By: Brady Noble

In early 2020, panic grew with the rapid spread of COVID-19. Panic can cause many ordinarily thoughtful people to make impulsive, sometimes irresponsible purchases out of the desire for safety and security. At the beginning of the pandemic, this phenomenon manifested itself in the excessive purchase of nominal things like toilet paper and Lysol wipes.

However, people have recently been seeking out medical supplies to protect themselves. As a result, many have taken advantage of this new demand to sell substandard medical equipment, particularly personal protective equipment. The worldwide marketplace has been flooded with low-quality masks, shields, and gowns, as well as falsified medicine. Out of desperation, many have turned to phony medicine and PPE. Given the high-profit margins, organized crime groups are making quite a bit of money with these schemes.

Many delegations represented in UNDOC have a vested interest in solving this problem. In almost every nation represented, citizens are falling prey to these scams. Within the committee, there are several factions forming regarding how to respond. There are three current blocks working on formatting papers. A few of the delegations propose widespread education campaigns to convince the public as to which products are legitimate. Other nations propose a regulatory board that will give stamps of approval to legitimate products. One plan carries a “three-pronged approach” to the problem. As the delegation of Cuba put it, “our goal is three-fold, to educate the public, put in harsh punishments and reduce drug prices so that people will have a reason to purchase legitimate products.” As of now, the debate is ongoing.