A 112-nation conference agreed on a sweeping plan to reduce the demand for illegal drugs and to work together to put drug barons out of business.
"Here we have broken new ground," British Home Secretary David Waddington said Wednesday at the conclusion of a three-day conference on the global drug problem. The conference ended with the adoption of a 35-point platform that outlines measures to reduce the demand for drugs and to combat the production and trafficking of cocaine.The conference was sponsored by Britain in association with the United Nations, at a cost of 1 million pounds, or $1.64 million.
Delegates from 112 countries agreed to greater cooperation to detect and halt drug trafficking and the laundering of drug money and to monitor and control trade of chemicals used in the manufacture of illegal drugs.
The countries also pledged to try to reduce the demand for drugs through education - particularly of young people - and by providing treatment to users and stressing the link between drug abuse and AIDS, which can be transmitted through dirty hypodermic needles.
"The youth of the world are one of our most precious resources and we must do all we can to protect them," Waddington said.
"We must go beyond the message, `Just say no.' We must provide young people with the motivation and the understanding of why it is in their best interest to avoid drugs so they decide for themselves not to become involved. We must aim to remove any false glamour which may have been attached to drugs."
Discussions on the last day of the conference focused on the transmission of the HIV virus, which causes AIDS, among people who share needles.