Organized crime did not arise suddenly, it is an occurrence that dates back to the nineteenth century. Its modern form is characterized by exceptional diversity both in terms of goods threatened by its impact, as well as the forms in which it manifests itself. The main area of threats are drug production and trafficking. It is a global problem and the links of organized crime groups cover the whole world, regardless of the system, political or economic situation of a given country. The international drug crime has been developed too rapidly and individual governments are not abble to cope with it. Countries have been confronted with joining forces and creating a strong legal instrument, based on international cooperation, which will be able to give the relevant national authorities the right powers to counter organized drug crime. The aim of the article is to present the legislative and institutional dimension of the fight against organized drug crime in the global, european and national perspective.
Health insurance expenditures on drug refunds in 2004-2012Drug expenditures in each country account for a large share in total health expenditures. Hence experts, media and societies are becoming very interested in the drug policy in their country, where one of the important components is reimbursement/refund policy. Good governance in the drug sector means not only taking up allocation, redistribution and stabilization tasks that belong to the government, but also taking into consideration differences in interests of different stakeholders on the drug market. If it is disregarded, even ideal theoretical solutions will not work in market reality. This article presents and comments basic facts on development of universal health insurance expenditures on drug refund in the last 13 years in Poland, especially in 2012 after implementation of the new bill on refund policy. This law led to a dramatic decrease in drug refund cost share in total expenditures of the National Health Fund (Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia, NFZ) from 15% in 2011 to 11.2% in 2012. Still the share of drug refund has already had a decreasing tendency in NFZ expenditures starting from 2005. Available data contradict suspicions that savings on drug refunds in NFZ has led to an increase in patients' health expenditures on prescription drugs. Costs of substitutive full-price drugs (equivalents for refunded ones) bought by Polish patients in 2012 increased only by 650 mln PLN, while NFZ's refund expenditures decreased by almost 2 billion PLN, and patients' copayment in the case of refunded drugs dropped by one billion PLN. However, drug consumption was reduced. Conducted analysis also showed a systematic, and positive for patients, growth in the share of almost fully refunded drugs – drugs with low fixed copayments (from 49% in 2004 to almost 65% in 2012) and lower 30% patients' copayment in NFZ refunds. Which in fact is in contradiction with the common opinion that NFZ is running a policy of shifting more drug costs on patients. What is concerning are regional discrepancies (between regional – voievodship branches) in refund expenditures per insured person (the difference between the highest and lowest is 49 PLN – 28%).
Zusammenfassung: "The Nazi regime preached an ideology of physical, mental, and moral purity. But as Norman Ohler reveals in this gripping new history, the Third Reich was saturated with drugs. On the eve of World War II, Germany was a pharmaceutical powerhouse, and companies such as Merck and Bayer cooked up cocaine, opiates, and, most of all, methamphetamines, to be consumed by everyone from factory workers to housewives to millions of German soldiers. In fact, troops regularly took rations of a form of crystal meth--the elevated energy and feelings of invincibility associated with the high even help to explain certain German military victories. Drugs seeped all the way up to the Nazi high command and, especially, to Hitler himself. Over the course of the war, Hitler became increasingly dependent on injections of a cocktail of drugs--including a form of heroin--administered by his personal doctor. While drugs alone cannot explain the Nazis' toxic racial theories or the events of World War II, Ohler's investigation makes an overwhelming case that, if drugs are not taken into account, our understanding of the Third Reich is fundamentally incomplete" -- provided by publisher
The article provides an insight into drug-related corruption as a social legal phenomenon. The aim of the article is to provide the criminological framework of drug-related corruption by analyzing theoretical and practical problems. The subject of the study is corruption as a negative social phenomenon related to the illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, as well as directions of prevention of this phenomenon. Drug-related corruption is a relatively new criminological concept. Taking into consideration that one of the most difficult problems today is the prevention of crime, analysis of these phenomena is an important subject of research within criminology. Therefore, constant criminological analysis of this negative phenomenon is necessary by identifying preventive measures, methods and measures. The content of various documents, opinions and scientists' perspectives form the basis for this research. The authors used several methods of general scientific research and the following specific methods: monographic, logically constructive method, logical interpretation, statistical methods and method of interpretation of legal norms.
