The international drug trade is a pressing concern for this committee to address. According to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crimes up to “thirty-five million people in the world suffer from drug use disorders and require services”, and 585,000 thousand people died from drug use in 2017, and 271 million people used drugs in the last year which is 5.5% of the global population. This issue affects every country and isn’t foreign to France with 1.6% of our population being cited for Cocaine use in 2017 alone. In order to solve the issue of the international drug trade, a multi-faceted solution needs to be presented and include solutions to address the supply and demand for drugs. This is a problem that can’t be solved by any country on its own as much of the international drug trade occurs between at least two countries. The current regulations on the books aren’t stringent enough as the production of Coca Bush, Methamphetamine, and Opium poppy are either at or near record highs in production. In order to address the problem, the UNODC needs additional funding to help with border security, checkpoints, and seizure operations. Additionally, this committee should consider addressing the problem of current Drug Addicts by funding more extensive rehab programs. Lastly, financial aid programs to farmers in the areas of drug cultivation should be considered. If the committee successfully implements these reforms the UNODC can continue to strive to its mandate in 1997 of fighting the international drug trade.
- Luke Spitzley