None of what Mr Annan and reformist governments urgently asked for made it into the roadmap agreed last week: not the end of criminalisation, incarceration and executions, nor the expansion of harm reduction, treatment and legalised regulation. In a bluntly worded commentary article, Mr Annan wrote that despite the $100 billion spent annually, "Prohibition has had little impact on the supply of or demand for drugs When law enforcement succeeds in one area, drug production simply moves to another region or country, drug trafficking moves to another route and drug users switch to a different drug.) It is no wonder that Mr Annan writes despairingly, "I believe that drugs have destroyed many lives, but wrong government policies have destroyed many more.

Countless men and women who ribbon wholesale china inject drugs have contracted HIV and Hepatitis C in the many nations, rich and poor alike, that prohibit essential "harm reduction" services, such as providing clean injection equipment, even though these have been hugely successful where used and have long been recommended by the World Health Organisation. Third, to ensure that drugs cause the least possible harm to users, the commission recommends the expansion of both treatment services and "harm reduction" measures such as clean injecting equipment and supervised use. A persuasive alternative had been laid out by Mr Annan and the other eminent members of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, based on the experience of countries that are finally showing success in tackling drug use and its toll.The evidence of the harm done to millions by the war on drugs is incontestable." Tellingly, equally strong criticisms were voiced by other eminent figures as well as by numerous governments. In several Latin American countries, the battle between drug cartels and government forces has led to levels of killings, violence, torture and rape akin to countries at war. A first is to decriminalise personal drug use, so that the harm done by drugs is tackled by the public health system and social services, not by the police and jails. In the US, for decades the harshest drug-warrior, one in every five prisoners owes their incarceration to drug-related offences, generally minor in nature and selectively enforced against African-Americans." Given this evidence of harm as well as the failure to curb drug use, any sensible observer would have bet that affected governments — India’s included, faced with mounting drug use and a failed response — would have used the UN summit last week to junk the war on drugs and instead to embrace rational approaches.In 1998, the world leaders attending a UN General Assembly special session on global drug policies proclaimed, "A drug-free world — We can do it!"

They vowed to rid the world of illegal narcotics by 2008, employing the zero-tolerance approach begun in the 1960s, of harshly punishing everyone from trafficking kingpins to casual smokers of pot. The world is left more dangerous and unfair as a consequence. An unlikely constellation of politicians, business leaders and activists — including former Presidents of Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Switzerland, billionaire investor Warren Buffett, and rock star Sting – released a public letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, saying, "The drug control regime that emerged during the last century has proven disastrous for global health, security and human rights. A second — so that drug supplies are no longer driven by the profit motive — is sensible, finely tuned legal regulation, for instance by legalising the sale of cannabis (already widely underway in Europe and the Americas, by creating government monopolies to counter black-market sales, and by ensuring that risky hard drugs are available only by medical prescription to people already registered as dependent users. Executions for drug trafficking are commonplace in Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and two-dozen others — in 2015, at least 685 people around the world were executed on drug-related charges. All this desperately needed progress was subverted by the cussedness of hardline governments and officials at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime — an inept organisation dominated by drug-warriors Russia and the US. He is also a senior fellow at the World Policy Institute. In parallel, the war on drugs has had disastrous public health and environmental costs. But, so vast are the failures of global policy-making that none of what was expected came to pass: the UN special session ended with the war on drugs approach intact. The widespread criminalisation and punishment of people who use drugs, the over-crowded prisons, mean that the war on drugs is, to a significant degree, a war on drug users — a war on people. In Colombia, herbicide aerial spraying to destroy coca — undertaken at dictatorial American pressure — has fuelled miscarriages and other health problems, destroyed food crops and caused lasting environmental damage. (The Colombian government’s recent decision to halt aerial spraying earned it the ire of the Obama administration. Nor has prohibition significantly reduced use.

A final recommendation is to jettison the utopian goal of drug-free societies in favour of the reasonable one of achieving feasible reductions through higher taxes and public education campaigns, as commonly done with tobacco and alcohol (both drugs that, ironically, have been treated as legitimate despite being demonstrably physically addictive and more harmful than many banned substances). The commission’s roadmap involves measures aimed at both use and supply.But last week, as their successors met in New York City for another special session on the issue, it was clear that this punitive approach had not only failed miserably but had led to unconscionable abuses." The government of Colombia’s official submission likened the continued faith in the war-on-drugs approach to Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity — "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result". Studies have consistently failed to establish the existence of a link between the harshness of a country’s drug laws and its levels of drug use.Siddharth Dube is the author of several non-fiction books, including No One Else: A Personal History of Outlawed Love and Sex. The upshot is that reformist countries will have to chart their own course, breaking with the existing global conventions on narcotics. "Globally, the ‘war on drugs’ has not succeeded," said Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary-General who has served since 2011 on the blue-ribbon Global Commission on Drug Policy.

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Oshiro showed me some sample flowers and pointed out that there were two kinds.On a recent trip to Tokyo, I signed up for a 90-minute workshop on that technique, called tsumami zaiku. In the ken tsumami type, the petals have a sharp point — "ken" means sword. The latter technique is harder, so we started with ken.)Modern artisans are creating new types of accessories using the cloth flowers, such as earrings and brooches."At the same time, the basic technique has been taken up by hobbyists and crafters in Japan and elsewhere.

The hairpieces have also had to evolve. Starting with two different-colour fabric triangles laid slightly offset on top of each other, and then using slightly more complex folding magic, you end up with a rounded petal with one colour in the centre and another colour around the edge. First, fold the square in half into a triangle and glue it together at the tip of the triangle. "That’s how the craft still survives and is carried to the next generation. The authentic style consists of two parts, one worn on top and one on the side.Everyone to whom I showed my flowers said, "Wow, you made that?" But there’s a long distance between my adorable little blossoms and the "wow" of tsumami kanzashi hairpieces made by professional artisans.Next, we tried the round-petaled maru technique, which was indeed more difficult and harder to explain in words. (The crafting tradition dates back to Japan’s Edo period, from 1603-1868.I picked out five 4-centimeter squares of two different colours of fabric, and Oshiro demonstrated what to do. Having tried it, though, I can also understand the urge to make them again and again. Then the rest of the petals were added next to those two, alternating colours.

Then, the petals are glued on to this base. But as with many traditional crafts, the number of artisans is dwindling. Organised neatly in compartmentalized boxes, they all fit into a tote bag. It was a bit of a surprise, then, to discover that the basic technique of making their folded cloth flowers was simple enough to learn while sitting at a sidewalk cafe."They work only for the traditional Japanese hairstyle," says Kanawa. Similar, hands-on craft experiences that I’ve done before have always involved going to a studio. To make sure they were arranged evenly, Oshiro showed me how to start with two petals opposite one another, looking kind of like rabbit ears. Maru tsumami petals are rounded — "maru" means round. These are more like wearable works of art, with bunches and cascades of multiple silk flowers. Kanawa says that only those who have been trained by apprenticeship and approved by a certified master are permitted to produce and sell nationally designated traditional crafts, including Edo tsumami kanzashi. Oshiro showed me how to hold the piece of fabric in the middle with a small pair of tweezers and fold it over that, which makes it easier to fold a straight line. Nowadays, however, this prohibition is widely ignored; I stumbled across someone selling them silk taffeta ribbon at a craft fair in Tokyo just a few days later.That’s frustrating to those trying to maintain the craft in the traditional way.

These ornaments are still worn today by women dressed in kimonos for special occasions, or for work such as geisha and traditional performers. In this case, however, instructor Chikako Oshiro met me at a train station and we proceeded to a cafe, where she set the supplies out on the table.It sounds simple, but required dexterity because the pieces are so small..Tokyo: Tsumami kanzashi are Japanese hair ornaments that were worn by geisha and young daughters of the nobility in a tradition dating back hundreds of years.Finally, I chose a small decorative bead for the centre, glued the flower onto a hair clip, and it was done.

Then fold again and glue again; do it one more time, and you’ve got your first petal. Currently, there are only two certified masters accredited by the Japanese government living in Tokyo and Chiba prefecture, says Kuniko Kanawa, a professional Edo tsumami kanzashi artisan who lives in Maryland. They’re complex and gorgeous, and the craft is officially recognised by the government.Once I had completed 10 petals, the next step was to cover a round piece of cardboard with matching fabric to make a base.

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Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka have also banned products which qualify as single-use plastics, but haven’t used the term in their notifications. One reason is that it is cheaper. The major use of plastics happens in restaurants and in the form of bottles. Plastic is non-biodegradable, and therefore may take centuries to millennium for it to disintegrate.However, reports suggest that in spite of the ban in the state, manufacturers and traders are getting back to the old ways.Similarly, San Francisco became the first city to ban the sale of plastic water bottles.Isn’t it high time that India imposed a complete ban on plastic? Latest studies propose that the consumption of water and food in plastic bottles and packages is extremely harmful to health, as plastic contains various harmful chemicals.

Awareness camps should be organised with the help of NGOs to create awareness about the consequences of plastic pollution.Abhishek Bhargava,Environment ActivistSolution lies with usIn my opinion, the only solution to this problem lies with each one of us. Modern day biotechnology is of utmost importance in different socio-economic areas, in nano/bio-technology, medicinal and several different domains.Kavya Menon, Ecofeminist. What we do not realise is the enormous amount of health and environmental impact these are bringing to us. A usable water bottle is equal to 167 plastic water bottles. This will urge the people to buy a reusable glass bottle and the most exciting part is that violating this ban can gift you a fine up to $1,000. I believe it’s not about banning plastic, but about seeking support from the public to overcome a big environmental threat. It’s hard to simply ban plastic from our daily lives. Now, the European Union parliament has voted to ban single-use plastics such as straws, forks and knives by 2021. For example, one bamboo brush is equivalent to four tooth brushes we use. Shouldn’t we start using paper containers, glass bottles or even steel straws instead of plastic materials? There are even bamboo bottles in market which can be used instead of plastic bottles.

