World anti-drugs day and our own Mathata Thita
D P Mendis P.C.
The United Nations has declared June 26 as the
World Anti-Drugs Day. This is an annual world event aimed at raising the
awareness of the scourge of narcotic drugs and the social responsibility
of both State and the society to maintain the momentum in its combat in
eradicating this menace
[Fight against drugs]
* Commonly abused drug heroin
* Cocaine and marjuana mainly found in Latin America and North
America
* Mathata Thitha helps drug addicts to take treatment
* National Dangerous Drugs Control Board runs four centres to treat
drug addicts
* New legislation on treatment of Drug Dependent Persons Act
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is the principal
arm of the UN in the global fight against drugs. The UNODC with its
Narcotics Laboratory and the scientific research division along with its
training and enforcement divisions is logistically and scientifically
equipped to lead the global fight against this scourge of narcotic
drugs.
Brazilian policemen show guns, rifles and drugs seized
during a raid against drug
trafficking at the Mineira slum, in Rio de Janeiro. Picture
courtesy: Google |
There are two aspects to the problem of narcotic drugs. The supply
and the demand. The most commonly abused drug is heroin. The thick juice
from the poppy (papaver somniferum) is transformed through an indigenous
process to whitish to brown powder. It is commonly abused by sniffing
the smoke fume or latterly sometimes by injecting the liquid form of
heroin.
The supply is from two regions the golden crescent in Afghanistan,
Iran and the surrounding countries and the golden triangle in the far
East Laos, Cambodia and Northern Thailand.
The region of the golden triangle is now almost free from opium
cultivation. Iran is now growing the poppy (post Shah regime) under
State supervision.
It is Afghanistan the bulk supplier of heroin to the underworld drug
mafia internationally. The UNODC is also gravely concerned and deeply
involved in eradicating the cocaine and marjuana in the Western
hemisphere mainly Latin America and North America.
Afghan heroin
The Afghan supply cannot be sustained by the growers of the poppy in
Afghanistan if they do not get the base chemical which is an absolute
requirement in the process of production of heroin, viz-acetic
anhydride.
This chemical is not produced in Afghanistan, but is smuggled into
the country by the traffickers from neighbouring countries - India and
Pakistan.
The supply route to Sri Lanka is also the same through Pakistan and
India. A trend is now getting established for the Afghan heroin to come
to Sri Lanka sometimes through other Middle Eastern countries. The
traffickers move from Karachchi-Pakistan to Dubai or other Middle East
destinations and then return to Colombo. This stuff sometimes go to Male
and from there to European destinations. Another very significant
detection had been done recently where heroin was smuggled (nearly four
kgs with a street value of nearly Rs 24 Million) by a Nepalese national
from Kathmandu.
This shows that the trafficking mafia is ready to use unsuspecting
routes and careers.
The latest haul of 40 kgs from Chilaw area had been brought in by an
expert swimmer taking it over in mid ocean and swimming with the 40 kg
pack on his back to safety. Yet the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) was
able to nab him and his booty.
Drug mafia
This type of smuggling is happening in other Eastern and far Eastern
seas, mostly for synthetic heroin and psychotropic substances and the
same modus oprandi is being tested out here in Sri Lanka.
It is also important to note that certain other opioid analgesics
like Morphine, Methodone, Pethidine and Buprenophine are produced and
these although under strict control legally yet are widely abused by
drug addicts, due to lack of proper control and supervision by the
authorities.
Heroin is not the only narcotic substance that is being abused. With
the onset of a massive global war against the spread of the poppy the
drug mafia has turned their resources and their criminal acumen on
producing synthetic narcotic drugs, as the plant based narcotics
production is becoming more difficult with effective law enforcement.
This is where certain chemicals which are absolutely essential for
industries and industrial growth specially in developing countries are
being used as base chemicals known as precursor chemicals for the
manufacture of synthetic narcotic drugs commonly known and classified as
amphetamine type stimulants and psychotropic substances. There are 23
chemicals in this group. It is found by the UNODC that these are used to
produce synthetic narcotics in place of plant-based heroin.
Narcotics drugs
The International convention on narcotics drugs and psychotropic
substances was signed in 1988 to combat the rising menace of synthetic
narcotics drugs manufactured by using the 23 chemicals which are known
as Precursor chemicals.
