The Geopolitics Of The Global Illegal Drug Trade Geography Essay

The Geopolitics Of The Global Illegal Drug Trade Geography Essay One of the biggest problems facing the world today is the production, trade and consumption of illegal drugs. Millions of people around the world are involved in either this trade either as producers, vendors or consumers, despite it being a highly illegal activity with strict and often harsh penalties for even the possession of a small amount of these illegal substances. In this paper we will be discussing the consequences of the global illegal drugs trade in different areas of the world, and whether the legalization and regulation of this trade would be positive or negative. 2. AFGHANISTAN Afghanistan is one of the worlds top producers of illegal substances, in particular opium, and there are many reasons why this is the case. It is one of the poorest countries in the world, according to the CIA world fact book, with a GDP per capita of just $800 and ranked 181st on the UNs Human Development Index second lowest in the world. (CIA World Fact Book, 2009) It is a landlocked country with direct links to Russia and the EU 2 of the worlds largest illegal drug markets with land movement being extensive due to lack of border control. Rugged terrain, with many isolated areas makes government surveillance and law enforcement difficult. Due to this and Afghanistans notoriety for lawlessness, instability and poverty (resulting from decades of war which have ravaged the country) the opium trade has flourished and now a huge proportion of the country is dependent upon its cultivation. It is interesting that under the Taliban regime, levels of opium production were showing signs o f falling, but since 2001 when the USA declared its â€Å"War on Terror†, this level has increased significantly from around 75,000 hectares in 2000 to nearing 200,000 hectares in 2007. So why is the opium trade such a huge issue? Agriculture is the countrys main form of industry and the collapse of the economy forced more and more farmers to seek alternative methods of generating revenue from crops. This came at a time when demand for opium was increasing due to restrictions being made in nearby opium producing countries such as India. Farmers realised there huge profits could be made from the cultivation of opium poppies, with the risk of being caught relatively low due to the reasons mentioned in the previous paragraph, despite it being a punishable offence. In addition, opium poppies are notoriously hardy- they are almost drought resistant compared to legal crops such as wheat. Many Afghans have used poppy cultivation as a means of investment in legitimate businesses due to lack of personal loans resulting from the poor economy; while illegitimate moneylenders have high interest rates and use various forms of intimidation such as kidnapping. The seriousness of t his situation being that many farmers in Afghanistan have little other legal lucrative alternative, and the government is doing little to encourage farmers to do so. There is also significant evidence to suggest that the since the fall of Taliban, they and other terrorist groups are now significantly funded by the drug trade. What then are the options available? The first is enforcement of current laws whilst offering alternative livelihood options. This involves better monitoring of opium growers in the country and eradication of Heroin production factories, and offering farmers incentives to grow alternative crops. One suggestion is substitution with Saffron, another lucrative crop which has proven to grow well in Afghanistans climate. This would also involve improving the infrastructure needed to support legal crop cultivation. The other option which has been suggested is licensing the opium trade. This gives the government much more control over the end use of opium, as it could be used in the production of valuable legal opiates such as morphine. Trade could also be taxed, providing valuable revenue for the undeveloped economy of Afghanistan. Another issue this would solve is eliminating warlords and severing the ties between the drug trade and human/weapons trafficking as it could be regulated and m onitored by government authorities â€Å". (Licensing) combines the best of both worlds. It stabilizes a crucial country in the global war on terrorism and alleviates the pain crisis in AIDS stricken developing countries. It is not a silver bullet for Afghanistans many troubles, but it does pave the way for the country to escape its current development and security crisis† (Kamminga , Van Ham. 2006). This is not necessarily saying that Heroin should be made legal; but is another option that could be looked into with the legalisation and regulation of all drugs, rather than a select few. 3. THE NETHERLANDS The Netherlands government takes an alternative approach to the enforcement of anti-drug laws, believing that drug use is a public health issue, rather than a criminal one; and that there is a difference between soft drugs (cannabis) and hard drugs (cocaine, heroin). A quote which summarises this attitude is â€Å"if a problem has proved to be unstoppable, it is better to try controlling it instead of continuing to enforce laws that have shown to be unable to stop the problem† (WordIQ: Drug policy of the Netherlands. 