(notes about necessity to revise and change modus vivendi & modus operandi
in anti-drug activity).
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Terminology.
Specialists in drug problems, likewise specialists in some other problems, call "Hawks" their intransigent, uncompromising colleagues, combining their efforts under the slogan: "Drug abusing is evil and in all its forms must be prosecuted". "Doves": "Drug addicts are not criminals, rather sick people in all senses of this word, including social. They need treatment and rehabilitation to turn back to normal life, society must never treat and punish them as criminals". "Owls" - middle position between two above extremes.
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Background.
I have been involved in anti-drug law enforcement activity during 22 years from total 30 years of my professional career of police officer. Established and headed the Special Drug Control Service under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, first in the Soviet Union; The State Commission on Drug Control under the Government of Kyrgyz Republic, had been working on the position of The Officer of UN International Anti-drug project "Osh knot", aimed to strength law-enforcement activity and cross-border cooperation of the law-enforcement agencies of Central Asian Countries (Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan) against Afghan narco-traffic. I participated on multiply congresses, symposiums and international conferences on the problem, published number of books, monographs and articles, in 2003 completed a research, defended thesis on "History of Kyrgyzstan integrating into the international efforts against Afghan narco-expansion (1991-2002)" and obtained PhD degree. Almost all this time I advocated positions of uncompromising "Hawks": in the beginning of 1980-th we introduced a new type of forensic expertise, developed in Moscow, and supported by this "know how" prosecuted hundreds of drug-abusers...Our working "achievements" had been supported and recommended for distribution as "best practice" by The General Department for Criminal Investigations of MIA SU. Probably, that years any other approach to the problem, except punitive, was impossible?
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Changes.
Changes in my attitude did not happen suddenly. First, when I started to travel abroad, got acquainted with my foreign colleagues experience and firstly noticed that drug addicts are different there - not aggressive, not criminalized, really "tame". Very soon I realized that this "transformation" resulted from difference in attitudes and approaches to the problem: society did not treat drug-addicts as criminals, did not drive them to the underground, but applied all possible efforts to get them back to normal life, supported by multiple medical and social programs. And, in contrast with our punitive policy that overcrowded our prisons but did not improve health of society in social or medical sense, they've got considerable positive results. In objection you can say that this will work in wealthy "well-fed" Europe?! Yes, this new approach introduction requires considerable funds. But we need to do and must do firs steps in this direction right now, as it already happened, for example, in strictly limited in financial resources Kyrgyzstan. We "decriminalized" drug addiction; possessing of illicit drugs in small amounts for personal consumption, not intended for sale with coming changes in criminal code will become not a subject for prosecution, but for administrative penalty. This is intermitted position between "Doves" and "Owls", and very distant from uncompromising "Hawks".
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"Harmreduction".
I do not call you to copy Western World; I just want to draw your attention to the fact that this is still only successful working practice. Do not forget about AIDS without any effective treatment! Current AIDS treatment strategy is highly expensive, no CIS country can effort this. The Kyrgyz National HIV/AIDS Center runs diagnostic and preventive programs, but has no funds to practice treatment strategy. And almost all countries of former Soviet Union are in the same situation. Meanwhile, in vast majority of cases this fatal disease had been spread not by prostitutes of homosexuals but by dirty syringe of an injection addict. In Kyrgyzstan this mechanism of infection spreading counts on 83,3% of all reported cases, in Kazakhstan - 83,5%, in Ukraine, according to the recent information, above 70%. There is no choice! We need to help ourselves before death on the tip of needle will come on the national level and we will count our losses in millions. Kyrgyzstan already went through jingoistic declarations that needles and syringes exchanging programs lead to legitimization of drugs. Major countries of Western World came to understanding of these issues many years ago. Considerable police resistance and numerous episodes of NGO activists detaining also had marked first steps of syringes exchange and condoms distribution programs in our country. Eventually we realized that there is no other alternative strategy to combat threats of coming epidemics, so our law enforcement agencies started to remove barriers and even to cooperate in many ways.
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Methadone programs.
This issue deserves a special discussion. We had long discussions and number of surveys in implemented the Methadone Programs countries in order to assess and evaluate the program availability and effectiveness. Austria, Netherlands, United States, Israel (If we get more time and listeners will become interested, I am ready to tell more about details of these programs practicing, rather then about its "philosophy"). From the point of view of professional police officer, the greatest achievement of all these programs is decriminalization of addict's environment. They do not need to steal or to rob anymore to pay for their shots. According to specialists, these programs facilitate success of treatment strategy. So, what are we afraid of? Methadone program in Kyrgyzstan started few years ago and already demonstrated some positive results. Let me remind you some "anti-methadone" arguments:
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We, actually, develop a new substance addiction - methadone, besides, we distribute free drugs - means we legalize drug abusing. But we can decriminalize drug addicts; we get them up from the underground. We can define some limits: to get methadone addicts must be enrolled into special social, rehabilitating programs. How soon a program participant will develop methadone addiction? According to doctors, methadone is considerably less addictive than heroin, for example, but we can get specialists opinions right here. What about legalization... Let's be realistic, drug abusing is almost legalized de facto because of its easy availability! In the bordering with Afghanistan regions of Central Asia one shot of heroin is cheaper than a can of beer, how do you feel about this!? And, according to experts, a new coming wave of Afghan narcoexpansion expected to be much higher...
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"Methadone narco-cartels" expanding from west in parallel with heroin "made in Afghanistan". Let's produce domestic methadone and use "High-Tec" to rule out all possible leaking. According to specialists, this process will not involve incredibly complicated technology or unaffordable investments.
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Thus, a major "anti-methadone" argument: "Today we get free western methadone shipments. But who knows, what is going to happen tomorrow?" seems to be less frightening.We are not enemies any more, Western World really willing to apply all possible efforts to stop spreading of AIDS. And they are ready to invest into promising programs.
Finally, Ukraine is going to be integrated into European Society. And, as my Serbian colleagues use to say: "Svjaka chast'". In vast majority of EU countries "a replacement therapy" is "a common place", well established every day practice on all levels, including legislative. We do not want to forget that one of the most serious and an invariable condition, required for integration into EU, is integration of legislative systems.
Everything I said above is subject for discussion. I just want to say again, no country, either from Western World, neither from CIS environment, possess alternative strategy for AIDS spreading prevention. The replacement therapy works in all countries, implemented this program. I believe it is an issue to think about.