DRUG ACTIVITY WIDESPREAD ON INTERNET, SAYS UN PANEL

A new report by the United Nations International
Narcotics Control Board says drug traffickers and criminal elements
have begun "exploiting the Internet" as a vehicle for trading illegal
drugs.

The report found that chat rooms are being used to discuss recipes for
making drugs and the World Wide Web has become a vehicle for drug
money laundering.

Board member Herbert Okun told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New
York that the panel was not about to call for censorship. But he added
that the universality of the Web and the existing drug control
treaties demanded some kind of international and national response to
the problem.

The board, in its recommendations, called on governments, the
information technology industry, advocacy groups and health
professionals to help regulate the Web in a sensible way.

Keith Stroup, executive director of The National Organization for the
Reform of Marijuana Laws, disagreed with Okun's statement.

"While they say they are not calling for censorship, I'd like to know
what else they are calling for if they are saying that the Internet
provides aid and support and comfort to drug dealers. If they think
countries need to take some response to that, the only response they
could possibly take, I presume is to censor the content on the
Internet," Stroup said in an interview with CNSNews.com.

"We need a healthy public debate over alternatives to current (drug)
prohibition. Right now, the only policy that our government and the
United Nations think is a legitimate policy to discuss is criminal
prohibition. We need a legally, regulated market where we would do
away with the black market and crime and corruption associated with
it," said Stroup.

The Drug Enforcement Administration spokesperson Rogene Waite said the
agency has been aware of the Internet problem for several years, and
is fighting to stop the illegal trafficking of controlled substances
and pharmaceuticals.

DEA is also aware that chat rooms are being used as a forum for drug
dealing, Waite said.

"We've been aware of it. We had a conference several years ago on
methamphetamines and one of the things we talked about during that
conference was the books and recipes that are on the Internet," said
Waite.

The U.N. International Narcotics Control Board rejected arguments that
marijuana should be legalized.

"Adding another drug to the same category as alcohol and tobacco would
be a historical mistake," the board said in its report.

However, it urged further research "into the possible therapeutic
properties and medicinal uses of cannabis or cannabis extracts,"
emphasizing that any decision must be based on scientific and medical
evidence."

Stroup finds nothing new in the U.N.'s stance.

"These folks are professional bureaucrats who are trained drug
warriors. They have a very strong ideological point of view. It's
important for people to recognize that this is a very strong
pro-prohibition voice in the United Nations. These are people who are
paid large salaries to go around and try to maintain the status quo,"
said Stroup.

Only eight U.S. states have approved marijuana for medical use, and a
half-dozen nations are considering similar exemptions to anti-drug
laws.