Opening Remarks
Dr. David F. Musto
Professor of Child Psychology and
History of Medicine
Yale University School of Medicine, USA
Dr. Musto provided a historical perspective on international cooperation in addressing the drug problem. As he explained, these efforts began in 1909 with the Shanghai Commission and the subsequent Hague Opium Conference, which led to the 1912 Hague Opium Convention. After World War I, he noted, initial observance of this convention was entrusted to the League of Nations and the World Court. However, lack of U.S. participation, fostered by U.S. isolationism and suspicion of the motives of foreign powers, and later Chinese disorganization impeded these international efforts. World War II further hampered cooperation. In 1945, the United Nations assumed overall responsibility for treaty enforcement and for coordinating global drug strategy. During this period, the Cold War, which lasted until 1990, made cooperation difficult. With the end of the Cold War, Dr. Musto stated that unprecedented possibilities have emerged for international cooperation including the launching of bi-national efforts to curb drug abuse.
With the end of the Cold War, there have come unprecedented possibilities for international cooperation including the launching of joint efforts to curb drug abuse.
