Drugs- How Australia Promotes Evil

The latest annual report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime promotes a dismal picture of how illicit drugs promote much evil in the world.
It has long been accepted that international drug criminals are major beneficiaries of Australia’s high drug using population.
But the U.N. report now highlights that international terrorists are funded by drug production and trafficking.
The report highlights that human trafficking is used by drug cartels to provide slave labor for drug factories in places like Afghanistan, Myanmar, Asia, South America and Africa. As well these human mules are used to traffic drugs from producing countries to using nations like Australia.
Corruption in these nations is endemic as drug money is used to undermine nation states and good government. Nations that are used as a hub of drug consignments traveling between drug producing countries to drug using countries are having their sovereignty undermined by trafficking.
Afghanistan which produces over 80 per cent of the world’s opium that is use in heroin production is substantially dependent on drug revenue.
Cocaine trafficking is undermining vulnerable African nations putting their governments under severe pressure.
Some South American and Caribbean nations are finding that illicit drug money is jeopardizing security and development.
Corruption is a cancer that kills people’s trust in public administration and erodes the common wealth built by society as a whole.
As well, the United Nations agency has reported that drug addiction is killing millions of people every year and creating misery for tens of millions of others. The injection of illicit drugs is spreading HIV and Hepatitis in nations that do not have well developed health systems to cope.
How Does Australia Contribute?
Australia as a developed westernized nation contributes to these evils by not reducing is drug using population.
As a high drug using nation we are a target for illicit drugs.
It is Australian money that is used to fund the criminals, terrorists, human traffickers and corruption that is badly affecting other nations.
We have facilitated the high use of illicit drugs by promoting policies like the drug injecting room in Kings Cross in Sydney.
The drugs injected in Kings Cross come from overseas sources that fuel the trafficking, corruption, terrorism and human misery that are in the report.
When money is exchanged for injecting drugs that money flows directly back to the same criminal and terrorist sources.
When our taxes are used to provide syringes to maintain drug users in their addiction the drug that are used in that syringe sends funds overseas to the same criminal and terrorist sources.
Our high drug use facilitates the drug trade and all that goes with it.
What is to be Done?
Australia is a signatory to the United Nations covenants that are designed to reduce the illicit drug scourge in the world.
The primary obligation that the Australian, state and territory governments have is to reduce that drug using population so as to reduce the demand for drugs.
In fact that is what the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is asking the drug using nations like Australia to do.
Australia is cooperating with other nations in reducing the supply of illicit drugs by busting drug shipments, monitoring money movements and sharing of information and resources.
But these efforts are being undermined by our lack of will in reducing our drug using population and the demand for illicit drugs.
Recent episodes of high profile and sports persons being involved with illicit drugs clearly highlight Australia’s weaknesses in drug policy.
When these high profile personalities buy their drugs where do they think the money goes?
Where are our detoxification and rehabilitation services that get people off drugs rather that keeping on drugs?
When will our courts be used to divert users into detoxification and rehabilitation and supervise them to a drug free state?
When will all prisons be drug free and release people back into society without an addiction?
When will we scrap the Kings Cross injecting rooms?
When will we scrap the syringe distribution programs that keep addicts in their addiction?
There is much to be done in Australia to help other nations to fight the scourge of illicit drugs and the corruption and evil that goes with it.
With a new government in Canberra here is an opportunity for a clean start and national leadership.
The full report can be obtained from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime at www.unodc.org
More information on the scourge of illicit drugs is available at www.daca.org.au
David Perrin is the Executive Officer of the Drug Advisory Council of Australia and a former Member of Parliament