Science Forums 2

[Michaelangelica]

Australia has a lot of expertise in this area. Much medicianl opium being produced in Tasmania. This seems like an excellent idea to me. Farmers would probably earn more money, at the farm gate, selling opium legally too.

Research has shown that the current availability of opium-based medicines is insufficient to meet the global demand for pain relief – it is only in the seven richest countries which consume 80% of the world’s morphine.

“The so-called ‘over-supply’ as stated by the INCB only applies to this small ‘club,’” said Reinert. “For countries which are not part of this club – 80% of the world’s population – there is little or no access to pain-relieving medicines. Developing countries have access to only about 6% of the world’s supply of opium-based medicines. This is evidence that there is a very real shortage of these medicines.”

The Council said that even though the INCB itself has recognised that “opioid analgesics are still in short supply and not always available for the people who need them, particularly in developing countries” (Hamid Ghodse, President of the INCB, May 2005), it has done nothing to increase availability of these essential medicines.

ICOS said that the Board has missed the opportunity to increase the supply of these vital medicines: In Afghanistan, for example, it has neglected to shift the use of the raw materials needed for their production away from the illegal drug trade towards the medicinal painkiller market.

87% of the world’s opium originates in Afghanistan. The Council said that current counter-narcotics approaches being used in Afghanistan are clearly not working – 2005 saw a decrease of only 2% of opium production.

“The production of opium in Afghanistan for the illegal drug trade, which is currently crippling the country’s reconstruction, could be used to fill the shortage of morphine needed in developing countries,” said Reinert.

A new market could be developed to address unmet needs - Afghanistan could become the producer of “humanitarian” morphine for the developing world. For example, under the so-called “80-20 Rule”, Turkey and India benefit from preferential trade agreements with the US. A similar system could be developed for Afghan morphine, where it could supply itself or neighbouring countries in need of these medicines.

Think Tank announces expert panel to review effectiveness of International Narcotics Control Board - International Council on Security and Development