In Afghanistan there is no legitimate market for opium and the illegal production and distribution of this drug continues. Tajikistan officials explain how their country has been affected due to the closely situated country of Afghanistan and how difficult the illicit drug market is to deal with (The Open University, 2009 (a)). At the first level of this ongoing chain are the people living in these regions who claim that the growth of this poppy plant is their only source of income. They claim that without this livelihood they would suffer loss and devastation that would have a huge impact on their families. It could be possible that without these crops harm may come to these families through ill health maybe or homelessness. However the eradication of these plants is viewed by some as a means whereas global security can be tightened. In turn this could avoid a variety of harms that are associated with misuse and addiction including physical and mental health problems, social exclusion and the dangers that relate to illegal drugs. Evidence for this is illustrated during another film where the use, culture and addiction of opium are explained Rufus (The Open University, 2009 (b)) explains how the drug has affected his life and describes the feeling of being socially excluded and the desperation he felt for the drug. This might raise the debate asking whether there is actually a solution whereby no party has to suffer harm. In addition to the harvesting of these crops is the issue of drug trafficking which is also seen to be a good livelihood in an area of poverty. Smugglers can provide better pay than the government. These are both issues that cause potential harm in regards to addicts and the misuse of drugs
In relation to drug trafficking is the position of Border officials. They explain how it is a huge task to manage the problem of illegal opium smuggling. There are means of transportation that are hard to monitor and they go on to describe how traffickers smuggle within the cover of the mountains either on foot or with the use of donkeys (The Open University, 2009, (a)). Furthermore it is apparent that there is a big corruption problem amongst State officials in certain positions of power. Bribes are seen as an option to support their families as their rate of pay is poor. So despite the attempts of the state to provide legal trading opportunities for farmers and people such like, the abuse of power is stronger and wins the war. This is all evidence to illustrate how farmers, traffickers, and corrupt border officials all contribute to the power, harm and violence that occurs but on a variety of levels.
When opium reaches a lab there is competition and suppliers compete against each other in a war of power. The aim being to supply the ‘best’ drug to receive the ‘highest’ reputation. This power war contributes to the issue of harm because people simply don’t know the strength of the drugs they have resulting in death in some cases. Violence and power plays a big part in Drug distribution on the street. The distribution filters down from the top from person to person. Power and violence create fear within these relationships whether they are between dealers or between users and dealers.
The same kinds of relationships that occur on the streets occur also within legitimate drug markets. The aim on the street is to sell as many drugs as possible to make as much money as possible. This is mirrored in the relationship between drug reps and doctors. The more they sell, the bigger the profit for the company. Of course marketing techniques are used by these pharmaceutical companies to ensure production and distribution of these drugs. However it is questioned as to whether these companies have the public’s interests as priority or whether the harm that may occur is occasionally overlooked by sources of power. Evidence is explored regarding the case of OxyContin (The Open University, 2009 (a)). It is explained how the illegal advertising of this drug and the claims that it was less addictive resulted in a lot of deaths. It highlights how drug dependence and addiction is not just present in the illicit market and has both local and global connections within the legal market also.
To conclude, it is apparent that whether it is a country, a pharmacist or a dealer on the street, opium is distributed through similar chains and all involved are capable of causing harm to any one person. An influential opinion of much interest in the course material was that of Deborah Small (The Open University, 2009 (a)). She discussed how as a global world we are always going to be involved in global trade and as a result there will always be global drugs. If there’s trade there will be drugs. This is a powerful and believable explanation of how legal and illegal opiates have clear global dimensions and why power, harm and violence are associated with the drug market.
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References
The Open University (2009 (a)) ‘Production and distribution’, Opium: Cultures, Wars, Markets, Milton Keynes, The Open University (DVD)
The Open University (2009 (b)) ‘Use, culture and addiction’, Opium: Cultures, Wars, Markets, Milton Keynes, The Open University (DVD)
