THE Philippines is not the only country suffering from the tremendous cost to individuals and the nation as a result of the drug problem.
The United States, Portugal, Columbia, Switzerland and New Zealand, among others, certainly suffer also. But there is a worldwide trend now to view the enormous drug problem from the standpoints of the criminal justice issue and the public-health issue.
There is a more balanced view that, instead of just the arrest, imprisonment or killing of drugs users, there is now more bias toward more funds given “for antidrug-usage information” and the “rehabilitation of drug users.”
Colombian President Juan Santos, for instance, who claims his country has lost its best men in the violent antidrug-trade war, has widened its view to include the human-rights context, national budget financing for rehabilitation centers, and finding alternatives to serving prison terms for drug dependents.
It is a wise alternative. Without sounding facetious, the Philippines may not even have enough bullets to kill all of the suspected 3.7 million drug users here.
Reportedly, the affluent United States has 40 million drug users, prompting its government to allocate $10 billion a year for rehabilitation. America looks at it also as a grim social issue—reducing drug users as unfocused and incompetent members of society.
The cost of crime and accidents related to drug use and consequent hospitalization is also enormous.
This more balanced American view of the problem has reportedly caused the drop in drug-related crimes from 70 percent (2004) to only 16 percent (2013). Rehabilitation is aimed at breaking the cycle of arrest, imprisonment, release and rearrest.
Portugal, with a population of 10 million in 2001, stopped the arrest and imprisonment of drug users in possession of a small amount of drugs (only for their personal use), as they definitely were not pushers. Instead, the nation spends about $120-million (about P6 billion) for drug-rehabilitation program. Portugal looks to most as people with medical condition rather than as vicious criminals.
Switzerland, with a population of 8 million, has a “harm-reduction program” for drug users. Instead of imprisonment, they are taken into hospitals for rehab, which includes a gradual reduction of dosage (medically controlled) and with the use of clean needles. Recall that many of the offshoot diseases resulting from the use of contaminated needles include HIV, AIDS, and heptatis B and C.
Uncontrolled drug use has devastated millions of families and individuals globally.
Some countries rechanneled funds for the punitive pursuit of the drug trade by decriminalizing its use and have opened scores of rehabilitation centers, instead. There the addicts are medically treated away from society and are asked to do community service until the day of their final social reintegration into
the mainstream.
There remains, however, a hardline sentiment against drug pushers rather than the drug users.
In 14 countries, including the US and Cuba, death is meted on drug traffickers. Such are also summarily executed in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore.
Iran suffers from her proximity to Afghanistan, a big-time source of the illegal merchandise.
The new Philippine government is keen on relegislating the death penalty for heinous crimes, especially drug pushing. In the current drug campaign, close to 3,000 people have been unofficially counted dead to include those under legitimate police operations and the so-called extrajudicial killings.
It has been announced the campaign is on its second phase: (1) drive against drug lords; (2) filing of charges versus pushers; and (3) rehabilitation of users.
Ramon S. Ang, top honcho at San Miguel Corp., and other business entities are expected to contribute billions to help fund the gargantuan cost of building scores of rehabilitation centers.
When citizen volunteers are called to help the rehabilitation effort, we should not hesitate to give our share even in terms of time and talent.
Because unless properly rehabilitated, the thousands of drug users will just go back to their old haunts and make their en masse surrender meaningless. Woefully, we will be back to square one.
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Bingo Dejaresco, a former banker, is a financial consultant, media practitioner and political strategist.
He is a Life Member of Finex but his views here are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of Finex. dejarescobingo@yahoo.com.