Cultural Impact of Prohibition Policies as Consequence of International Co-operation

Abstract

The philosophy of drug abuse-control and combat of drug-trafficking is dominated by a western perspective. The roots of these approaches can be traced back to early legal measures that assumed a punitive approach as the main mechanism to control the dysfunctional drug use in society. The cultural impact of international inspired law-enforcement policies has been overlooked or even denied.

In India as in certain other Asian countries, cannabis and opium use have been culturally embedded. Consumption of these drugs occured within a specific social context and possesses symbolic value. Traditionally, cultural norms restricted the quantity of consumption. This paper looks at those aspects of drug use in the Asian settings that have been largely ignored by the present myopic view of drug abuse management.