The member countries of the UN were given a 10 year period after
becoming signatory to it to have their local legislation parallel and
compatible with the convention.
Sri Lanka signed the convention only in June 1998, so that we had to
have our law before the end of June 2008.
The NDDCB was able under the present Minister in-charge of the
subject, the President, to have Act No. 1 of 2008 enacted as part of our
law on January 23, 2008 ahead of the lapse of the ten-year period.
This legislation brought in a regime of control for the importation,
storage, distribution and use of these 23 chemicals, classified as
Precursor chemicals. It was about the same time that the NDDCB received
information about a suspected exportation of some Precursors being made
to Sri Lanka, which information was passed unto the relevant law
enforcement authorities who commenced inquiry into the whereabouts and
the use of these chemicals.
This led to the discovery by the 1st clandestine laboratory producing
a highly addictive dangerous narcotic drug known as Amphetamine. Under
this Act No. 1 of 2008 a Precursor Control Authority is being set up
with all the stakeholders assistance and representation on this
Authority in order to control and supervise the use of these 23
Precursor chemicals from the point of its entry into the country, to see
that non of these chemicals fall into the hands of the drugs mafia.
The all-important role-played by the PNB the Customs and the Excise
personnel in the control of the supply of narcotics drugs and substances
has to be recorded with great appreciation.
Level of addiction
The other side of the coin is the demand for narcotic substances. It
is the demand of the abusers or the addicts.
The demand depends on the level of addiction an abuser has. Demand
reduction is the other struggle the society is faced with.
It is now well established that drug addicts will not respond to
curative treatment and that it is Palliative care which is the method of
treatment of drug addicts. Because drug addicts desire for drugs demand
is not responsive to medicines or curative treatment.
Presently the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board runs four
centres for treatment of drug addicts. In one of its centres - at
Urapola, Nawadiganthaya - they have commenced treatment for alcoholics
as well. The treatment methodology practiced on these centres is the
psychosocial method. This method of treatment of drug addicts have
recorded a success rate of 22 to 25 percent over the period of nearly 26
years. The inmates are provided with the meals and dormitory
accommodation with mosquito nets and comfortable bed and beddings with
bathing and other facilities. Physical exercise and recreation also is
provided.
Private treatment
Except the cost-sharing centre at Urapola, all others are free, but
soon that also may have to go free.
There are a number of other private - NGO centres in the country. The
N.D.D.C.B. had received complaints from some of these private treatment
centres about abuses and serious violations of personal liberty where
the inmates had been chained or beaten up.
The N.D.D.C.B. had taken various measures in regard to those
complaints. All these private sector treatment centres charged money
from the people who come for treatment. The most important fact is that
in most of these places, perhaps except the Mithuru Mithuro there are no
suitable trained or qualified staff to undertake treatment.
In some places basic sanitary requirements are minimal, accommodation
too is unhealthy.
This situation called for some action by the State in regulating the
activities in this regard, not only to bring in some uniformity to the
entire system, of treatment of drug addicts, but also to safeguard their
rights. This became all-important with the Government’s policy of
Mathata Thitha.
Hence the new legislation on treatment of Drug Dependent Persons Act
No. 54 of 2007.
This is another piece of legislation towards realisation of the State
policy of Mathata Thitha.
This law decriminalised the drug abuser.
Thereby two objects are achieved, one the peddler, the trafficker is
differentiated from the abuser. The abuser is the victim, the
trafficker, the peddler, the Criminal Law has to safeguard and treat the
victim to get away from addiction.
Mathata Thitha
As expressed in the forum of the International Commission on Narcotic
Drugs (CND) in March 2008, in Vienna, the theory of the present Sri
Lankan Government as expressed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Mathata
Thitha is to take the drug addict, from his addiction through the path
of treatment to get away from addiction and reach the stage of
abstinence - Mathata Thitha.
This is quite different from taking the addict from the point of
addiction to heroin and get him hooked to Methadone Buprenorphine, which
too are narcotics.
In that sense in the setting of addiction to narcotics, drugs or
alcohol or tobacco the endeavour has to be to get away from the
psychological state of addiction and help the addict to reach abstinence
where he will be completely free from intoxicants, Mathata Thitha.
If this is implemented in other parts of the world, however much the
supply is rampant demand could be brought to zero and the society freed
of this scourge of drugs.
The writer is the Immediate Past Chairman of the NDDCB |