Post on 13-Jan-2017
transcript
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Policy Analysis, Problem, BLUF Statement
There is a drug problem going on in West Africa that is affecting the people and the
development of that region. According to Allison from the Daily Maverick, “As demand for hard drugs,
particularly cocaine, increases in Europe, South American drug traffickers are utilising smuggling routes
through the region, taking advantage of its generally lax law enforcement, endemic corruption and
geographical proximity to all those Europeans in need of a chemical fix”. As a result of the supply and
demand of these drugs and using the West African region to funnel them, some of the drugs also remain
in the area where they are being consumed by the public and causing even greater challenges to the
region and its people. The 2012 World Drug Report published by the United Nations states, “It is
speculated that increasing trafficking of cocaine through the coastal countries of West Africa is leading
to an increase in cocaine use…”
The West African region currently has policies in place to criminalize individuals who are in
possession of drugs such as having “prison sentences of 10-15 years for possession and personal use”,
according to BBC. This 10-15 year prison sentence is a very long time for a person to waste away in a
prison cell for something minor and non-violent. This type of imprisonment really does more harm than
good. BBC also states that the “current policies incite corruption and provoke violence”. As a result, it is
creating a large prison population in the West African region and as poor as those countries are, their
rehabilitating programs are not a priority.
This is a public problem because it concerns everyone in that region; lower and upper
classes. At one point or another, a person living in the West African region will know someone who is
either assisting with the trafficking of drugs or consuming them. Three alternatives will be examined in
this analysis. The first alternative is the Status Quo of what is already in place; criminalizing drug users
and those in possession of drugs. The second alternative would be to increase military forces across the
West African region in order to help monitor its borders from drug cartels smuggling drugs into the
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country by land, sea or air. The BBC recommended “expanding greater efforts on pursuing
traffickers”. Helping to stop the trafficking altogether would not only be an endless battle, but a risky
one as compared to failed attempts by Latin American countries. My proposed alternative is to
decriminalize those who are in possession of smaller amounts of drugs. This will help eradicate the
traffickers from the users along with creating clinical rehabilitative services to help those individuals
with drug problems. Several countries have already succeeded by implementing policies similar to this
alternative such as Portugal and Uruguay.
Although the latter two alternatives may seem both progressive and nearly impossible, they are
certainly worth attempting. Allison states that we can use not only West Africa’s past failures but the
failures of the Latin American countries who are also dealing with the same problems as platforms. This
will be a good starting point to see what has worked for other nations and what can possibly work for
the West African region.
B. Proposed Solutions
Status Quo Alternative Policy
The status quo policies that are currently in place in West African nations are “focused
predominantly on controlling the flow of narcotics and strengthening law enforcement, and much less
on high-level corruption or public health, despite the risk that these issues pose to longer-term security
and well-being”, according to the West African Commission on Drugs’ 2014 Independent Report. The
policies in place are doing much more damage to the public because of its strict drug policies for minor
drug offenses. This is causing an overpopulation in the prison system, as result, more money is spent on
the housing and the maintenance of these prisons.
On a positive note, the strict laws, long prison sentences including lifetime in prison sentences
should be enough to deter people away from abusing and trafficking drugs. However, according to
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Carrier and Gernot, “while international pressures have led to increases of drug seizures and arrests on
the continent, they have also tended to support highly draconian and ineffective drug policies and
sidelined alternative approaches that stress the research, health and socio-economic dimensions of drug
control.” The current policies in place are failing. They are not providing enough public health
assistance and they are treating minor drug offenders as criminals.
Extreme/Fringe Alternative Policy
The extreme/fringe alternative policy to be proposed is to militarize the West African region in
order to respond to the trafficking of drugs. This would help solve the problem and put a halt to the
drugs entering the countries by air, land and sea. The U.S. run program, African Contingency Operations
Training and Assistance ACOTA will assist with “ training African soldiers in highly professional
interoperable program of instruction in peacekeeping and humanitarian relief operations...conducted by
US Army instructors, the initial training includes instruction in military operational skills, command and
staff operations, and computer-simulated exercises.”
