Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-10-24-Speech-3-470"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20071024.44.3-470"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Production of opium must be controlled. The entire international community must concern itself far more with control of opium production everywhere in the world. Efforts undertaken so far by the UN and its Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), as well as by the World Health Organization, to regulate the use of opiates for the treatment of pain are necessary but still insufficient. At the same time the international community must not allow an unrestrained use of opiates and their misuse by drug addicts.
In my opinion it is our duty not to give up the fight against the misuse of hard drugs that quite clearly destroy their users’ lives. Neither do I support the notion that society should supply addicts with drugs instead of trying to re-educate them and return them to reality. What exactly is the Cappato report about? According to one point of view, the international community suffers from a lack of availability of opiates, or might suffer from such a shortage in the near future, and it is therefore necessary, under certain conditions, to buy this drug from Afghanistan.
It is true that opiates are needed for the treatment of various illnesses, for post-operative pain relief and, last but not least, for the treatment of people with malignant diseases. However, this theory suffers from several fundamental defects that cannot be ignored in the present situation. Firstly, the current political situation in Afghanistan is unstable. In Afghanistan it is necessary to fight the Taliban on the one hand and to side with the opium black market on the other hand. This black market has a decisive impact not only on the Afghan economy but also on Afghan politics and foreign relations. I have serious doubts and worries over this and I will explain now why in my opinion such an approach cannot work. Projects involving legal poppy cultivation for the purpose of opium production will not work because the International Narcotics Control Board can only impose sanctions on a country afterwards but the country will be losing a part of the crops to the black market.
International demand is constant. The Afghan Government is not capable of acting as the sole manager of opium crops. It is clear that under these circumstances the Government will lose the fight against traffickers. Competition will increase the price of opium and farmers who grow poppies legally will turn to the black market. In addition to that (and this is very important) Afghan prices are not competitive compared with Australia where one kilo of morphine costs USD 56, India where it is USD 159 or Turkey where it is USD 250. In Afghanistan the price can go up to USD 450 per kilo.
Regarding the use for medical purposes, if Afghan opium were to be used in medical products, this would only add to further over-saturation of the market in this area. I am about to finish, Madam President. I will oppose any support by the EU and its Member States for poppy cultivation in Afghanistan for at least four reasons: insufficient infrastructure, absence of economic competitiveness, huge expansion in the wrong direction and, finally, there is no lack of opiates on the world markets at present."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples