The Secretary of State issued on March 27 a statement regarding the
adoption by the UN Conference by an
overwhelming vote and with no opposition of the amendments to strengthen
the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.
A copy of his statement is attached. In addition, a fuller statement
containing background information regarding the amendments is
provided.
Attachment 2
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
United Nations Conference to Consider Amendments to The
Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961 Geneva—March 6 to 25,
1972
President Nixon has repeatedly
stressed the importance of more effective international action
against illicit drug traffic as an indispensable counterpart to the
greatly increased efforts we are putting into the fight against drug
abuse here at home. Strengthening the 1961 Single Convention on
Narcotic Drugs has been one of the President’s important objectives
in the international area.*
The Single Convention
The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961 is the basic
multilateral treaty governing international control of narcotic
drugs, including opium, heroin, and coca. It was adopted in New York
on March 30, 1961 to consolidate earlier treaties on this subject.
It entered into force for adhering states on December 13, 1964.
There are already ninety parties (see attached list), and additional
countries are in the process of becoming parties.
For the United States, the Senate gave advice and consent to
accession on May 8, 1967; formal accession was communicated to the
U.N. Secretary General on May 25, 1967; and the Convention entered
into force for the United States on June 24, 1967.
Plenipotentiary
Conference
At the initiative of the United States, the U.N. Economic and Social
Council on May 20, 1971 called for a plenipotentiary conference to
consider all amendments proposed to the Single Convention. Eligible
to participate were parties to the Single
[Page 3]
Convention and members of the UN and UN
specialized agencies. In all there were ninety-seven participants at
the conference, including three observer countries. The United
States Delegation was headed by Ambassador Nelson G. Gross, the Secretary of
State’s Senior Adviser and Coordinator for International Narcotics
Matters.
The United States initiated the amendment process in March of 1971
when Ambassador George Bush
formally presented a group of proposed amendments to the UN Secretary General. Additional
amendments were proposed in October 1971 by France, Peru and
Sweden.
As a result of extensive consultations between the United States and
many other interested countries in all regions of the world, a set
of revised proposals was introduced by nineteen cosponsors1 shortly before
the Conference convened. An additional eleven countries2 became cosponsors during the
Conference.
Conference Achievements
The Conference voted 71 in favor, none against, with 12 abstentions
to adopt an amending protocol which is open to signature by
countries which have either signed or become parties to the Single
Convention. The Protocol will enter into force for adhering
countries when forty have accepted it. The most noteworthy
improvements embodied in the amending protocol are:
- 1.
- Assignment to the International Narcotics Control Board of new
responsibilities for attacking illicit traffic in narcotic
drugs. Heretofore the Board’s authority has been concentrated
primarily on the licit cultivation, production, manufacture,
trade and use of narcotic drugs; the Board will now be
explicitly charged to join the fight against illicit
trafficking.
- 2.
- The Board’s powers will be substantially increased to carry
out this new responsibility.
- --It will have at its disposal information from a
wider range of sources, including the UN and its Specialized
Agencies and certain inter-governmental and
non-governmental organizations having direct competence
in the drug field;
- --It will be reorganized and strengthened by enlarging
its membership to make it more representative, by
assuring continuity through staggered terms, and by
strengthening the independence of its administrative
Staff;
- --It will be authorized to recommend to competent
UN organs and
Specialized Agencies that technical and financial
assistance be provided to governments in support of
their efforts to carry out their obligations under the
Single Convention;
- --If it has reason to believe that the aims of the
Single Convention are seriously endangered by the
failure of a country to carry out its obligations or if
there is evidence that a country has become or is in
danger of becoming an important center of illicit
cultivation, production, manufacture or consumption of
narcotics, the Board will be able to ask the government
in question for explanations, or consultations, or take
the initiative in proposing an on-the-spot study of the
situation designed to develop remedial measures where
those appear necessary;
- --If a country fails to provide satisfactory
explanations or to adopt remedial measures when
requested to do so, or if the Board believes a serious
Situation exists which requires cooperative remedial
action, it may call this to the attention of the parties
to the Single Convention, the UN Economic and Social Council and the
UN Commission on
Narcotic Drugs, with appropriate recommendations. This
process could also include consideration of the matter
by the UN General
Assembly. It is significant that for the first time
parties to an international drug treaty consider the
drug situation to be so serious and so universal that it
may merit the attention of the most representative
UN political organ.