The West African Commission on Drugs states, “when drug-related violence has erupted, it has
tended to do so when government and military officials are vying for access to drug-trafficking-related
profits.” Militarizing these nations would mean even more corruption and lack of stability. As witnessed
in Guinea-Bissau, which became a trafficking hub, the WACD states that “drug trafficking had reportedly
become the key economic activity of the country’s military elite (which controls the state)...” Other
countries like Mexico are examples of failed attempts of the ‘tough on crime approach’, “evidence from
Mexico suggests that a militarised response to drug trafficking can actually increase violence. The
Mexican government originally designed a strategy centered on military assaults on trafficking
groups...resulting in a dramatic rise in violence: the numbers of murders in Mexico almost doubled
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between 2007 and 2012.” Militarizing these nations will take away funds from much needed resources
such as health and safety programs which should be its main priority.
My Proposal Alternative
My proposed alternative to helping end the drug problems among the people in the West
African region is to decriminalize minor drug offences and advocate for rehabilitating
programs. Criminalizing those with possession of small amounts of drugs is not the answer to the ‘war
on drugs’, as we have seen with Latin American countries like Mexico and Colombia. The WACD strongly
advocates for decriminalization, “we have concluded that drug use must be regarded primarily as a
public health problem. Drug users need help, not punishment...we believe that the consumption and
possession for personal use of drugs should not be criminalized. Experiences show that criminalization
of drug use worsens health and social problems, puts huge pressures on the criminal justice system and
incites corruption.”
Along with decriminalization, it would be beneficial to the West African Nations to create public
health facilities to treat drug addicts as patients rather than criminals. The WACD states that “the
Executive Director of UNODC has stressed that drug dependence is a health disorder, and drug users
need humane and effective treatment-not punishment.” This proposed solution has not only proven
successful in other countries (Portugal), it is also being considered in many more countries. This
proposed solution to decriminalize and rehabilitate its peoples is West Africa’s only hope. If there
continues to be a demand for drugs in the Western nations, drug traffickers will supply them and
continue to use West Africa as a funnel.
C. Strategic Recommendations
The third policy alternative is the best solution because it proposes decriminalization for minor
drug offenses as well as creating public health facilities to treat drug addicts rather than imprisoning
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them. Many people might mistake the word decriminalization with legalization, but they are not the
same thing. The Economist defines decriminalization as “possessing small amounts no longer lands the
perpetrator with a criminal record or a jail sentence.” Portugal is a good example of a country who has
been practicing decriminalization for over a decade and has proven a very successful alternative. It is far
more beneficial (financially and strategically) to help treat a person with a drug addiction and educating
them rather than imprisoning them. Even though this proposal is far away from ending the war on
drugs in West Africa, this can help to educate the people on the repercussions of assisting in the
trafficking and abusing drugs.
D. Weaknesses and Limitations
The weakness in this policy alternative is not having the full support of high profile stakeholders
such as the United Nations and World Health Organization. Human rights and social justice are issues
that have been marginalized in third world countries and still continue to do so. Recently, the Ebola
epidemic has overshadowed every other issue in this region. As a result, decriminalization and
rehabilitating programs will continue to be ignored.
E. Cost-Benefit Analysis
On the other hand, the benefits outweigh the costs. The WACD states that “research has
consistently shown that investments in treatment and harm reduction services can lead to economic
and social benefits far in excess of the resources invested…but across West Africa, even the most basic
drug-related health and treatment services are scarce…available facilities are generally poorly funded,
and few have adequate numbers of personnel with skills and experience in managing substance use
disorders.” Portugal has a proven track record of stabilizing this problem by investing in prevention
programs.
