Combating Drug Trafficking and war on Drugs – An Issue for the United Nations

Guest Speaker: Dr Blaine Stothard
Independent Consultant on Health Education
Co-editor, Drugs and Alcohol Today


The control of narcotic drugs is a minor aspect of the international system, a subject that excites media attention and prurient interest, but can hardly be compared to the weighty concerns of peace building or providing the essentials of life, water, health or education. It follows that the specialised agency the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, is allocated only a very modest amount from the UN core budget.

Dr Blaine Stothard will address the UN Association on the role of the UN System on Drugs and Crime; its creation and aims and how successful has UNODC been in achieving its aims.  Also what was before the UN System on Drugs and what might come next?
Blaine started his professional life as a secondary school teacher in London in the 1970s. He moved into an advisory teacher role in the 1990s and was peripherally involved in the development of the UK drugs strategy because of the presence of one of the Home Office Drug Prevention Teams in the Borough of Lambeth where he worked. From there he developed an interest and specialism in education and prevention work, on sexual health and substance use. Later on he became self-employed (independent) and worked on public health and education projects in the UK, Denmark, Russia, Ukraine and the Republic of Macedonia ( the nation, not the Greek province).
Most recently Blaine has turned to writing and editing, contributing to specialist journals and books. Currently he is the co-editor of the peer-reviewed journal Drugs and Alcohol Today; and the co-editor of the forthcoming book Collapse of the Global Order on Drugs, a survey of the climate of international drugs control since the 2016 UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs.

There will be a Ploughman`s Lunch and coffee/tea (£3.50 per head) from 12:00 pm till 2:15 pm and the meeting starts at 12:30 prompt.  
Please do come along and bring a friend!