2010). They therefore employ a policy of non-enforcement towards soft drugs such as cannabis, but will still prosecute users if they are found causing a public disturbance, or pose a risk to themselves or others whilst under the influence of drugs. The Netherlands drug policy has a number of aims which are: To separate the market between hard and soft drugs so that soft drug users do not come into contact with hard drugs To limit the sale of soft drugs to minors To divert profits from the sale of soft drugs away from criminal drug dealers To gain tax from the legitimate sale of soft drugs To use the money gained to assist problem drug users (i.e. Treatment and rehabilitation) and promote awareness and education of hard drugs To prevent soft drug users being criminalised unnecessarily So is this policy working? In the USA where cannabis is strictly illegal and carries severe fines and prison time, 42.4% of Americans have tried the drug, whilst in The Netherlands only 19.8% of the population have tried cannabis, despite it being tolerated and sold freely in coffee shops (Degenhardt et al. 2008) 9.7% of young adults consume soft drugs once a month in Holland; this figure is far lower than the UK level of 15.8%, but higher than in other European countries such as Sweden (3%). The EU average of soft drug users that go on to become problem drug users is 0.52%, in The Netherlands this figure is just 0.3%, and the number of hard drug users is also considerably lower. These statistics show that while levels of soft drug use in The Netherlands is not significantly higher or lower than the rest of Europe, the levels of problem drug users and hard drug users is considerably lower. It is also interesting to note that due to taxes gained from the legitimate sale of cannabis, a round 90% of drug users can be treated effectively. 4. NON-GOVERNEMENT ORGANISATIONS NGOs around the world aim to eradicate problems associated with the illegal drug trade; however without financial backing and access to resources, their policies are often limited. Their strategies focus on influencing government protocol and targeting social issues in a ‘prevention over cure approach. The social aspect focuses on education of the young and those vulnerable to drug addiction, in addition to financing and organising rehabilitation for those suffering from addiction. Strategies also target producers of drugs, particularly agricultural ones. These producers are influenced to cultivate alternative products (such as wheat), both through financial incentives and legal prevention. All aspects of the global illegal drugs trade span over large areas, making it difficult for individual state governments to act effectively. NGOs such as the UN, WHO and the EU create policies targeting drug abuse issues to socially improve nations. High costs and infrastructure requirement s for drugs trade prevention deter LEDCs from acting, as their costs do not warrant their benefits it is the state importing that often suffers the most. So what would be the effect of the legalisation of the illegal drugs trade in regards to NGOs? Effectively there would be dissolution of all strategies to cease and prevent the global trade in illegal drugs. Trade would shift to safer routes through legally disclosed transport subject to scrutiny at borders, so potential would remain for NGO involvement in cases of unregulated drugs being traded across borders. 5. CONCLUSION A quote from ‘The Economist claims that the UN believes thatâ€Å"The drug market has â€Å"stabilised†, meaning that more than 200 m people, or almost 5% of the worlds adult population still take illegal drugs† and goes on to say that â€Å"by providing honest information about the health risks of drugs and pricing them accordingly, governments could steer consumers towards the least harmful ones† (The Economist, 2009). However, the legalisation of drugs is a highly complex and sensitive issue which has many social, political, moral and economic implications. The scale of which is unimaginable and is something which many people feel would be an impossible task. It is a known fact that people around the world produce, distribute and use drugs- as they have done for thousands of years. Perhaps money would be better spent on educating people about the dangers of certain drugs (including legal ones) as well as helping those that have become dependent on either the sale or use of illegal drugs, rather than criminalising those that use them safely, or have little other viable options other than producing drugs. This could also have benefits for those in the developing world who rely on the illegal drugs trade as a source of income, and could eliminate the violence involved with the illegal drugs trade. REFERENCES CIA: The World FactBook Afghanistan. 2009. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html Degenhardt et al. 2008. Toward a global view of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and cocaine use: Findings from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys. PLoS Medicine 5(7) e141 Kamminga, Van Ham. 2006. Poppies for peace: Reforming Afghanistans opium industry. The Washington Quarterly. 30:1 pp 69-81 The Economist. 2009. Failed states and failed policies: How to stop the drug wars. http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13237193source=login_payBarrier WordIQ: Drug policy of the Netherlands Definition. 2010. http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Drug_policy_of_the_Netherlands Ashley White Registration No: 090167133

