Conference on global drug problem

Conference on global drug problem

UNITED NATIONS (AP): Leaders of the world's major drug- producing and drug-consuming nations will open a three-day conference today to combat trafficking, curb demand and strengthen global cooperation in the fight against drugs.

The goal of the UN General Assembly "special session on drugs" is to endorse target dates for governments to enact legislation on issues such as money-laundering, judicial cooperation, reducing demand for drugs and stamping out cultivation of illicit crops.

"Around the world, there is a growing consensus that more needs to be done to understand and reduce the rising demand for drugs," the United Nations said in a report.

But critics fear the United Nations is placing too much emphasis on legal measures, following a path which has largely failed in the United States, and should consider drugs a health problem.