Go back to sleep.
I've been a big fan of "A Perfect Circle" and "Tool" every since i can remember. Lyrics by James Kenan Maynard has always sought to poetically arouse the listener from an unconscious slumber. The Song "Counting Bodies like Sheep to the rhythm of the War Drums." is no exception. In the song one, cannot help but wonder about the ignorance and pessimism of war.
He tries to patronize the listener into going back to sleep, while we count bodies like sheep...
So either go back to sleep or do something.
Lyrics Here
The epidemic scale of drug abuse.
I know we don't have much of a drug problem here is Singapore, but i thought you shpould know about the worldwide fight against it. This is major problem and is a huge violation of human rights as it keeps minds numb and pockets empty.
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A drug-free world: could we do it?
In 1998, the representatives of governments gathered in New York at the United Nation’s General Assembly’s Special Session on Drugs (UNGASS). The meeting was dominated by the slogan: “A Drug-Free World: We Can Do It”. Governments adopted a 10 years action plan with ambitious targets, including a significant reduction in the demand and supply of drugs. Today a drug-free world seems more distant than ever before: heroin production has doubled, cocaine production has grown by 20%, and the prevalence of illicit drug use has been increasing in almost all countries since 1998.
What is even more appalling is the terrible cost we are paying for unsuccessful drug control efforts: millions of drug users are behind bars and hundreds of thousands of injecting drug users are infected with HIV and Hepatitis C (because goverments are concernd with punitive measures rather than harm reduction). There has been an escalation of violent crime on the streets of our towns because of the drug black market. Corruption has infected law enforcement agencies and political institutions because of the profitability of illegal drugs. In many countries the human rights of people who use drugs are violated not only in the name of drug control, but also in the name of treatment and care: they are too often placed in labor camps, forced detoxifications, and other punitive, inhumane facilities in the name of “drug treatment”. Access to effective forms of drug treatment and Hepatitis C and HIV prevention (for instance opiate substitution treatment or needle and syringe exchange) is very low in most regions of the world. Potential users of such services suffer not only from criminalization but from stigmatisation, discrimination and social exclusion.
High Level UN meeting on drugs: what is at stake?
Recently, governments are reviewing the global drug control efforts of the past ten years. High level government officials from around the world will meet in Vienna from 11 to 12 March, 2009 to draw conclusions and adopt a new Political Declaration. Altough a radical (policy) shift is unlikely (like drug legalization), the new declaration can shape future drug policies to be more responsive to the needs of our communities or something. The document must reflect the need for the respect of human rights of drug users and growers, broader access to harm reduction services and a greater and meaningful involvement of civil society.
Global NGO Forum: the voice of civil society
The Vienna NGO Committee organized a global NGO forum with the purpose of monitoring the implementation of goals set by the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs in 1998. In July 2008, more than 300 NGOs from all over the world were invited to the Beyond 2008 Forum to discuss three objectives: NGO achievements, NGO involvement, and drug policy principles.
Where can I learn more?
The UNODC has a website where you can find the official documents related to the 1998 UNGASS, the sessions of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and the 2009 High Level Segment. Mr. Antonio Maria Costa, the head of the UNODC has his own blog, Costa’s Corner, with his personal views on the international narcotic control system – unfortunately, he does not allow comments.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the UNAIDS produced many documents in favor of harm reduction and the human rights of people who use drugs.
A number of non-governmental and academic initiatives from all corners of the world are now attempting to articulate the problems of current drug policies on the global and national levels. Their analysis will be made available for to governments and the UN itself. NGOs and researchers have made excellent reports and other papers highlighting the anomalies of the international drug control regime.
The Transnational Institute (TNI), a Dutch drug policy think tank, created a website on the UNGASS review. On this site you can find the key documents of the 1998 UNGASS on drugs, reports on the International Narcotic Control Board (INCB) and NGO responses to its annual reports, and a lot of information on harm reduction, and the control of coca leaf, opium and cannabis. It is also the best news update on the UNGASS review process.
The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) is a global network of NGOs that specialize in issues related to illegal and legal drug use. Its website is an outstanding knowledge hub with a lot of information on UNGASS issues. The HCLU is also a member of this network.
The International Harm Reduction Development Program (IHRD) of the Open Society Institute works to reduce HIV and other harms related to injecting drug use, and to press for policies that reduce stigmatization of illicit drug users and protect their human rights.
The International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA) recently published a global report on the state of harm reduction and many other important documents related to the UNGASS process. Their harm reduction & human rights blog (hr2) provides very interesting news. Paul Hunt, the human rights commissioner of the UN made a powerful speech on the drug control system at IHRA’s conference in Barcelona - watch our video and learn more!
