Asia

Korea Times, 23 Apr 2012 - Dear editor, There is a middle ground between drug prohibition and blanket legalization. Switzerland's heroin maintenance program has been shown to reduce disease, death and crime among chronic users. Providing addicts with standardized doses in a clinical setting eliminates many of the problems associated with illicit heroin use. The success of the Swiss program has inspired heroin maintenance pilot projects in Canada, Germany, Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands.

Korea Times, 17 Apr 2012 - BUENOS AIRES - In January, U.S. President Barack Obama nominated Marine Corps Lieutenant General John F. Kelly to head the United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM). Based in Miami, Fla., USSOUTHCOM runs military operations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, and is the key U.S. "drug warrior" in the region. Across the region, the key question, among civilian and military leaders alike, is whether the change in commanders will bring with it a change in focus. The top priority for USSOUTHCOM is to fight narcotics trafficking from the Andes to the Rio Grande. With the Cold War's end, fighting communism was no longer the U.S. armed forces main objective; USSOUTHCOM increasingly concentrated on pursuing coercive anti-drug initiatives, and funds to fight the drug war were plentiful. But the change in commanders is an opportunity for the U.S. to revise, at long last, its regional doctrine in order to address other pressing security needs.

Jerusalem Post, 10 Apr 2012 - Israel Police say Marijuana Day rally where people publicly smoke cannabis will nor be tolerated in Tel Aviv. Israeli cannabis activists have legally challenged a police ban on a Marijuana Day rally, in which people publicly smoke the substance in protest of its illegal status every year.

The Nation, 30 Mar 2012 - LAHORE - The use of drugs means to invite death. All the members of society should have an eye on drug addiction and work hard to stop the addicts from using drugs. Only the teachers can create awareness among the new generation about the bad effects of drugs on their lives. Smoking of cigarettes and Shesha are dangerous trends that lead to drug addiction and then to ultimate end that is death. The need of the hour is to create awareness among the masses specially youth about the dangers of addiction.