- International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking falls this Sunday
The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, or World Drug Day, will be marked this Sunday (26) to strengthen action and co-operation in achieving a world free of drug abuse. Celebrated each year on 26 June, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) uses the commemorative day to highlight the dangers of drug use and their illegal trade, and provides educational material to teachers and public officials all over the world to help spread the message about the extreme cultural and economic harm the trade in drugs is still wreaking across the globe.
As per the UN, the annual awareness day – originally instigated by a resolution of a special session on drugs of the UN’s General Assembly in 1987 – was founded to mark the centenary of China’s early efforts to combat the trade in opium, which is widely regarded as the start of the international war on drugs.
On International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, campaigns, rallies, and poster making are the most common ways of getting the community involved in raising awareness about drug abuse.
Unfortunately, despite strict restrictions against illicit trafficking and active campaigning against drug abuse, both continue to flourish. The World Drug Report of 2007 by the United Nations stated that revenues from illicit drug trafficking are a whopping $ 300 billion.
This year, under the theme for World Drug Day “Addressing drug challenges in health and humanitarian crises”, the UN announced that it will continue to advocate to protect the right to health for the most vulnerable, including children and youth; people using drugs; people with drug-use disorders; and people who need access to controlled medicines.
According to a recent study on the social aspect of drug addiction in Sri Lanka, heroin and cannabis (marijuana) were found to be the most commonly used drugs in Sri Lanka. It also shed light on the fact that laws and policies designed to control drug abuse, and regulations on drug addicts, have not brought any major change or desired outcome in the Sri Lankan drug scene.
Sri Lanka’s experience in dealing with drugs trafficking and with the drug abuse problem is unique in many ways. From the 16th Century until the middle of the 20th Century, colonial powers regulated the use of opium as a means to earn money and fill their pockets. Once Sri Lanka gained independence, several means and measures were put in place to prevent and reduce the misuse of drugs like marijuana, opium, and alter hallucinogenic drugs.
Unfortunately, based on the current situation, we can see hardly any of these preventive measures having proven successful. In light of the war, several reports were published claiming that there had been an increase in the involvement of Sri Lankan nationals in smuggling drugs across national frontiers. Both in the past and in modern times, it is clear that we have lacked a comprehensive national policy on drug abuse, which is a huge constraint on law enforcement and the development of interventions for education, treatment, rehabilitation, and crop substitution.
In conversation Brunch, Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC) Director Human Development and Administration Sampath De Seram noted that most of the drug users in Sri Lanka get their supply of drugs from the underground drug market, which has its internal and external sources. Because of this, he pointed out, the rehabilitation of drug addicts has become an urgent need in the country to protect its valuable citizens – the same people, he stated, who are important building blocks in crafting a sustainable nation that is free from the grasp of drug addiction.
On the same topic, De Seram empathised that drug addiction is not the be-all and end-all of life; in fact, it is preventable and can easily be managed successfully under the condition that everyone involved co-operates. In this scenario, drug users must admit that they have a problem and seek the necessary help and drug dealers must learn the dangers of it, put aside greed for money, and help our country grow into a safer and cleaner nation.
Right now, Sri Lanka is fortunate to house several non-governmental organisations and religious institutions that can be mobilised to discourage the use of intoxicating drugs and alcohol. But in the meantime, while we fight against drug abuse, according to the UN, something as simple as sharing resources or information on drug abuse can prevent someone from turning to harmful drugs. This is a life-affirming action that can prevent generations of people from suffering the long-term damage caused by drug abuse.
