CND, 1959
Historic Commission on Narcotic Drugs, 1959
Topic A: Regulating the International Trade and Spread of Opium
Opium has long played a central role in both medicine and illicit economies, particularly in Southeast Asia, where the “Golden Triangle” would soon emerge as a hub of production and trafficking. In the 1950s, global consumption patterns remained influenced by colonial trade networks, while newly independent states in Asia began asserting control over their borders and agricultural economies. The Commission faces the challenge of addressing opium’s dual identity, that being a legally sanctioned substance for medical use, and a highly trafficked drug fueling addiction and criminal syndicates. With production and export continuing despite treaty limitations, the question of how to regulate international trade while respecting state sovereignty is a defining issue of this era.
Topic B: Controlling the Rising Trafficking and Abuse of Cocaine
While opium dominated early international drug control, the mid-20th century witnessed a rising concern over cocaine, particularly in South America. Countries such as Peru and Bolivia were struggling with how to regulate coca leaf cultivation, an ancient cultural practice, while also curbing its refinement into cocaine destined for European and North American markets. In the 1950s, trafficking networks expanded, fueled by both medical demand and illicit consumption, and the CND faced pressure to incorporate cocaine more firmly into its treaty frameworks. This committee must grapple with how to distinguish cultural use from abuse, how to police increasingly complex trafficking routes, and how to create global mechanisms at a time when enforcement capacity remains limited.