Asia:
China
Says
Drug
War
is
Failing
6/3/05
The authoritarian government of the planet's most populous nation conceded Thursday that its multiple crackdowns on drug use and the drug traffic have failed to blunt increasing use. In a nationally televised news conference, the Communist government in Beijing blamed globalization and free trade for its drug control problems. The admission that repression of drug use and the drug traffic has not stemmed the rise in drug use comes as the Chinese government moves into the second month of a newly declared "People's War on Drugs." That was an effort to enlist the aid of China's more than 1.2 billion citizens in a drug war the government has found is unwinnable. "Since the beginning of the 1980s, the problem of drugs has been dealt with by the government and the party, but it has never been resolved," said Yang Fengrui, secretary-general of the National Narcotics Control Commission. "Although we've made a lot of achievements, the spread of drug problems remains serious," said Yang. "Heroin use is down in some areas, but the use of new drugs such as ecstasy, marijuana and others is increasing. The situation in the Golden Triangle still does not allow for optimism," he said. Southeast Asia's Golden Triangle remains the largest source of opium and heroin destined for the Chinese market. Yang appealed to China's "broad masses" to enlist in the anti-drug effort. "This 'People's War on Drugs' cannot go ahead without the support of the broad masses," Yang said. While Chinese officials view substance abuse there as a serious issue, enforcement is not on a level approaching that of the US. Last year, Chinese officials arrested some 67,000 people on drug charges, while another 273,000 were sent to forced drug treatment centers. Taken together, those two figures add up to only about one-fifth of the number of people arrested on drug charges each year in the US. ================ 11. Australia: First
"Drugged Driver" to Sue Police for Defamation
In December, a motorist from the Australian state of Victoria became the first person to be identified as a "drugged driver" under the state's brand-new roadside drug test program. As TV camera crews filmed it all, John de Jong, 40, was pulled over, forced to submit to drug tests, and then accused of testing positive for methamphetamines and marijuana. Only one problem: The roadside tests were wrong, and a police laboratory later cleared de Jong of any wrongdoing. Now de Jong is suing the government of Victoria for defamation. While the professional courier told the Advertiser newspaper Tuesday that he mainly wants an apology from Victoria police, he is also seeking unspecified damages for harm to his reputation after being falsely identified as a doped-up driver. Police told him his face would not be shown on TV by media they had invited to witness the new policy in action, but it was anyway. The program, which is still underway, allows police to stop passing motorists at random and force them to submit to a saliva test for cannabis and methamphetamines. Those found to have drugs in their systems are punished by fines similar to those for drunk driving. But unlike Australia's drunk driving laws, which specify a blood alcohol level beyond which impairment is assumed, the drugged driving laws punish drivers for any detectable amount of the drugs, regardless of whether that amount is linked to actual impairment. Police plan to randomly test some 9,000 drivers this year, they said when the plan was announced in December. Among the targeted locations are areas with heavy truck traffic and "areas known for rave parties," police said.
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