DRUG TRADE THRIVES ON THE WEST'S DENIAL

VIENNA Colombia's vice president, Francisco Santos Calderon, warned
European countries recently that they ignore an increase in cocaine
consumption across the Continent at their peril. When looking at the
relaxed approach to drug control pursued by some European governments,
I am tempted to go even further and conclude that societies have the
drug problem they deserve.

That rise in cocaine use will no doubt be a topic of discussion as
international experts in drug control meet at Wilton Park in England
this weekend to consider this question: Is international drug policy
working? My answer to that question will be "Yes, but ..."

Yes, great strides have been made in reducing and even eradicating
production of opium and coca in key countries. Laos, long part of the
infamous Golden Triangle, will be declared virtually opium-free this
month, following Thailand in 1992 and Vietnam in 1997. Within a few
years, Afghanistan is likely to be the world's only major producer of
the drug.

Yes, what threatened to become an epidemic of drug abuse in the last
half of the 20th century has been contained. About 200 million people
worldwide - 5 percent of the population aged 15 to 64 - use drugs, and
an alarming 200,000 are believed to have died from drug abuse in 2000.
(By comparison, the World Health Organization reports, about 4.9
million people were killed by tobacco in 2000.) The world's drug
problem would unquestionably have been much worse if it had not been
for the international drug control system, made up of agreements and
conventions stretching back more than a century.

But the successes have been heavily on the supply side. While
Colombia, Laos and other countries have made significant progress in
curbing production, their efforts are still not reciprocated on the
demand side. Too many Western governments fail to devote sufficient
resources to preventing the drug problem.

Whether intentionally or not, they often send the message that drug
abuse is at worst a minor offense. Use of drugs by celebrities is
presented uncritically in the news media. Drugs like marijuana are
treated either liberally or severely as fashions and governments
change, leaving young people confused as to just how dangerous they
are.

Too many societies are in denial. All too often, it takes the sound of
gunshots in the night and the sight of bodies stacking up in morgues
to overcome that denial. This is what happened in U.S. cities in the
1980s, prompting a robust - and largely effective - crackdown on crack
cocaine.

Governments in Europe and elsewhere need to learn from that
experience. They need to enforce the law vigorously against
traffickers and dealers. They need to educate young people on the
dangers of drug abuse and to invest in treatment for drug users. The
successes seen in fighting tobacco consumption in the past 10 years
show that preventive measures can help to change attitudes.

Drug treatment is demonstrably effective in reducing crime and the
other serious consequences of drug use. Addicts must be treated
humanely. But even the best treatment program cannot help a drug user
who does not seek assistance.

That is where effective law enforcement comes in. Gentle but
unmistakable pressure from the authorities provides the leverage
needed to persuade drug users to seek treatment and learn to change
their behavior. Effective treatment in turn helps to shrink the market
for illegal drugs.

Prevention programs are equally effective. But they, too, work best in
a climate where, for example, drug tests in schools help to identify
vulnerable young people who can then be discouraged from developing a
drug habit.

The ideological dispute between those who argue that drug abuse is
simply a crime that must be punished and those who put compassion for
addicts above all other considerations is unhelpful. Crime and drug
addiction almost always occur in tandem.

If we simply incarcerate addicted offenders without treating them,
their return to both drug use and crime is virtually guaranteed.
Likewise, if we neglect law enforcement and concentrate solely on
treatment, drug crimes will continue to flourish. We need to focus on
both public safety and public health.

At the United Nations in 1998, the nations of the world pledged to
work for significant and measurable reductions in drug use and illicit
cultivation by 2008. That goal is attainable - but only if more
Western countries get serious about tackling demand for illegal drugs.