Drug trafficking is a threat to both social security and economic development. Ensuring internal security involves eliminating threats, avoiding them and reducing the probability of their occurrence in the future. Marijuana, being uncontrolled, unregulated and harmful to people, is transported between countries illegally. This is a problem that has existed for dozens of years around the world, and since the beginning of the twentieth century it is also noticeable in Poland. The activity of international criminal groups forces the security services to react and cooperate at the European level. The article aims to show that cannabis is nowadays a significant problem for society and a major challenge for law enforcement. Drugs are the subject of many debates and deliberations of psychologists, politicians, therapists, teachers, functionaries and environmental activists. Although Polish law prohibits the cultivation and distribution of cannabis, the number of users increases from year to year. To ensure security in Poland, organizations have been established that should counteract the smuggling. The reaction of the security services should be compatible with the existing negative situation in the field of counteracting drug threats. ; Przemyt narkotyków jest zagrożeniem zarówno dla bezpieczeństwa społecznego, jak i dla rozwoju ekonomicznego. Zapewnianie bezpieczeństwa wewnętrznego wiąże się z likwidowaniem zagrożeń, unikaniem ich i zmniejszaniem prawdopodobieństwa wystąpienia w przyszłości. Niekontrolowana, nieregulowana oraz szkodliwa dla ludzi marihuana, jest transportowana między państwami nielegalnie. Jest to problem, który istnieje od kilkudziesięciu lat na całym świecie, a od początku XX wieku widoczny jest również w Polsce. Działalność międzynarodowych grup przestępczych wymusza na służbach bezpieczeństwa reakcję oraz współpracę na poziomie europejskim. Artykuł ma na celu ukazanie, że współcześnie konopie stanowią znaczący problem dla społeczeństwa oraz poważne wyzwanie dla organów ścigania. Narkotyki są tematem wielu debat i rozważań psychologów, polityków, terapeutów, nauczycieli, funkcjonariuszy służb oraz działaczy środowiskowych. Mimo, iż prawo polskie zakazuje uprawy i dystrybucji marihuany, z roku na rok zwiększa się liczba jej użytkowników. Dla zapewnienia bezpieczeństwa w Polsce powołano organizacje, które powinny przeciwdziałać przemytowi. Reakcja służb bezpieczeństwa powinna być kompatybilna z zaistniałą negatywną sytuacją, w zakresie przeciwdziałania zagrożeniom narkotykowym.
There are about 2.2 million prisoners in the USA. It is generally viewed that this number is a result of a too severe penal system connected with the introduction of the absolute intolerance for drug crimes policy. But not only gang members and drug dealers are doing time in prison, this system also applies to war veterans. In 2012, there were 181,500 veterans behind bars, especially participants of the recent wars. Most of them face problems with addiction or struggle with permanent unemployment, homelessness or psychological disorders. This phenomenon is alarming because veterans as a privileged group have a social, medical, education cover and all capabilities not to break the law. Veterans as former soldiers, disciplined and well familiar with criminal law, who received ethics and international humanitarian law training courses, from practical point of view should not break the rules stated by the legal system. The image of former veterans who served their country, totally disagree with penitentiary statistics. Recent years have shown that military service, especially in the area of conflict, may become a double-edged sword, and in fact veterans may pose a threat to society.
