Supply and demand in strawberries and motor-cars

We can now access our Health Minister's statement to the recent meeting of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. The achievements she claims are all in the field of supply and demand reduction. Among them, she lists the dubious achievement of a 'slight decline' in drug offence-related cases in 2008 after a massive 300% increase between 2003 and 2008. She does note that "in the area pf demand reduction, Indonesia's efforts focus on integrated comprehensive strategies as a continuum of care," whatever that means.

She notes that the economic cost of drug abuse in Indonesia was estimated to be US$32.9 billion in 2008, which she says in one-tenth of the value of global drug trade. I wonder how much of that goes to domestic corruption. Some time back someone estimated that the profits from drug dealing in Indonesia exceed the total budget of the police force. Plenty of room for a little 'lubrication.'

We should not be surprised that she does not mention harm reduction. At a cabinet meeting on AIDS a couple of years back, it is related that she omitted to deliver the parts of the statement prepared for her that referred to harm reduction. It transpired that she was uncomfortable to address this because she didn't know what harm reduction is.

Babé