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Goals/Alternative Matrix
West African Drug Policies
POLICY ALTERNATIVES/GOALS MATRIX
GOALS IMPACT
CATEGORIES WEIGHT/FACTO
R (1-3)
POLICY 1 (STATUS QUO) Criminalizatio
n of Drug Users
POLICY 2 Extreme/Fringe Military taking over with far
greater criminalization
POLICY 3 Decriminalization & promoting
rehab programs
DECREASE
Drugs Trafficking 3 AVERAGE BAD (will increase)
AVERAGE
INCREASE Public Health 3 BAD VERY BAD EXCELLENT
DECREASE
Criminalization 2 VERY BAD VERY BAD OKAY/GOOD
IMPROVE Social Justice 3 BAD VERY BAD EXCELLENT
IMPROVE Economic Growth 3 GOOD VERY GOOD AVERAGE
IMPROVE
Political Stability
2
AVERAGE (leaning towards
corruption) BAD (cause corruption) GOOD
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PEST Chart
FEASIBILITY CHART
Ratings: 0 to 10, with 0 representing not feasibile, and 10 meaasuring feasibility
would be very easy. Place a value in each cell.
PEST FACTORS
POLICY ALTERNATIVES
Status Quo
5 5 3 7
Extreme/Fringe
1 5 2 8
your idea
10 10 10 10
POLITICAL FACTORS
ECONOMIC FACTORS
SOCIOCULTURAL FACTORS
TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS
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Stakeholder Analysis Chart
Ratings: 1 to 5 is strength in-favor with -1 to -5 is opposed. Place a value in each cell.
STAKEHOLDERS CHART
POLICY ALTERNATIVE
S
Status Quo
5 3 3 3 3 2
Extreme/Fringe
5 4 5 2 1 1
your idea
1 1 2 5 5 5
West Africa
Commission on Drugs (sponsored
by Kofi Annan
Foundation)
World Health
Organization
United Nation
s
European Union
African Contingenc
y Operations Training & Assistance (sponsored by the U.S.)
Transnational Drug Lords
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Stakeholder Chart
Engage Infrequently to Help Resolve Issues
[Context Setters]
UNITED NATIONS
African contingency operations training & assist.
Partner Closely with
[Players]
who
WEST AFRICA COMMISSION ON DRUGS
DRUG LORDS
Keep Informed
[Crowd]
European union
Engage as project Champions/Advocates
[Subjects]
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Implementation
If it is decided that the third alternative policy to decriminalize minor drug offences and advocate for
rehabilitating programs is the best choice, then we can begin a strategic plan. Portugal has successfully
decriminalized drugs for over a decade. It would be best to evaluate their strategic plan in order to
learn what the risks, costs and any obstacles are so that the West African region can avoid them and
utilize another plan.
Risks
One of the biggest risks that the West African region has with implementing decriminalization is not
having the support from the government and its people. The new policy can be interpreted as
legalization rather than decriminalization, which can potentially cause an abundance of drug traffickers
and users.
In addition, there is a huge financial risk in establishing these rehabilitating clinics and social programs
and not having people comply with the new policies. Just because decriminalization worked for
Portugal, doesn’t mean it will work for the West African region.
Costs
The costs go hand-in-hand with the risks, if the programs are not supported financially, then people
cannot be helped. And if people cannot be helped medically then they will be incarcerated and more
funds will be spent incarcerating even more people. That is why it is vital to come up with a strategic
plan that has evaluated every worst case scenario and establish a solution for all.
Once the risks and costs are taken into consideration, then it is time to plan the implementation of the
policy through phases.
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Phase 1: Education
In the first three months, it is important to educate the public on the new laws and policies regarding
drug offenses. This can be done by marketing using television, radio, social media and face to face.
Phase 2: Construction of Rehabilitative and Social Services clinics
The first six months to one year, once the funds are allocated from the stakeholders, the West African
region can begin building rehabilitative and social service clinics to help both the addicts and those
caught with minor offenses. This will create job opportunities for the public.