The purpose of this paper is to examine human rights issues through the prism of the Polish Presidency in the EU Council. The Polish Presidency of the EU Council started with high expectations on the part of other Member States and EU officials. Poland took over the EU Council Presidency on 1 July 2011. Assuming the EU Presidency for the first time since its accession in 2004, Poland was well prepared for this challenge. At the same time, all actions of the Polish Presidency were very closely watched in other EU capitals as it was the first Presidency held by Warsaw. Even more so, as the previous Presidencies held by Member States that had joined the EU after 2004, had not been considered as terribly successful. Both the Czech Republic, because of the collapse of the government, and Hungary, because of the adoption of the controversial act on the media, were remembered as weak presidencies whose achievements had been overshadowed by negative internal developments. The Poles were aware of the fact that the standards were set high and of the challenges they would have to face. They also knew that even well prepared Presidencies were often hampered by unexpected turns of events. In a very difficult atmosphere marked by discussions on the need to deal more decisively with the economic crisis and the expectations of strong action on behalf of Europe's leaders, the Polish Presidency pushed the European Agenda forward and achieved some significant results. The main task of the Presidency was to lead the EU on a path to faster economic growth and an enhanced political community. In order to follow these targets, this article has been concentrated on some aspects of the three basic presidency's priorities: "European integration as the source of growth", a "Secure Europe" and a "Europe benefiting from openness". Special emphasis has been put on the development of expanding the area of European values and regulations, including further EU enlargement and the development of cooperation with neighboring countries. The initial objective of the Presidency, adopted by the Council of Ministers in May 2011, was to implement effectively the Stockholm programme. Thus, activities were engaged to protect EU citizens and facilitate their access to justice. Poland fully implemented the priority of the Presidency concerning the strengthening of collaboration in combating drug-related crime. The European Pact against synthetic drugs was adopted, along with the conclusions of the Council concerning the cooperation between the EU and Eastern Europe concerning drugs and conclusions concerning combating of new psychoactive substances. Taking into consideration the EU human rights policy, this paper aims at providing a general, and at the same time, comprehensive picture of the Polish Presidency activities in the field of the EU support for the protection of fundamental rights, as well as enhancing mechanisms for the prevention against any kind of discrimination. One of the key elements, in that respect, has been the EU accession to the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. As a part of its Presidency, Poland took a major step forward in the process of the negotiations for the accession.
Following the case of the disappearance of the 43 Ayotzinapa students, the Pandora's Box was opened: pits filled with bodies, corruption, impunity and institutional weakness of a state where politicians, police and authorities at all three government levels have been infiltrated by the organized crime. In Mexico, corruption and drug trafficking are common and the economic reforms are not enough if they do not go together with an effective program of combating corruption and the society is not the main beneficiary of the reforms.This article will explain the background of the Ayotzinapa case, the characteristics of the Mexican political system that allow cases like Ayotzinapa, the consequences of the fight against organized crime launched by ex-President Felipe Calderon, the behavior of a sleeping civil society tired of the reduced economic results and where the state does not have the monopoly of the authority and does not guarantee security.
Following the case of the disappearance of the 43 Ayotzinapa students, the Pandora's Box was opened: pits filled with bodies, corruption, impunity and institutional weakness of a state where politicians, police and authorities at all three government levels have been infiltrated by the organized crime. In Mexico, corruption and drug trafficking are common and the economic reforms are not enough if they do not go together with an effective program of combating corruption and the society is not the main beneficiary of the reforms.This article will explain the background of the Ayotzinapa case, the characteristics of the Mexican political system that allow cases like Ayotzinapa, the consequences of the fight against organized crime launched by ex-President Felipe Calderon, the behavior of a sleeping civil society tired of the reduced economic results and where the state does not have the monopoly of the authority and does not guarantee security.