The Great Gatsby Conversation

In Gatsby’s conversation with Nick, Gatsby, who has many belittling rumors surrounding him, tries to get Nick to sympathize with him by describing himself as a nice person who has gone through â€Å"hard† times, but his attempts are unsuccessful. Because of the rumors, Nick wants to know more about Gatsby because, â€Å"[He] had talked with him perhaps six times in the past month and found, to [his] disappointment, that [Gatsby] had little to say,† which led Nick to believe there was something suspicious about Gatsby. 64) Over the past month or so, Nick had heard many rumors about Gatsby having â€Å"killed a man† (49) and being a â€Å"German spy during [World War I]† (44). Gatsby’s behavior during the conversation strengthened these rumors in Nick’s mind. During their conversation, Gatsby â€Å"hurried the phrase ‘educated at Oxford,’ or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bothered him before† which le d Nick to wonder â€Å"if there was something sinister about him† (65). Whenever Oxford was mentioned, Gatsby was hesitant to continue that conversation, which seemed as though Gatsby was lying about his past and that made Nick even more suspicious. Furthermore, Gatsby did not help erase the rumors from Nick’s mind when Tom and Gatsby, â€Å"shook hands briefly, and a strained, unfamiliar look of embarrassment came over Gatsby’s face,† and when â€Å"[Nick] turned toward Mr. Gatsby, [he] was no longer there† (74). This behavior proved to Nick that Gatsby is trying to hide something from his past and is very uncomfortable discussing it. Although there are topics about his past that make Gatsby uncomfortable, he freely explains his past to Nick. In order to make a good impression on Nick, Gatsby always speaks elaborately and is very nice to Nick. Gatsby says, â€Å"‘Good morning, old sport. You’re having lunch with me and I thought we’d ride up together’† (64). Gatsby explains that he lives like a â€Å"rajah,† but that he has had some hardships and is â€Å"trying to forget something very sad that had happened to [him] a long time ago† (66). Although Gatsby is wealthy, he explains that he has personal problems in order to get Nick to sympathize with him. Then, Gatsby tries to explain his war experience by saying, â€Å"‘It was a great relief, and I tried very hard to die, but I seemed to bear an enchanted life† because he was sad about his incident and by saying he wanted to die, he could get Nick to sympathize with him and forget about the rumors surrounding him, but Nick never does (66). Another way Gatsby tries to explain to Nick he is not a bad person is by showing Nick his accomplishments from the war. The photograph which Gatsby carried around with him read, â€Å"‘Major Jay Gatsby [†¦ ] For Valour Extraordinary’† (67). By doing so, Gatsby proves that he supported the Americans thus trying to erase the rumor of him being a German spy. Although there are many strong rumors around Gatsby, he tries to convince Nick, who believes in those rumors, that he is an innocent, normal man because he is in love with Daisy and wants Nick, Daisy’s cousin, to set him up. Though Gatsby discusses very personal issues that make him seem like the â€Å"common man,† his actions around Nick like having a gambler for a friend and acting suspiciously whenever anything related to Daisy came up, cause Nick to believe that Gatsby was guilty of something.

