ABSTRACT
With a history of nearly a century, the international drug control Conventions are among the oldest international Conventions ratified by most countries.[1] Their original, and continuing, purpose is to secure a balance between the appropriate use of narcotic analgesics and psychotropic drugs and their undesirable effects such as abuse and dependence.[2], [3]
National legislation is guided by these international obligations and the cornerstone of the Conventions is therefore to limit the use of these drugs to medical and scientific purposes. Over recent years the International Narcotics Control Board has brought to the attention of governments that, in addition to international control of production, manufacture and trade, other measures, particularly demand reduction, need to be promoted and advanced, if substance abuse and dependence are to be prevented.[4]
The globalization of most aspects of life today brings with it many new opportunities for young people. They now have easy access to wide-ranging knowledge about the whole world rather than merely the village or town in which they live. These opportunities arise through information technology, travelling, befriending, access to jobs and so on. However, globalization also carries risks such as the adoption of aberrant behaviour, involvement in crime and copying problems that may be prevalent in other communities.[5], [6], [7]
The young people of today live in a world that it is complex, providing them with both tremendous opportunities as well as challenges, with many benefits and many risks. The influence of their peers and their surroundings upon them and their behaviour, their lifestyle and their health is greater than ever before. Peer influences are no longer solely emanating from school or the local neighbourhood but can come from thousands of miles away. Indeed, adolescents’ ideals and role models may be in another continent and their problems may start from under the same roof or from a long distance away.[8]
The provision of a healthy environment has thus become more difficult today than it has been in the past and the socio-cultural control of behaviour less predictable than ever.[5] There is now a higher proportion of children and adolescents with mental and behavioural problems as a result of complex societal changes and the control of traditional diseases appears relatively simple compared to those related to behavioural influences, including substance abuse, in the course of recreational activities.[8], [9]
The particular vulnerability of children and their need for care and protection was recognized by The United Nations Convention on the Rights of The Child (1989) which stipulates under Article 33 that States Parties shall take all appropriate
measures, including legislative, administrative, social and educational measures, to protect children from the illicit use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and to prevent the use of children in the illicit production and trafficking of such substances.[8], [10]
The changes in the extent and nature of drug problems over the last three decades led the INCB, at the suggestion of Hamid Ghodse, to introduce a new chapter in its annual report. Traditionally, this report had previously focussed on control issues. The idea of the new chapter was to expand the report so that it also covered contemporary and topical issues related to its mandate. Since 1992 therefore, a particular theme has been selected each year for in-depth consideration. Governments, international organizations and NGOs have been encouraged to suggest topics for the chapter with final selection of the chosen theme reflecting the most relevant issue of the day. The Board and its secretariat then painstakingly prepared, debated and revised various drafts of the chapter prior to its inclusion in the Annual Report. Expert advice has been sought when necessary and consultation with appropriate international organizations has also been part of the process. However, the final decision of every aspect of the chapter, as of the Annual Report as a whole, has been that of the Board.
