Drug Control and Development: A Blind Spot

Abstract

In 1998, the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem (UNGASS) adopted the landmark Action Plan on International Cooperation on the Eradication of Illicit Drug Crops and on Alternative Development (UN General Assembly, 1998). This recognised alternative development (AD) as ‘a process to prevent and eliminate the illicit cultivation of plants containing narcotics and psychotropic substances through specifically designed rural development measures in the context of sustained national growth and sustainable development efforts in countries taking action against drugs, recognizing the particular socio-cultural characteristics of the target communities and groups, within the framework of a comprehensive