Phase 3: Evaluation
After year one, it is important to evaluate the number of people treated through the programs along
with those receiving social service assistance for minor drug offenses. This can provide useful
information to determine how the policy has succeeded. I would also recommend evaluating the
programs each year so that we can see what programs are working, need improvement, which are
working, failing and what strategies can be done to make it even better.
Conclusion
The current war on drugs is escalating in the West African nations and the current policies in place
need to be replaced with effective and strategic solutions. My proposed alternative to helping end the
drug problems among the people in the West African region is to decriminalize minor drug offences and
advocate for rehabilitating services. Decriminalizing those who are in possession of smaller amounts of
drugs will help decrease the crowded prison population as well as helping end corruption among the
people and their government. Creating rehabilitative services to assist those with drug problems will
also help decrease the prison population and will diminish the number of addicts. This will result in the
stabilization of this region. The country of Portugal has an effective program in place and with the
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support of our stakeholders, the countries in the West African region can be included among successful
countries who have eradicated themselves from the war on drugs.
Executive Summary
The war on drugs has infested its way into the West African region recently. These countries are not
only used as brokers to funnel illegal drugs from Latin America to Europe, they are being exploited for
their vulnerability from many years of lack of political stability. This has resulted in an increase of drug
trafficking of cocaine, even more corruption among the countries, drug addiction, and rigid prison
sentences for drug possessors and users, and recreating even more weaknesses among the
governments. Key stakeholders such as the West African Commission of Drugs (sponsored by the Kofi
Annan Foundation), the United Nations and the World Health Organization should be on alert about this
growing problem.
This analysis explores three policy alternatives to the drug problem in West Africa: (1) the status quo
policy, (2) the extreme/fringe alternative policy, and (3) my proposed alternative to decriminalize drug
offenses and create rehabilitative services for drug addicts. All three alternatives are examined in terms
of the following goals; strategic recommendation, weaknesses and limitations and cost-benefit analysis.
On the basis of this assessment, the analysis concludes that the key stakeholders should adopt the third
proposed alternative to decriminalize drug offenses and create rehabilitative services for drug addicts.
The adoption of decriminalization and rehabilitative services has the potential to not only save lives but
also to help stabilize the West African region.
Allocating this proposed policy would be far more beneficial (financially and strategically) to help
treat a person with a drug addiction and educating them rather than imprisoning them. Even though
this proposal is far away from ending the war on drugs in West Africa, this can help to educate the
people on the repercussions of assisting in the trafficking and abusing drugs.
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This similar policy has been adopted and implemented for over a decade in Portugal and has been
successful in decriminalizing its minor offenders and assisting with the rehabilitation of drug addicts. It’s
imperative for the stakeholders to understand that this proposed policy will help promote humane
practices with its criminal justice system. In Indonesia, they have a policy in place that executes drug
traffickers and offenders. These exaggerated and inhumane practices are not a solution to the war on
drugs. If we are not careful and make changes in policy now, the West African region will become
another Indonesia or another Colombia.
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References
Doyle, M. (2014, June 11). West Africa should decriminalize drugs – Obasanjo commission. Retrieved January 18, 2015, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27786845
Allison, S. (2014, January 16). West Africa and the War on Drugs: South American mistakes, repeated? Retrieved January 18, 2015, from http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2014-01-16-west-africa-and-the-war-on-drugs-south-american-mistakes-repeated/#.VLyHaEfF-AV
(2012, January 1). Retrieved January 18, 2015, from http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/WDR2012/WDR_2012_web_small.pdf
Military. (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2015, from http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/acri.htm
Not Just In Transit. (2014, June 1). Retrieved February 1, 2015, from http://www.wacommissionondrugs.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/WACD-Full-Report-Eng.pdf
Carrier, N., & Klantschnig, G. (2012). Africa and the war on drugs. London: Zed Books in association with African Institute, Royal African Society, World Peace Foundation.