Though many countries and cities have imposed ban on plastic, statistics clearly indicate that the ban has never been effective. I have replaced those with one cloth bag that I tell my guests to use whenever they want. The best solution from our country’s perspective is to focus on preventing improper disposal or even limiting the use of certain plastic items. Recently, Hawaii State in the US decided to ban plastic at restaurants, which in turn will cut down on waste that pollutes the ocean. In Tamil Nadu, 86 tonnes of banned plastics were seized from 25,000 shops in January, which lowered to 24 tonnes in February and further lowered to seven tonnes in March. The rule of thumb is, if your grandma survived without this, then it need not be in your life too. Measures have been taken in several states of the U. The government has banned use of plastic bags, but it should be enforced strictly and consumers should be educated about cheaper options. As per studies, we are dumping away sufficient plastic which can circle the globe four times.

A lot of times we ignore the fact that an extra two minutes of preparedness before getting out of house can help us take simple steps like carrying a small steel box, spoon, fork, straw and 1-2 cloth bags, and we are sorted.Prathit Chatterjee, Research AssociateGo for recyclingPlastic ban does sound like an effective solution, however just a ban on polythene or its kind is not going to help. The worst thing is that almost 50 per cent of the plastic is thrown after the first use.Maharashtra, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu were the first four states in India to impose ban on single-use plastics. None of these posters or plastic banners are reused and they go straight to the dump.S., European Union and even in a few Indian states to reduce plastic usage, but has never been effective. In India, even government-aided organisations are promoting relevant researches, and further, applications to relevant wastage areas, in treating plastic pollution. Why are we not exploring such alternative and safe options? Is it to help the plastic manufacturers? Should we promote the use of biodegradable plastics more? Though biodegradable plastics are said to be less harmful, won’t it attribute to climate change?

As implemented in San Francisco city, will imposing a fine on those who use plastic cut down its usage?Public support vitalPlastic is everywhere and we have realised that it is a very bad thing. Plastic is still being used widely in city markets. I think it’s the small things that we do every day that make the biggest difference.Plastic pollution is one of the greatest hazards faced by our environment. Use of biodegradable plastic and a zero-waste philosophy should be embraced by the government and the public. I believe that the need to implement ban should be a demand from consumers who are educated about their rights and choices. In my guest house, I have put up a chart of seven single-use swaps and how trash you can save by changing up few things in your homes. Therefore, recycling is not only a cost-effective idea, it is also sustainable in the long-run. Sikkim banned the use of plastic bags in 1998. People widely believe plastic is the problem, but the real problem is disposable plastic.A team of Japanese co-workers has found out enzyme catalysis associated plastic degrading bacteria, to ultimately degrade plastic polymers.Ajith Vishwanathan, Nature LoverPromote researchesPlastic is widely used as it is easy to manufacture, cheap and user-friendly. Corporates need to come up with more bio-degradable approaches and materials to cater to their commercial needs. We end up blaming current pollution without care label satin ribbon for sale realising that each product contributes.A. However, it is going to be a challenge in our country. It’s time for all of us to come forward and support plastic ban. I work in event management, and the amount of plastic waste that one event creates in terms of posters, banners and other components, needs to be tackled with a proper large-scale recycling techniques.Sashidhar Kocharlakota, event management professionalPublic should demand ban"Plastic is very essential in today’s lifestyle" — this is what most of us would say and it is a manufactured situation, since we end up relying a lot on comfort, fast-paced uses, and a luxurious seeming culture of use and throw.

The plastic shopping bags are one of the main culprits. We have to practise refuse and reduce single-use plastic. Degradation of plastic due to bacterial consumption is eventually coming into limelight. This can be practised with alternatives.

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According to sources, the forensic department officials could not get a single fingerprint of the accused.Speaking about thieves’ footprints, the sources said, "The accused might have cleaned the floor and the locker room with a wet cloth. Though the accused are suspected to have stayed in the locker room for several hours, the police is finding it difficult to trace their fingerprints.

The thieves had entered the locker room inside the bank after digging up a 25-ft tunnel from an adjacent shop. Because of which it is really difficult to find evidence about their fingerprints or footprints. The locker holders’ don’t have any insurance. Investigators said the accused cleaned up the locker room properly with a piece of cloth in a bid to wipe out their fingerprints as well as footprints." The Navi Mumbai police has already identified four persons who were a part of a group that broke into the bank last week.Mumbai: The Navi Mumbai police, which is investigating the Rs 3 crore heist at a Bank of Baroda branch in Juinagar last week, is struggling to find any forensic evidence polyester taffeta ribbon Suppliers such as fingerprints of the accused.. Sources said that the accused might have used gloves while breaking into the lockers. The thieves had decamped with the cash and jewellery from 30 lockers. Valuables worth around Rs 3 crore have been lost. The gang is suspected to be from Jharkhand. According to police, the suspected robbers had rented an office near the bank, and they dug up a tunnel from the shop that opened into the bank’s locker room. Many locker holders are scared and disappointed as the bank could not save their hard earned money, despite giving rent to the bank for security. The robbery was discovered on Monday morning when the bank reopened after the weekend holiday.

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