Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–3, Documents on Global Issues, 1973–1976

193. Report of the United States Delegation to the 4th Special Session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs¹ ²

Washington, undated

INTRODUCTION

The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), is the only governmental body in the UN system concerned exclusively with drug abuse control. It meets regularly every odd-numbered year. At its 1975 session, the CND recommended to ECOSOC that this special session be convened in order to monitor the serious international drug abuse situation. Delegations attending the session represented the 30 members of the Commission, 26 observer countries, 14 international organizations and 8 private organizations. The United States delegation was composed of 10 members drawn from the Departments of State, Treasury, Justice, Agriculture and HEW, and from OMB.

WORK OF THE CONFERENCE

Despite a strike by UN employees which halted meetings for two days, the Commission, through the extraordinary cooperation of all delegations, concluded its deliberations on schedule.

The CND has traditionally favored reduction of the illicit drug supply as the most effective way to curb drug abuse. However, this year many delegations (including the U.S.) accorded equal status to efforts to reduce the demand for illicit drugs. Treatment and rehabilitation efforts, no longer presented as simply clearing away the casualties, were seen as essential to stem the spread of illegal drug use. It was agreed that increased resources should be devoted to prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation activities.

At the suggestion of Canada, Mexico, the U.S. and others, the Commission asked the Director of the UN Division of Narcotic Drugs (DND) to undertake a study of measures employed throughout the world to reduce demand for illicit drugs. The study will be financed from governments’ voluntary contributions and by the UN Fund for Drug Abuse Control (UNFDAC). The Commission also agreed that the UNFDAC should provide technical assistance to governments seeking to assess their national drug problems.

The prospective entry into force of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances prompted the Commission to request the UNFDAC and DND to begin developing programs related to the control of such substances. Some delegations expressed concern that the World Health Organization (WHO), because of inadequate staff resources in the drug field, might be unable to perform its assigned role under the Psychotropics Convention. Several national representatives approached the WHO leadership to stimulate early remedial action, and the WHO reaction was positive.

The United States obtained broad support for its proposed definition of pilot income substitution projects for farmers growing narcotic plants, to wit:

1. that pilot projects should in principle take place in a limited area representative of a larger narcotics-producing region;

2. that the project’s activities should, in principle, be confined to those required to develop, test and demonstrate the income-producing potential of an adequate number of alternative income sources;

3. that the host government should agree in advance that results of such pilot projects will be integrated into the national economic development plan, using domestic resources to the extent possible as well as traditional sources of development financing.

Many delegations urged the UNFDAC to improve its program and budget procedures to avoid dissipation of its limited financial resources.

In response to a request from the ECOSOC, the Commission considered streamlining or combining the DND and the staff of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) in the interests of economy and expeditious management. It found that the differences between the functions of the CND (quasi-legislative) and the INCB (quasi-judicial) prevented any overlap in the functions of their respective secretariats. It also determined that continued separation of the two secretariats was necessary to ensure the Board’s independence as required by the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. The Commission therefore adopted without objection a resolution recommending to the ECOSOC the continuation of the existing administrative arrangements under which the INCB staff operates independently, but in tandem with the DND. In addition, the Commission undertook to watch for future possibilities of streamlining the two staffs.

Commission members generally agreed with the INCB’s conclusion that the shortage of medicinal opiates experienced in 1973 and 1974 is likely to come to an end after the 1975 harvests have been processed. The supply of raw materials should be adequate to meet projected increases in world demand. However, it was recognized that stocks required rebuilding and therefore that research should be accelerated to improve the alkaloid yield per unit of cultivated area. Some delegations expressed uneasiness over the opinion of an Expert Group convened by the UN Narcotics Laboratory that Papaver bracteatum has low potential for abuse. P. bracteatum is the poppy which yields thebaine, a non-opiate drug from which codeine can be produced. These delegations suggested bringing this poppy under international control while strengthening treaty controls over Papaver somniferum straw. The Commission asked the INCB and the UN Narcotics Laboratory to continue studying this subject and report to the Commission at its 1977 session.

The Commission adopted unanimously a U.S.-proposed resolution urging governments to outlaw the financing of narcotics trafficking and to exchange information to identify persons committing such offenses. The resolution was based on obligations arising from the Single Convention.

Other resolutions approved by the Commission:

• —requested the Secretary-General to arrange for the publication of the UN Bulletin on Narcotics in an unabridged Spanish version;
• —recommended to the ECOSOC that the CND continue meeting on a biennial cycle, but with special sessions in alternate years for the duration of the current drug crisis, particularly in 1978 and 1980;
• —requested the Executive Director of the UNFDAC to continue efforts, including the engagement of independent evaluators, to assess Fund-supported projects.

FUTURE MEETINGS

The Commission will hold its 27th regular session in 1977, probably in February.

COMMENTS

The conference helped to advance international cooperation in the field of narcotics control. From the United States viewpoint, the most useful development was probably the election of Attorney General Pedro Ojeda Paullada of Mexico as Chairman of the Commission. Ojeda heads his government’s vigorous anti-drug program and the Mexican Government asked our assistance in assuring the election of the Attorney General. As the CND is an old-line, technical body which has a long tradition of selecting its officers from among the oldest attendees, has never elected as Chairman a first-timer and has never had a Cabinet-rank Chief of Delegation, this was not an easy request to meet. Moreover, the delegate entitled to election under the traditional rules was the Soviet. With help from the U.S. delegation, the Mexican was elected Chairman without opposition. We believe we further strengthened the already excellent working relations between the Mexican and U.S. governments in narcotics matters. All chairmen of delegations on the steering committee (Permanent Members of the Security Council, members of the Bureau and former chairmen) undertook to assure next year the promotion of the present Bureau, committing ourselves to supporting the election as Chairman of Dr. Babayan (USSR), as 1st Vice Chairman Dr. Rexed (Sweden) and 2nd Vice Chairman Dr. Smith (Canada).

1. Source: Department of State Files, IO/T/HNP Files, Lot 81D327, CND, 4th Special Session. No classification marking. Prepared by Buczacki. The Special Session met from February 16 to 27, 1976. Three appendices, not published, listed the members of the U.S. delegation, the organization and agenda of the meeting, and the number of participants representing other governments and non-governmental organizations.
2. The report summarized the work of the conference, focusing on demand reduction, control of psychotropic substances, income substitution programs, UN secretariat organization, and alternatives for producing opium-based raw materials.