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28 February 1995
Doc. 7260
OPINION on drugs trafficking, drugs-related crime and money laundering 1
(Rapporteur: Mr BANKS, United Kingdom, Socialist Group)
The first point that I would like to make concerns the approach adopted in Mr Rathbone's report and recommendation, which are based exclusively on law enforcement to suppress supply. We agree that no weakness should be shown in the fight against drugs trafficking. Moreover, the report's title leaves no doubt as to the Rapporteur's own perspective. It does however seem to me important to emphasise that the fight against illicit drugs necessarily comprises two elements which are complementary and, to a certain extent, interdependent. One concerns action to be taken to reduce demand and the other action to be taken to reduce supply, that is to say, law enforcement measures. To deal with one without the other is like trying to fill a bottomless pit.
The fact that the report and the recommendation refer solely to law enforcement seems all the more regrettable in view of the current tendency of international institutions working in this field and of their member states to adopt a balanced and overall approach, including considerable efforts to reduce demand. This, notably, is the position of the Pompidou Group, confirmed by the 10th Ministerial Conference in February 1994.
A motion for a recommendation on public policy in respect of drug abusers has also been referred to the committee for report, and Mr Robles Orozco has been appointed Rapporteur. Aspects which have not been covered by Mr Rathbone's report could be tackled in this forthcoming report.
The only further aspects which could be taken into account are the treatment and rehabilitation of drug abusers in the prison system, issues to which Mr. Rathbone's report makes absolutely no reference.
Since it is not possible, within the narrow limits of an opinion, to enumerate all the measures to reduce demand, I shall confine myself to proposing two amendments to the draft recommendation:
- the first would be to emphasise the co-operation and co-ordination which should exist between the prison system and health services and, in particular, the detoxification programmes which should be offered as alternative measures to drug users, who represent a significant percentage of the prison population in all European prisons. We believe that this is where action should be taken and that the means to do so exist. Moreover, this is the approach recommended by the 10th Ministerial Conference of the Pompidou Group held in Strasbourg in February 1994;
- the second would be to invite the governments of member states to sign and ratify the European Agreement on Drug Trafficking by Sea of 1994, which concerns the application of Article 17 of the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Vienna Convention of 1988) and is intended to enable states to extend law enforcement to ships at sea.
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Reporting committee: Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (Doc. 7253).
Committee for opinion: Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee.
Reference to committee: Doc. 6720 and Reference No. 1833 of 1 February 1993
Opinion approved by the committee on 23 February 1995.
Secretaries to the committee: Ms Coin and Ms Meunier