The United States-Mexico Borderlands are indispensably associated with organized crime, drug trafficking and illegal migration from Central America to the U.S. Corruption is a factor facilitating functioning of these activities from many years, prevalent among local authorities, companies or law enforcement bodies. This paper is concerned with the way corruption maintains nowadays at the United States-Mexico Borderlands, and through which activities it reveals. The author especially focuses on the analysis of the corruption of law enforcement bodies responsible for maintaining security along the U.SMexico border, and emphasizes inveteracy of corruption in borderland culture and in awareness of its inhabitants. ; Pogranicze amerykańsko-meksykańskie jest nieodzownie kojarzone z przestępczością zorganizowaną, handlem narkotykami oraz nielegalnymi migracjami ludności z Ameryki Centralnej do USA. Korupcja stanowi czynnik od lat ułatwiający funkcjonowanie tych procederów, obecna wśród lokalnych władz, podmiotów gospodarczych czy instytucji stojących na straży prawa. Artykuł traktuje o tym, w jaki sposób współcześnie kształtuje się korupcja na terenie pogranicza amerykańsko-meksykańskiego oraz poprzez jakie działania się objawia. Autorka koncentruje się w szczególności na analizie skorumpowanych organów ścigania odpowiedzialnych za utrzymywanie bezpieczeństwa wzdłuż granicy USA-Meksyk, a także wskazuje na zakorzenienie korupcji w kulturze pogranicza i świadomości jego mieszkańców.
Sahel jest regionem o strategicznym znaczeniu. Z punktu widzenia geograficznego stanowi granicę między "białą Afryką Północną" i "czarną Afryką Subsaharyjską". Z punktu widzenia politycznego to obszar, w którym zderzają się interesy państw i społeczeństw subregionu, aktorów zewnętrznych tak państwowych (Chiny, USA, Francja), jak i niepaństwowych (Al-Quaida). W regionie Sahelu krzyżują się międzynarodowe szlaki przemytu narkotyków, broni, nielegalnego transferu ludzi przez Maghreb do Europy. Mając na względzie bezpieczeństwo międzynarodowe, nie bez znaczenia pozostaje fakt, że niedostępne, trudne do kontroli tereny sahelo-saharyjskie są infiltrowane przez ugrupowania radykalnego islamu. Artykuł prezentuje występujące w Sahelu czynniki wpływające na bezpieczeństwo regionalne i międzynarodowe. Zwrócono uwagę na czynniki ekonomiczne, polityczne, społeczne determinujące słabość państw subregionu. Dalsza część artykułu zawiera analizę programów administracji USA podejmowanych wobec regionu, wpisujących się w program "globalnej wojny z terroryzmem". ; The Sahel is a region of strategic importance. From the geographical point of view, it marks the boundary between "White North Africa" and "Black Sub-Saharan Africa". From the political point of view, it is an area where various interests collide - those of the states and communities of the subregion, as well as those of external actors, both states parties (China, USA, France) and non-states parties (Al-Qaeda). International drug, illegal arms, and human trafficking routes into Europe via Maghreb cross in the Sahel region. Taking into consideration the issue of international security, it is important to highlight that radical Islamic groups operate in the inaccessible and difficult to control Sahelo-Saharan desert. The article discusses factors present in the Sahel that have an impact on regional and international security. The main attention is paid to economic, political and social factors which determine the weakness of the Sahel states. The paper also includes an analysis of the US administration's programmes implemented in the region, which are part of the "Global War on Terrorism" campaign. ; Сахель - это регион стратегического значения. С географической точки зрения он представляет собой границу между «белой Северной Африкой» и «черной Африкой южнее Сахары». В политическом аспекте это территория, на которой сталкиваются интересы стран и общественных групп субрегиона, внешних игроков как государственных (Китай, США, Франция), так и негосударственных (Аль-Каида). В регионе Сахель пересекаются международные маршруты контрабанды наркотиков, оружия, переброски незаконных мигрантов через территорию Магриба в Европу. Учитывая международную безопасность, не следует забывать о том, что недоступные, трудно контролируемые области сахело-сахарского региона подвергаются инфильтрации со стороны исламских радикальных групп. В статье представлены встречающиеся в Сахеле факторы, которые влияют на региональную и международную безопасность. Указаны экономические, политические, социальные факторы, обуславливающие слабость государств субрегиона. В дальнейшей части статьи представлен анализ государственных программ США в сахельском регионе, которые составляют часть американской стратегии «глобальной войны с терроризмом».
