U.N. wants an end to lenient policies on drugs

Source: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L15596336.htm, 04/15/03

VIENNA, April 15 (Reuters) -The head of a U.N. conference on narcotics called on countries on Tuesday to abandon lenient and inconsistent policies towards cannabis and other drugs and instead start vigorously implementing international drug-control treaties.

Patricia Olamendi, global affairs undersecretary at Mexico's Foreign Ministry and chairwoman of the U.N. conference, told reporters such inconsistency was undermining the fight against the trafficking and use of narcotics.

The United Nations has already criticised Britain for downgrading cannabis to a low-risk, category C drug. While possession of small amounts of cannabis in Britain is now only a minor offence, in places like the United States it can be a very serious crime.

"They can't expect us in our countries to put a halt to drug crop cultivation while they keep those policies," said Olamendi, whose country is one of the main cannabis producers and accounts for most of North America's annual seizures of the herb.

Olamendi said is was very likely the 46th session of the U.N. Commission on Narcotic Drugs, underway at the U.N. office in Vienna, would end on Thursday with an appeal for certain countries to cease being permissive.

"We will leave with an appeal to countries that are being permissive or lenient...not to allow such policies," she said.

She also said that some countries were not effectively applying international drug control treaties and she said the conference would demand an end to this.

"There has to be implementation of international agreements and these resolutions have to be followed up," Olamendi said.