North Korea to Kill All Drug Users

North Korean leader Kim Jong II has ordered that all drug users be executed by shooting, Kyodo reported March 28.

"I will subject all those who sell or use illegal drugs to a firing squad, and have ordered that Chinese drug traders be beaten with sticks," said Kim.

Kim also told Konstantin Pulikovsky, Russian President Vladimir Putin's special representative to the Russian Far East, to "shoot and kill" any North Korean drug offenders his country finds.

Kim said his drug policy is aimed at making it known that North Korea is firm on the issue of drug abuse.
...from jointogether online, 4/8/02

DEA Chief Cites Terror/Drug Link

Speaking before the conservative Heritage Foundation, DEA Administrator Asa Hutchinson said that Americans who use illegal drugs could be funding terrorism, CNS News reported April 3.

Hutchinson said that drug abuse "supports attacks against the judicial system in Mexico. It funds terrorism in Columbia, and generally destabilizes governments from Afghanistan to Thailand."

As an example, Hutchinson cited the FARC rebel group in Columbia, which is involved in cocaine production and distribution. "In the case of the FARC, the State Department has called them 'the most dangerous international terrorist group based in the western hemisphere.' The cocaine that is transported by the FARC is paid for with currency, with weapons, and with equipment, that is used for terrorist activities."

He also commented on the toll drugs have on people, stating that drug users "become slaves to their habits. They are no longer able to contribute to their community. They do not have healthy relationships with their families," Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson added that reducing demand is critical for eliminating the problems caused by the illegal drug trade. "The DEA is very supportive of increased efforts in drug education, in parental involvement, and in drug courts that will emphasize treatment of our addict population," said Hutchinson. "And we are trying to coordinate our law-enforcement efforts with those demand-reduction efforts."
....from Jointogether Online, 4/8/02

(Demand reduction like  North Korea?  Three quarters of my high school in the 70's would have been shot.  But it sure would reduce the demand...  CM, 4/8/02)