BETWEEN FOUR JUNCTIONS

on four fronts: price, purity, availability and, crucially, support. This support has to be available for those who need it. 91% of the drug money spent in the UK is by regular users.

Cocaine is made from coca leaves, typically harvested in South America in countries such as Columbia. The farmers are paid roughly £370 for a ton of these leaves, which will produce around one kilogram of cocaine and will be sold on the street for up to £40,000. This means that the farmers are being paid less than 1% of the final price of the product, which is not acceptable. Under new rules, coca leaves should be imported as a fair-trade item in their natural state. This would stop any piracy of drugs as they are being transported, due to unprocessed coca leaves being relatively valueless. Similarly, heroin’s foundation ingredient, found in the opium poppy, would need to be transported in its raw state from countries of origin such as Afghanistan. The drugs would then be synthesized by government-run labs in the UK to ensure regulation and exemplary hygiene throughout every step of the process.

By intervening in the drugs market and taking it from the back alleys onto the high streets, the government would raise “billions upon billions of pounds,” according to Peter Bleksley, and they would also create a “considerable amount of space in our prisons”. Given that he has “never met a drug addict that didn’t want to get clean”, it would be morally indefensible to use that money for anything other than education and rehabilitation. If substantial sums were raised, and were spent on education and rehabilitation, there would be a significant reduction in the estimated 314,000 addicts in the UK. This would, in turn, liberate hospital space, not to mention causing an undoubted drive down in drug-related crimes that will come with taking drugs from back alleys onto high streets. This proposal will work, so long as we beat organised crime on price, purity, and availability. I make no apology for repeating that.

Sarosh Aziz

The Age of Exploration

WAS the ‘Age of Exploration’ a positive development in world history? Our vast oceans have always held a fascination for humanity and a great desire to uncover the mysteries of what lies beyond the expanse. It was the instinct for survival, curiosity and ambition that were the big driving forces of early oceanic voyages thousands of years ago. But it is also a hallmark of humanity’s perseverance, bravery and resilience to go into the unknown and journey with all manner of adversity for months on end, far away from home and comfort. Ocean voyages started a long time ago. In fact, some of the earliest evidence goes back to 10,000 BC, with rock carvings of a boat manned by paddlers. We also know that boats were very important for commerce between the Indus Valley and Mesopotamia between 1,800 and 2,500 BC. Around 2,500 BC merchants were sailing the waters of the Middle East to the Indian Ocean for precious minerals and local monsoon winds were utilised for their swift passage. Exploration and voyages were nothing new for the Greeks in the 6th century BC, who were the first to journey to Asia. Fictional oceanic voyages were chronicled in epic literary works such as Homer’s Iliad. Other civilisations, such as the Polynesians, passed on extensive knowledge of sailing to subsequent generations with no written records. In 12th Century AD Marco Polo visited Hangzho, which was a bustling and successful port during the era of the Ming Dynasty. Then arrived the Age of Exploration, also known as the Age of Discovery. It was a period that lasted from the start of the 15th century to the middle of the 18th century. It was a very important era in world history and marked the start of the progression towards globalism. It was also the precursor to the Age of Imperialism when European nations firmly stated themselves as the dominant global powers. Led originally by the Portuguese, several nations from Western Europe to China played a part in charting and mapping areas of the world, many of which had never been seen before by other civilisations. Significant figures during that time included Vasco da Gama, the first European to reach India by sea; Christopher Columbus, famously credited with colonising America; and Pedro Álvares Cabral, known for discovering Brazil for the Portuguese. The Portuguese had become interested in the Atlantic Ocean in 1500 and, when Madeira became a hub, sugar was widely exported there. It became quickly apparent to the explorers what treasures lay beyond the vast oceans and in distant lands. In addition to the wealth of geographical knowledge that was gained from these voyages, there were also enormous economic and political benefits. The creation of colonies, sharing of technology and spices greatly profited nations such as Portugal and Spain as well as the Ming Dynasty in China.

Missionary activity was another driving force for these explorations, with the spread of Christianity and Western ideas having great impact on the cultures and beliefs of various indigenous peoples around the world, such as those in South America and Africa. We continue to see these influences today in their cultures, languages and