UN Says the Developing World Needs to Fight a New Drug War

It's amazing how much more sensible the "war on drugs" sounded when discussed this week by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

Speaking this week in Vienna, UNODC's chief, Antonio Maria Costas, pointed to the rise of heroin in East Africa, cocaine in West Africa and synthetic drugs in South East Asia and the Middle East as signs of an emerging drug crisis across the developing world.

But in a refreshing inversion of the traditional formulas, Costas framed his speech around the language of health, addiction and treatment, not the usual rhetoric of crack-downs and prohibition. He called the spread of addiction for what it is -- namely, a "health disaster," one with strong social implications. He also spoke about the need for governments to be attentive to human rights -- for example, by sending addicts to treatment, rather than jail -- and to stop excessive penalties for drug-related offenses.

Over on Change.org's global health blog, I've written extensively about how governments have long ignored drug users in their approaches to health, even when it comes to the high-profile battle against HIV/AIDS. In particular, governments have spurned harm reduction efforts -- to the point that according to UNAIDS estimates, global harm reduction efforts are 95% underfunded.

UNODC has been active with the World Health Organization in advocating universal access to drug treatment, and those attempts should be lauded. The agency has also worked with UNAIDS to combat the stigmatization attached to intravenous drug users, who are among the most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.

In his speech, Costas also hit another key point: the need to stop allowing fear of drug diversion to roadblock patient access around the world to much-needed pain medication. As Costas put it, arguing that cultural fears shouldn't stop cancer patients from receiving morphine, "Let’s unleash the capacity of drugs to do good."

Coming from a guy who previously dismissed drug reformers as "1000 lunatics," this is a welcome change in language. Sure, Costas's continued backing for drug prohibition may keep him on permanently shaky footing with much of the drug reform movement. Still, though, however slow, there are signs that the UN is recognizing the limits of the current drug war. And it's good to see at least one high-profile official talking about drug abuse for what it is -- addiction, and a serious health issue -- as opposed to simply a crime.

Photo Credit: Foreign and Commonwealth Office