【一起听英语】毒品的战争

澳大利亚最近颁布了一项法令，来看看这项法令对毒品的限制有哪些？

Chris: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Chris.

Rosie: And I'm Rosie.

Chris: And today we are going to talk about a proposal in Australia to legalise the

possession of soft drugs. Rosie, let's start with a question for our listeners.

When was the first international treaty to combat the sale and use of drugs

signed?

Rosie: That's a difficult one. Go on, give me a clue.

Chris: Well, you'll have our usual three options. So listen carefully. When was the

first international treaty to combat the sale and use of drugs signed? Was it in:

a) 1962

b) 1945

c) 1912

Rosie: It helps to think about historical facts that took place at the time. So in the

60s we had the hippies and the so called counter-culture; in 1945, the end of

World War II and in 1912… well, the Titanic 1 sank!

Chris: OK, think about it. The answer will come by the end of the programme. Have

a crack at it!

Rosie: Crack?! Oh, to have a crack at something means to have a go or to try

something. In this case it means to try to guess the answer to the quiz. But

it's also the name given to a particular kind of drug sold on the streets. And

one considered very harmful to a person's health.

Chris: Yes it is. And it is not defined as a soft drug. Often drugs are classified, or

organised, according to the potential harm they can cause people. Hard drugs

are those that are classified as most harmful or addictive 2, such as cocaine 3 or

heroin 4. Crack cocaine would be one of them.

Rosie: And the soft ones are those that are sometimes seen as being less harmful,

such as marijuana and ecstasy 5. These seem to be the ones now being

discussed in Australia.

Chris: That's right. The Australian foreign minister has announced that he would like

to see soft drugs decriminalised, or made legal.

Rosie: That's very controversial. Why has he decided 6 to say this?

Chris: Well, let's listen to the BBC correspondent Duncan Kennedy in Sydney. See if

you can hear what personal experience the Australian minister has of drugs.

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2012

Page 2 of 4

BBC Duncan Kennedy:

Bob Carr is known to be a straight talker on many subjects. Now Mr Carr says that when it

comes to what he calls soft drugs, there should be a policy of decriminalisation. Mr Carr,

whose younger brother died from a heroin overdose, says that police are wasting their

time and resources trying to stop individuals carrying these drugs.

Chris: So it has to do with his brother and a heroin overdose – he took an

excessive amount of this drug and died.

Rosie: Yes, his tragic 7 experience of losing his brother to drugs has motivated him to

call for soft drugs to be legalised. And, as the reporter says, he seems to be a

straight talker indeed – someone who likes to speak very honestly and

directly.

Chris: But not everyone agrees with him. Let's hear from the BBC correspondent in

Australia.

BBC Duncan Kennedy:

Mr Carr's boss, the Prime Minister Julia Gillard, said she didn't want to see any drugs

decriminalised. Ms Gillard said that people should continue to get help for their addiction 8

and the police should carry on trying to stop drug usage.

Rosie: Ahhhh. Now I remember where I've heard this name! It was in the news. She

is the foreign minister' boss – Julia Gillard is the Australian Prime Minister!

Chris: And she didn't agree with him. She wants people to get help for their

addiction or their dependence 9 on drugs but she does not want the

decriminalisation of any drug.

Rosie: But Bob Carr is not alone in his thinking, Chris. I've heard that there is a

think tank in Australia that believes he has a point. This organisation 10

conducts research into social or economic issues for the government and it

wants the introduction of a carefully controlled system to deal with these

drugs.

Chris: In countries such as Switzerland and the Netherlands they have organised

carefully controlled programs where drugs users are given small amounts

of drugs, such as heroin, to help them.

Rosie: Yes, it's a risky 11 strategy as heroin is highly addictive but by providing drugs

in a controlled and legal way they believe it can help to reduce crime and the

health risks associated with drugs. But, you know, I see the point of people

worried about the harm drugs can cause. It's is a difficult subject, Chris.

Chris: It is.

Rosie: Let's see what happens with this war on drugs during the next few months.

But for now, I am curious about the quiz. Chris, I still haven't answered the

question.

Chris: And the question was: When was the first international treaty to combat the

sale and use of drugs signed? And I gave you three options. Was it in:

a) 1962

b) 1945

c) 1912 

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2012

Page 3 of 4

Rosie: It must have been in 1962 because in the 60s there seemed to be many

drugs around.

Chris: How about 1912?

Rosie: No, I think that's a bit too early.

Chris: The answer is 1912! You see, 100 years ago, narcotics 12 passed from country to

country with minimal 13 interference from the authorities but that all changed

with the International Opium 14 Convention signed in the Hague. From then

onwards, countries were committed to stopping the trade in opium,

morphine and cocaine.

Rosie: Really? Was it that early?

Chris: Yes. And unfortunately we are now late by the way; we have to finish the

programme now. But we leave you with today's words.

Rosie: Yes, of course. They are:

a straight talker

decriminalisation

a heroin overdose

boss

addiction

think tank

carefully controlled

committed

Chris: Thanks very much Rosie. And that's all we've got time for today. Bye for now.

Rosie: Bye.