Trafficking in Persons

Trafficking in persons shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of finud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerabilily or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs. 

US S ate Depa tment (2011) Trafficking in Persons Report. Washngton, DC US State Depa tment. 

The Circuit Court panel, by a 2-1 vote, ruled that the Controlled Substances Act was intended to apply to interstate commercial trafficking in illicit drugs. It did not apply to drugs produced entirely within a state for personal medical purposes. The panel ordered the case returned to the district court for final determination, with a preliminary injunction issued barring enforcement of the CSA. Meanwhile, federal prosecutors appealed to a full panel of the Ninth Circuit. 

United States Congress Ecstasy Anti-Proliferation Act increases federal sentencing guidelines for trafficking and possessing with intent to sell ecstasy, or 3,4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and drastically increases jail terms for fewer numbers of pills in personal possession. 

For trafficking, penalties are based on the schedule for the drug in question, the amount of drug, whether it is the person s first or second (or subsequent) offense, and (in some cases) whether another person s death or serious bodily injury is involved. The various permutations make determining the sentence for a given individual fairly complex. To this must be added the possibility of civil penalties and asset forfeiture. 

Overall, a metal ion is not permitted to freely move about within a cell, but instead is personally escorted to its destination through the combined action of metal transporters and metal chaperones working in concert. This process of moving metals inside cells is commonly referred to as metal trafficking . And many such highways exist in eukaryotic cells (reviewed in ). 

In the EU in general, although judicial authorities may see possession of small quantities of a drug for personal consumption as a mitigating circumstance, the line between possession and trafficking appears to be blurred. While distinct sentences for the two offences are applicable, no adequate parameters have yet been established to distinguish clearly between them and the same offence could result in different outcomes. While measures such as treatment as an alternative to prison are available in all Member States, the efficacy of their application has not yet been assessed at EU level. 

Even though it is believed that neither simple possession nor use should be prohibited at this time, it must be recognized that if the problem cannot be controlled through trafficking offenses and if adverse affects are found on a large scale, additional legislation may be in order in the future. Such legislation could take the form of a civil violation with a sanction other than interference with personal liberty. 

---