Abou Mere
Today the 26thJunewas set aside by UN general assembly as an International day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking/World Drug Day to strengthen collective global action and cooperation in the fight against illicit drugs. This day serves as a reminder of the goals agreed to by Member States of creating an international society free of drug abuse, to which India is one of the signatory. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) selects a theme each year for the World Drug Day and launches campaigns to raise awareness about the global drug problem. Leading the campaign, UNODC has made a paradigm shift from criminalization of people who use drugs (PUDs), to a Rights-based policy of treatment and Harm Reduction rather than applying tough measures that penalizes victims of drug abuse. The General Assembly recognized that despite continued and increased efforts by the international community, the world drug problem continues to constitute a serious threat to public health, the safety and well-being of humanity particularly the young people, and the national security and sovereignty of States, and that it undermines socio-economic and political stability and sustainable development.
This year, the theme is “Health” and it calls for the adoption of measures that reduce the harmful effects of drug use’ particular on health such as drug dependency, HIV/AIDS, HVC etc. There is no doubt that we in Nagaland have dealt with the HIV on war footing and I acknowledge with deep appreciation the invaluable contributions made by our Government, NSACS, Project ORCHID, NGOs& activists. Although we are making progress in managing the spread of HIV/AIDS, there are other health issues that are not getting sufficient attention and commitment. The Integrated Bio Behavioral Assessment (IBBA) studies done by ICMR Govt. of India, National AIDS Research Institute (NARI) Govt. of India, Family health International (FHI) and Kripa Foundation Nagaland, indicates that the prevalent rate of Hepatitis C (HCV) among injecting drug users in Phek district is 8.7% and Wokha district is 20.8% . This is a wake-up call for us. It indicates that if we do not address other health risks related to drug abuse & HIV/AIDS, our fight against HIV/AIDS and the progress made will do down the drain. We need a collaborated effort of all stakeholders across the board.
Constitution of India guarantees many rights to its citizens. Eg:
• Protection of life and liberty (Article 21)
› Right to Health
› Right to Autonomy
› Right to Privacy
› Right to Dignity
• State has an obligation to Fulfill, Respect and Protect
› Obligation to Fulfill
• Take legislative, administrative, budgetary, judicial, promotional& other measures for realization of the right to health.
• Fulfill means to:
• Provide eg: essential drugs
• Promote eg: through research studies
› Obligation to Respect
• Prisoner’s right to health
• Can’t deny or limit access to health services as punishment , e.g. failure to provide withdrawal management & OST for Right to drug users in detention
› Obligation to Protect: which requires States to take measures that prevent third parties from interfering with right to health eg: Regulation of private drug treatment (price control).
Therefore, it is state Government's obligation &responsibility to facilitate and promote health. Government must provide HVC prevention and treatment, drug treatment cum rehabilitation centre and detoxification centres. Nagaland state has one of the highest rate of drug abuse in India, however, the state has only five drug treatment cum rehabilitation centres supported by Ministry of social justice & empowerment Govt. of India. We have two-detoxification centre (Naga hospital authority Kohima and Dimapur Civil Hospital), however, this detox centers are also not functioning properly.
United Nation Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated that that “Drug use, at its core, is a health issue. Drug dependence is a disease, not a crime. The real criminals are the drug traffickers. But the supply side is only half of the equation. Unless we reduce demand for illicit drugs, we can never fully tackle cultivation, production or trafficking”. We can all agree to that. On this significant day, may we all once again make personal and collective commitment and pledge to address this problem holistically, and may all our efforts promote health, save lives and create a safer & healthier environment for our children and the generations to come. Thank you.
(The above is a speech delivered during the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking)
