International cooperation in combating drug trafficking: Contemporary challenges

Piotr Lisowski

International cooperation in combating drug trafficking: Contemporary challenges

Piotr Lisowski

Abstract

The relevance of this topic lies in the fact that drug proliferation is a global issue that impacts the social, economic, and security dimensions of society, necessitating comprehensive measures at the international level. The aim of this study was to analyse the development of international legislation in the field of counter-narcotics, as well as methods of combating modern synthetic drugs. In the course of the study, using historical and genetic analysis, the history of the international fight against drug trafficking was analysed, starting from the International Opium Convention of 1912 under the League of Nations aegis, to the Vienna Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988 under the United Nations aegis. Using a systemic approach to the study of social phenomena, the reasons for the widespread distribution of designer drugs in the 21st century were considered. The successes and problems of the implementation and activities of the “United Nations Toolkit on Synthetic Drugs”, the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats were analysed; the plans for the creation of the European Union Drugs Agency were critically examined. The statistics of fentanyl-related deaths in the United States were studied. The cooperation between the governments of the United States and the People’s Republic of China in 2023, which focused on combating the leakage of fentanyl precursor chemicals into the hands of Mexican cartels, was investigated. A problem analysis of the updated strategy to combat fentanyl and other synthetic drugs by the United States Customs and Border Protection, thanks to which already at the beginning of 2024 more than 8 thousand pounds of fentanyl were seized, helped to identify problematic aspects of documents in this area. The results of the study showed that the international community was aware of the drug problem and adopted appropriate resolutions, however, modern international legislation needs to be improved to combat the international drug trafficking of synthetic drugs, which requires political publicity and the activity of political elites. The results obtained can be useful for public service workers engaged in anti-drug activities, for students and lecturers, as well as for public activists involved in social work with drug addicts

Keywords

international cooperation; strategy; artificial intelligence; anti-drug activities; drug cartels

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Suggested citation

Lisowski, P. (2024). International cooperation in combating drug trafficking: Contemporary challenges. Foreign Affairs, 34(3), 48-57. https://doi.org/10.46493/2663-2675.34(3).2024.48