With the second day of the United Nations conference underway, the general assembly on disarmament, global challenges, and threats to peace has started assembling the framework of a plan with the goal of regulating international technology usage with respect to the drug trade. On the forefront of this cause in Belarus in conjunction with delegates representing Russia, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Palestine, Ethiopia, and Lebanon. This coalition has proposed a policy known as LET that aims at limiting the account of illegal drug production currently taking place in countries such as Afghanistan and Mexico, increasing drug trafficking education for police and other law enforcement, and tracking online purchases of illicit substances with a focus on blockchain technology, cryptocurrencies, and credit card purchases. The delegate from Belarus mentioned the importance of law enforcement understanding the technology used by drug traffickers.
The Belarusian delegate shifted attention onto a growing divide between the Western countries and the rest of the committee. Countries like Canada are claiming that LET is limiting personal freedoms, yet the delegate from Belarus has confidently refuted this, asking, “Is it really freedom if you’re in a world ruled by cartels? Is it really free to live in fear of kidnappings and murders just because drug trafficking is so prevalent in your country?” Canada’s response to this rebuttal remains to be seen but the strength of the agreement from Belarus and its many allies is a clear step in the improvement of drug trafficking laws on an international scale.