Drug Addiction Is a Growing Problem in Punjab Essay

1) Throughout the border state of Punjab, whether in villages or cities, drugs have become a scourge. Opium is prevalent, refined as heroin or other illegal substances. Schoolboys sometimes eat small black balls of opium paste, with tea, before classes. Synthetic drugs are popular among those too poor to afford heroin. 2) The scale of the problem, if impossible to quantify precisely, is undeniably immense and worrisome. India has one of the world’s youngest populations, a factor that is expected to power future economic growth, yet Punjab is already a reminder of the demographic risks of a glut of young people. An overwhelming majority of addicts are between the ages of 15 and 35, according to one study, with many of them unemployed and frustrated by unmet expectations. 3) For the Punjab government, the problem is hardly unknown. Private drug treatment centers, some run by quacks, have proliferated across the state, and treatment wards in government hospitals have seen a surge in patients. Three years ago, a state health official warned in a court affidavit that Punjab risked losing a whole generation to drugs. Roughly 60 percent of all illicit drugs confiscated in India are seized in Punjab. 4) Yet when Punjab held state elections this year, the candidates rarely spoke about drug abuse. In fact, India’s Election Commission said that some political workers were actually giving away drugs to try to buy votes. More than 110 pounds of heroin and hundreds of thousands of bottles of bootleg liquor were seized in raids. During the elections, party workers in some districts distributed coupons that voters could redeem at pharmacies. 5) Punjab’s reluctance to treat the drug situation as a full-blown crisis is partly because the state government itself is dependent on revenue from alcohol sales. Roughly 8,000 government liquor stores operate in Punjab, charging a tax on every bottle — an excise that represents one of the government’s largest sources of revenue. India’s comptroller found that liquor consumption per person in Punjab rose 59 percent between 2005 and 2010. 6) A sociologist in Amritsar, surveyed 600 drug addicts in rural and urban areas of Punjab and found that they were usually young, poor and unemployed. He said that most villages did not have health clinics but did have three or four drugstores, which often made sizable profits selling pills and other synthetic drugs to addicts who cannot afford heroin. 7) Opium has a long history in Punjab, and was commonly and legally consumed here before India and Pakistan gained independence in 1947. Today, Punjab is a primary gateway for opiates smuggled into India from Pakistan and Afghanistan. Opium is also grown legally in India for medicinal purposes, and some of the crop arrives in Punjab on the black market. 8) The problem is prevalent in middle-class enclaves, where some users are hooked on heroin. One impoverished neighborhood of Amritsar, called Maqboolpura, is known as the Village of Widows — because so many young men have died of drug abuse. 9) In Kazikot Village, about a two-hour drive from Amritsar, a local nongovernmental organization tries to prevent the spread of H.I.V. by regularly distributing clean syringes to addicts. The group’s workers say there are 48 hard-core addicts in the village (out of more than 2,000 people) but that many other people use drugs. Government officials have sponsored â€Å"camps† here, with health officials providing antidrug information or trying to persuade addicts to undergo treatment — neither of which, villagers say, has been successful.

Parental Roles in to Kill a Mockingbird Calpurnia Essay

Every child must have a parental figure or figures. To most, biological parents usually play these roles. That’s why it is always a tragedy when a child looses a mother at such a young age as Jem and Scout did. However, even harder is being left a single father balancing both work, and parental duties. Luckily for Atticus, Calpurnia is around to pick up some of the slack. Without Calpurnia, Jem and Scout would not be nearly as well behaved as they gradually become. Atticus’s career would also take a dive, with no one to watch Scout and Jem while he works. Finally, Calpurnia also takes care of exposing Jem and Scout to new things, something every parent should gradually do for their child. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee,†¦show more content†¦All children need gradual life experience, and Calpurnia makes sure Jem and Scout get it by taking them to her African – American church. Like any mother, Calpurnia makes sure Jem and Scout are dress ed sharp and clean. She takes them to her church to open them to other cultures, and to let the, into her world just for a little bit. This could be interpreted as a way for her to get even closer to the children, and to let them into her world. It isn’t often that adults take other people’s children to church, so Calpurnia taking Jem and Scout to church with her indicates she has just as much authority over them as their mother once had. Calpurnia stays loyal to the Finch family, taking care of the children as though they were her own. She takes them to church with her. She teaches them manners. She even supports them and loves them as a mother would her own children. Jem and Scout are lucky to have such a suited substitute for the mother they never knew and to be taken care of in the loving way most of us are used to. Everyone deserves a parent. Calpurnia is Jem and Scout’sShow MoreRelatedGood Parenting Style in Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird 1203 Words   |  5 Pagesparenting style. It is not discipline or respect, but the characteristics that stand out for a good parent are trust, love, listening and understanding. Love gives confidence and makes people what they want to be. In Harper Lee’s book â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird†, these key attributes are used to define the parenting style of Atticus, the father of the 2 children, Jem and Scout. I believe that the author has defined a good parent as someone who loves his/her children unconditionally, communicates openly