Citation

Latypov A. Int. J. Drug Policy 2009; 20(5): 387-391.

Affiliation

The Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London, London, NW1 2BE, UK. a.latypov@ucl.ac.uk

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.drugpo.2008.11.002

PMID

19121928

Abstract

This paper exposes contemporary drug policy challenges in Central Asia by focusing on a single point in the history of drug control, in a single region of the global war against drugs and terrorism, and on one agency whose mission is to help make the world safer from crime, drugs and terrorism. By looking closely at the post 9/11 security-oriented donor priorities, I conclude that, in Central Asia, the rhetoric of the taking a more 'balanced approach' to drug policy is bankrupt. When enacted by the national law enforcement agencies in the Central Asian republics, the 'Drug Free' aspirational goal is driving the HIV epidemic among IDUs. The face-saving 'containment' thesis does not reflect the drug situation in this region but rather the failure to adopt an evidence-based approach. The harm reduction agenda continues to face many challenges including resistance to substitution treatment, the harm from drug treatment, from poorly designed drug prevention programmes and from repressive counter-narcotics policies and practices.

Language: en