cannabisnews.com: U.S. & China Agree on Measures To Fight Drugs





U.S. & China Agree on Measures To Fight Drugs
Posted by FoM on June 19, 2000 at 16:25:21 PT
By Erik Eckholm
Source: New York Times
The United States and China agreed today to step up their cooperation against the production and smuggling of illegal drugs, especially heroin and methamphetamine, which have emerged as scourges in both countries and throughout much of Asia. For the last few years, American and Chinese law enforcement agencies have sometimes cooperated to stop contraband drug shipments. 
But today the two governments signed their first legal agreement to share information and evidence related to drug smuggling, and officials from both sides predicted more wide-ranging collaboration. The agreement was announced here by Barry R. McCaffrey, the retired army general who directs the White House office of national drug control policy. General McCaffrey is visiting China with counter-drug officials from several United States agencies as part of an eight-day tour that will also take them to Hong Kong, Hanoi and Bangkok. "This is an important moment," General McCaffrey said after two days of talks with Chinese officials. He said such collaboration was vital to combatting global heroin trafficking and the fast-rising abuse of methamphetamine. Since China began to open its borders in the late 1970's, it has become a major transit route for heroin produced in southeast Asia, especially Myanmar, the former Burma. Some of that heroin is shipped by ethnic-Chinese gangs to the United States, although the bulk heroin sold in the United States now comes from Latin America, primarily Colombia. The smuggling has engendered rising heroin addiction inside China, especially in the southern province of Yunnan and in the western region of Xinjiang, which receives heroin smuggled from Afghanistan. According to General McCaffrey's office, factories in southeast China are important producers of methamphetamine, which is sold throughout East Asia and of ephedrine, the ingredient used to produce methamphetamine. General McCaffrey listed several areas in which the United States hopes to gain China's cooperation, including the sharing of "strategic intelligence" about drug operations, control of money laundering, control of precursor chemicals like ephedrine, the analysis of seized drugs to identify their sources and the control of weapons that make their way to drug gangs. The United States, last year stationed a Drug Enforcement Administration agent in Beijing, had also proposed opening an Federal Bureau of Investigation office, but had not had an answer. Yang Fengrui, director of drugs at China's Ministry of Public Security, who appeared with General McCaffrey today, said he believed Sino-American cooperation "is going to enter a new stage." "A hundred years ago in the Opium Wars, China was victimized and we can never forget that pain," Mr. Yang said, recalling an era when Britain and other colonial European powers forced a defeated China to accept opium. Mr. Yang said China was ready to exchange more information to solve drug cases, to exchange samples from drug seizures and to work together in controlling precursor chemicals. The United States has repeatedly praised China's government for making serious anti-drug efforts. Today, General McCaffrey said he did not question the determination of Chinese officials to fight drug abuse. He also praised China, which has been embarrassed by drug scandals in international athletic competitions, for participating in a new global agency to combat performance-enhancing drug use in sports. Published: June 19, 2000Copyright 2000 The New York Times Company Related Articles & Web Sites:Beijing Offering Drug Addicts Amnesty http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6104.shtmlU.S. Anti-Drug Czar Starts China Visithttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6094.shtmlUS Drug Policy Maker in China http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6085.shtml A Short History of the Opium Wars http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/heroin/opiwar1.htmFrontline: Opium Throughout Historyhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/heroin/etc/history.html
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Comment #3 posted by observer on June 20, 2000 at 11:25:22 PT
re: excuse to establish a police/military state
It has worked in the US as a perfect excuse to establish a police/military state,and a way to justify human rights abuse,imprisonment of political dissidents...etc.Yes. This is the real reason for the "war on drugs". Totalitarian people control. Prohibitionists hum and haw and some pawns are even duped into believing that prohibition (i.e. throwing adult cannabis users in jail) is somehow "for the children"; to send the "right message" to "the children." But, that's not the reason for Prohibition. The real reason for the "war on drugs" is to have a ready made excuse for the government to abrogate any law or freedom. 
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Comment #2 posted by dddd on June 19, 2000 at 17:10:41 PT
New world order
I think this is the beginning of the "New World Overlord",scam,to make drugs the excuse for an international reign of terror. Of course barry's chinese friends agreed with this new agreement...It certainly doesnt get in the way of any of Chinas' totalitarian politics.Quite the contrary.It has worked in the US as a perfect excuse to establish a police/military state,and a way to justify human rights abuse,imprisonment of political dissidents...etc. In fact,I'll bet the Chinese were anxious to join the drug war sham...They probably consider the czar a genius....I can see barry and his Chinese counterparts trading "hi fives",over all this.....dddd
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Comment #1 posted by MikeEEEEE on June 19, 2000 at 17:08:21 PT
General In China
McCareFreak should feel comfortable in a country that has violated human rights for years.
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