WSNIA - The Educator

INFORMATION ♦ EDUCATION ♦ ENFORCEMENT

THE EDUCATOR - Fall 2006

Drug Affliction, a WSNIA Book Review

by Dr. Ian Oliver

This is a book that is essential reading for anyone who needs to know about the problems associated with global drug trafficking and the abuse of illicit drugs. It has been written by a person with a rare understanding and experience of drugs culled from extensive research, thirty seven years as a police officer, over eight years as an independent consultant to the United Nations International drug control programme, and membership of expert international committees. It is valuable material either in whole or in part because it is easily read and understood and it gives a clear picture for those who believe that illegal drugs have no direct effects on them and their families. Everyone from concerned parents and grandparents, teachers, social workers, police, medical personnel, prison officers, employers, policy makers and members of the public will acquire valuable information from this book. It may be used either to gain a thorough knowledge of the drugs problem and how it affects everybody in one way or another, or to become informed about a particular issue such as the effects of specific drugs or the need for employers to adopt a policy about the impact of drugs in the workplace.

The book covers a range of subjects and deals with some perceptions of the problem together with the different proposals for dealing with it including the debate on legalisation. It includes information on the international agreements and UN conventions about drugs and examines the anti-drug strategies of both the United Kingdom and the United States of America with particular reference to the policy of harm reduction, which has been hi-jacked by those who seek to legalise drugs. There is specific information on the convergence of drug trafficking, organised crime and terrorism and the ways in which the vast profits from this trade are laundered to the serious disadvantage of global financial stability.

It is estimated that drug trafficking equates with 8-10% of world trade and that the unimaginably huge profits are tax free. At least £500 billion is laundered annually and this equates with over 2% of global GDP.

In addition to peddling drugs, traffickers promote false information and mythology to enhance their hugely damaging trade. Many parents and grandparents as well as teachers will avoid discussing the problem in detail with their children, grandchildren or pupils because they believe that children and young people know more about drugs than they do. Even if this happens to be true, reading this book will solve that particular difficulty and will enable informed discussion and debate that will encourage a sensible approach to drugs and may save lives. Unfortunately, most people gain the sparse information that they have about drugs from incomplete or inaccurate stories in the media or from word of mouth on the street or in clubs and pubs. If we leave our children to gain their information on this subject from the streets then we should not be surprised if that knowledge is seriously and sometimes dangerously deficient.

There is a strong culture of tolerance and acceptance of drugs as a normal part of life experience and some advocate legalising them either because they believe that anti-drug policies have failed or because they believe that there should be ‘freedom of choice’ about personal drug use. Of course, there are also the unscrupulous people who see legalised drugs as another commodity from which they may make additional profits.

In the world of education it is fashionable for some to say that because children will inevitably experience drugs they should be protected by giving them information that will enable them to make “informed choices” about their possible drug use. Some advocate that children and young people should be taught to take drugs safely when in reality the only safe thing about drugs is their avoidance. There may be freedom of choice but there is seldom freedom from the consequences.

This book contains hugely valuable information about the commonly abused drugs such as cannabis, heroin, cocaine and “crack”, and amphetamine type substances such as Ecstasy and “Ice” – the amphetamine equivalent of “crack” cocaine. It deals with the date rape drugs and others which are less frequently used such as hallucinogens (LSD) and ‘magic mushrooms’. The mythology associated with these drugs is exposed and the most up-to-date research about their effects has been included.

The book concludes with information about the internationally agreed methods of addressing the global drug problem and offers some further suggestions as to how domestic anti-drug policy may be improved.

Reading this book offers an easy and informed way of learning about a serious social problem that affects all of us.