Dear Secretary General,
On the occasion of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs in New York on June 8-10, 1998, we seek your leadership in stimulating a frank and honest evaluation of global drug control efforts.
We are all deeply concerned about the threat that drugs pose to our children, our fellow citizens and our societies. There is no choice but to work together, both within our countries and across borders, to reduce the harms associated with drugs. The United Nations has a legitimate and important role to play in this regard -- but only if it is willing to ask and address tough questions about the success or failure of its efforts.
We believe that the global war on drugs is now causing more harm than drug abuse itself.
Every decade the United Nations adopts new international conventions, focused largely on criminalization and punishment, that restrict the ability of individual nations to devise effective solutions to local drug problems. Every year governments enact more punitive and costly drug control measures. Every day politicians endorse harsher new drug war strategies.
What is the result? U.N. agencies estimate the annual revenue generated by the illegal drug industry at $400 billion, or the equivalent of roughly eight per cent of total international trade. This industry has empowered organized criminals, corrupted governments at all levels, eroded internal security, stimulated violence, and distorted both economic markets and moral values. These are the consequences not of drug use per se, but of decades of failed and futile drug war policies.
In many parts of the world, drug war politics impede public health efforts to stem the spread of HIV, hepatitis and other infectious diseases. Human rights are violated, environmental assaults perpetrated and prisons inundated with hundreds of thousands of drug law violators. Scarce resources better expended on health, education and economic development are squandered on ever more expensive interdiction efforts. Realistic proposals to reduce drug-related crime, disease and death are abandoned in favor of rhetorical proposals to create drug-free societies.
Persisting in our current policies will only result in more drug abuse, more empowerment of drug markets and criminals, and more disease and suffering. Too often those who call for open debate, rigorous analysis of current policies, and serious consideration of alternatives are accused of "surrendering." But the true surrender is when fear and inertia combine to shut off debate, suppress critical analysis, and dismiss all alternatives to current policies. Mr. Secretary General, we appeal to you to initiate a truly open and honest dialogue regarding the future of global drug control policies - one in which fear, prejudice and punitive prohibitions yield to common sense, science, public health and human rights.
Sincerely,
ARGENTINA
Graciela Fernandez Meijide
Member of Congress
Irma Fidela Parentella
Member of Congress
Gustavo Hurtado
Coordinación Ejecutiva del Programa de Drogadependencia de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires
Carlos Juan Moneta
Permanent Secretary of the Latin American Economic System (SELA)
Adolfo Perez Esquivel
Nobel Laureate (Peace)
Graciela TouzU
President, Intercambios
AUSTRALIA
Dick Adams
House of Representatives, National Parliament
Lyn Allison
Senator, National Parliament
Peter Baume
Former Cabinet Minister; Chancellor, Australian National University
Kevin Berry
Olympic Gold Medallist
Ald. Pru Bonham
Deputy Lord Mayor, Hobart
Ted Bramble
Lawyer, Civil Libertarian
Peter Brooks
Dean, Health Sciences, University of Queensland
John Brumby
Leader of the Opposition, Victoria
Ita Buttrose
Journalist, author
John Cain
Former Premier, Victoria
Dr. Greg B. Chesher
Pharmacologist
Assoc. Prof. Macdonald J. Christie
Department of Pharmacology, University of Sydney
Peter Cleeland
Former Politician
Barney Cooney
Senator from Victoria
Dr. Nick Crofts
Public researcher
Paul Deany
Executive Officer, Asian Harm Reduction Network
Mary Delahunty
Journalist
Ivor Deverson
Lord Mayor, Melbourne
Bob Douglas
Professor of Epidemiology, Australian National University
Alex Dr. Wodak
Physician
Phillip Dunn QC
Barrister
Paul Ellercamp
Journalist
Peter Fritz
Founder and Managing Director, TCG Group of Companies
Dr. Peter Graham
General Practitioner
Randolph Griffiths
Former Sydney City Councillor
Sir Rubert Hamer
Former Premier, Victoria
Susan Irvine
Senior Lecturer, Public Health
Harry Jenkins
House of Representatives, National Parliament
Michael Kirby, AC CMG
President, International Commission of Jurists
Joan Kirner
Former Premier, Victoria
John Konrads
Olympic Gold Medallist
Professor Jara Krivanek
Technical University of Ostrava Czech Republic
Richard Larkins
Chairman, National Health and Medical Research Council
Steve Leeder
Dean, Medical Faculty, Sydney University
Helen Lochhead
Architect
Frank Merlino
Mayor, City of Whittlesea
David Penington
Former Vice Chancellor, Melbourne University
Ron Penny
Professor of Immunology, University of New South Wales
Bronwyn Pike
Executive Officer, Evatt Centre
Phil Puna
Attorney
Dr. Adrian Reynolds
Robert Richter QC
Barrister
Leo Schofield
Director, Sydney Festival
Richard Smallwood
Former President, Royal Australasian College of Physicians
Dr. Nadia Solowij
National Drug & Alcohol Research Centre, University of NSW
John Spatchurst
Principal, Spatchurst Design Associates
Bill Stronach
Australian Drug Foundation
Kelvin Templeton
Sportsman and Sports Administrator
Charles Watson
Dean Health Sciences Curtin University
David White
Former Politician
Michael Willesee
TV Broadcaster
Charles Williams
Dean of Law, Monash University
Neville Wran
Former Premier, New South Wales
(...)Belgium(...)
UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs
June 8-10, 1998
Public Letter to Kofi Annan
June 1, 1998
Mr. Kofi Annan
Secretary General
United Nations
New York, New York
United States
Dear Secretary General,
On the occasion of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs in New York on June 8-10, 1998, we seek your leadership in stimulating a frank and honest evaluation of global drug control efforts.
We are all deeply concerned about the threat that drugs pose to our children, our fellow citizens and our societies. There is no choice but to work together, both within our countries and across borders, to reduce the harms associated with drugs. The United Nations has a legitimate and important role to play in this regard -- but only if it is willing to ask and address tough questions about the success or failure of its efforts.
We believe that the global war on drugs is now causing more harm than drug abuse itself.
Every decade the United Nations adopts new international conventions, focused largely on criminalization and punishment, that restrict the ability of individual nations to devise effective solutions to local drug problems. Every year governments enact more punitive and costly drug control measures. Every day politicians endorse harsher new drug war strategies.
What is the result? U.N. agencies estimate the annual revenue generated by the illegal drug industry at $400 billion, or the equivalent of roughly eight per cent of total international trade. This industry has empowered organized criminals, corrupted governments at all levels, eroded internal security, stimulated violence, and distorted both economic markets and moral values. These are the consequences not of drug use per se, but of decades of failed and futile drug war policies.
In many parts of the world, drug war politics impede public health efforts to stem the spread of HIV, hepatitis and other infectious diseases. Human rights are violated, environmental assaults perpetrated and prisons inundated with hundreds of thousands of drug law violators. Scarce resources better expended on health, education and economic development are squandered on ever more expensive interdiction efforts. Realistic proposals to reduce drug-related crime, disease and death are abandoned in favor of rhetorical proposals to create drug-free societies.
Persisting in our current policies will only result in more drug abuse, more empowerment of drug markets and criminals, and more disease and suffering. Too often those who call for open debate, rigorous analysis of current policies, and serious consideration of alternatives are accused of "surrendering." But the true surrender is when fear and inertia combine to shut off debate, suppress critical analysis, and dismiss all alternatives to current policies. Mr. Secretary General, we appeal to you to initiate a truly open and honest dialogue regarding the future of global drug control policies - one in which fear, prejudice and punitive prohibitions yield to common sense, science, public health and human rights.
Sincerely,
ARGENTINA
Graciela Fernandez Meijide
Member of Congress
Irma Fidela Parentella
Member of Congress
Gustavo Hurtado
Coordinación Ejecutiva del Programa de Drogadependencia de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires
Carlos Juan Moneta
Permanent Secretary of the Latin American Economic System (SELA)
Adolfo Perez Esquivel
Nobel Laureate (Peace)
Graciela TouzU
President, Intercambios
AUSTRALIA
Dick Adams
House of Representatives, National Parliament
Lyn Allison
Senator, National Parliament
Peter Baume
Former Cabinet Minister; Chancellor, Australian National University
Kevin Berry
Olympic Gold Medallist
Ald. Pru Bonham
Deputy Lord Mayor, Hobart
Ted Bramble
Lawyer, Civil Libertarian
Peter Brooks
Dean, Health Sciences, University of Queensland
John Brumby
Leader of the Opposition, Victoria
Ita Buttrose
Journalist, author
John Cain
Former Premier, Victoria
Dr. Greg B. Chesher
Pharmacologist
Assoc. Prof. Macdonald J. Christie
Department of Pharmacology, University of Sydney
Peter Cleeland
Former Politician
Barney Cooney
Senator from Victoria
Dr. Nick Crofts
Public researcher
Paul Deany
Executive Officer, Asian Harm Reduction Network
Mary Delahunty
Journalist
Ivor Deverson
Lord Mayor, Melbourne
Bob Douglas
Professor of Epidemiology, Australian National University
Alex Dr. Wodak
Physician
Phillip Dunn QC
Barrister
Paul Ellercamp
Journalist
Peter Fritz
Founder and Managing Director, TCG Group of Companies
Dr. Peter Graham
General Practitioner
Randolph Griffiths
Former Sydney City Councillor
Sir Rubert Hamer
Former Premier, Victoria
Susan Irvine
Senior Lecturer, Public Health
Harry Jenkins
House of Representatives, National Parliament
Michael Kirby, AC CMG
President, International Commission of Jurists
Joan Kirner
Former Premier, Victoria
John Konrads
Olympic Gold Medallist
Professor Jara Krivanek
Technical University of Ostrava Czech Republic
Richard Larkins
Chairman, National Health and Medical Research Council
Steve Leeder
Dean, Medical Faculty, Sydney University
Helen Lochhead
Architect
Frank Merlino
Mayor, City of Whittlesea
David Penington
Former Vice Chancellor, Melbourne University
Ron Penny
Professor of Immunology, University of New South Wales
Bronwyn Pike
Executive Officer, Evatt Centre
Phil Puna
Attorney
Dr. Adrian Reynolds
Robert Richter QC
Barrister
Leo Schofield
Director, Sydney Festival
Richard Smallwood
Former President, Royal Australasian College of Physicians
Dr. Nadia Solowij
National Drug & Alcohol Research Centre, University of NSW
John Spatchurst
Principal, Spatchurst Design Associates
Bill Stronach
Australian Drug Foundation
Kelvin Templeton
Sportsman and Sports Administrator
Charles Watson
Dean Health Sciences Curtin University
David White
Former Politician
Michael Willesee
TV Broadcaster
Charles Williams
Dean of Law, Monash University
Neville Wran
Former Premier, New South Wales
(...)Belgium(...)