UN General Assembly Addresses Drugs

Hundreds of governmental officials comprising the General Assembly of the United Nations convened a special plenary session from April 19 to April 21 to review current drug policies and seek an effective, global consensus on antidrug tactics. For the governments of Latin America, the topic is particularly pressing. Although the next UN General Assembly special session on drugs was scheduled for 2019, the combined efforts of the governments of Guatemala, Mexico, and especially Columbia under Juan Manuel Santos had urged for a reevaluation of the War on Drugs to be held immediately. Due to the complicated relationship that many Latin American countries have with the drug trade and their effects on society, the issue continues to define the region.

Many figures that have promoted this discussion suggest a different perspective. Miguel Samper, coordinator of the Dialogue on Drugs project, recently explained, “A change is needed, an alternative, and it must be based on a flexibility of the international regime on drugs.” Rather than simply being an issue for the “regional regime of South America,” the phenomenon of drug trafficking has a global reach, a worldwide impact. Although there are problems particularly evident in Latin America, an alternative to the current War on Drugs is needed to address the largely inefficient and costly project.

Recognizing the failures of policies to this point, the session instead shifted the focus to unity—unity in response, policy, and action. No longer do the limitations of any particular country characterize the popular beliefs regarding anti-drug policy. Rather, the members of the conference have embraced the philosophy of strength in numbers.

By deemphasizing the role of regulation and criminalization, the body seeks to highlight the values of rehabilitation while redefining the nature of drugs as a health-related issue as opposed to a criminal one. Though the session does not serve as a complete turning point in the fight against drugs, it is a very important step in addressing the issue in a united effort.