Importantly, the Board is now required to make a
reference to ECOSOC
if the aims of the Convention are endangered and the
matter has not been satisfactorily resolved; and
- --If in any country producing licit opium there is
evidence of diversion into illicit traffic, the Board
may, 90 days after notifying the government concerned,
require that country to reduce its production in the
following year.
- 3.
-
The new amendments would apply to narcotics offenses the same
kind of improvements in the area of extradition that have
recently been accepted in multilateral conventions on air
hijacking and other offenses against civil aviation.
Our efforts to obtain extradition of illicit traffickers from
foreign countries have been hampered on occasion because
many of our older extradition agreements do not cover
narcotic offenses or are limited to acts which take place
within our territory. We have been negotiating new
agreements as rapidly as possible to close these gaps, but
this is a detailed and time consuming process. The new
extradition provisions in the Single Convention will have
the effect of including the full range of modern narcotics
offenses in existing extradition agreements between the
United States and other countries ratifying the
amendments.
- 4.
- All parties to the Single Convention will be committed to give
special attention to the prevention of drug abuse, to the
treatment, education, rehabilitation and social reintegration of
persons affected by drugs. Consistent with this is the provision
for making available to abusers of narcotic drugs, either as an
alternative to conviction or punishment or in addition to
punishment, measures of treatment, education, after-care,
rehabilitation and social reintegration.
The amendments which the UN Conference
has approved will make the Single Convention more responsive to the
current world narcotics situation. They will promote more effective
international cooperation in the global effort to combat drug abuse.
Their adoption by an overwhelming majority should inspire
governments to proceed promptly with ratification of the amending
protocol so that these major improvements will be in full force at
an early date.
Drug abuse has now reached epidemic proportions in many areas of the
world. It is a disease which is no respecter
[Page 6]
of national frontiers. Its eradication
will not only require determination, persistent attention and the
investment of adequate resources by national governments. A
successful campaign to end drug abuse will also require prompt,
cooperative action on the part of governments in a collective attack
on the problem. An important new step has been taken at this
Conference.
[Page 7]
Amending Protocol of Geneva Has Been Signed Subject to
Ratification by Following Countries
Argentina
Belgium
Brazil
Chile
Costa Rica
Cyprus
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Federal Republic of Germany
France
Ghana
Greece
Guatemala
Haiti
Holy See
Indonesia
Iran
Israel
Italy
Ivory Coast
Jordan
Cambodia
Liberia
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Monaco
Nicaragua
Norway
Philippines
South Africa
Spain
Sweden
Togo
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States
Venezuela
Viet-Nam
Yugoslavia
[Page 8]
Parties to the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs,
1961
Afghanistan
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Barbados
Belgium
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma
Byelorussian S.S.R
Cameroon
Canada
Ceylon
Chad
Chile
China
Costa Rica
Cuba
Cyprus
Czechoslovakia
Dahomey
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland
France
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guatemala
Guinea
Guyana
Holy See
Hungary
India
Iraq
Israel
Ivory Coast
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kenya
Korea
Kuwait
Lebanon
Lesotho
Malawi
Malaysia
Mali
Mauritius
Monaco
Morocco
Nauru
Netherlands
New Zealand
Niger
Nigeria
Norway
Pakistan
Panama
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Senegal
South Africa
Spain
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Thailand
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Ukrainian S.S.R.
U.S.S.R.
United Kingdom
United States
Upper Volta
Venezuela
Viet-Nam
Yemen (Aden)
Yugoslavia
Zambia
