IDPC October Alert
Welcome to the IDPC October Alert. The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) is a global network of NGOs and professional networks that work together to promote objective and open debate on drug policy. This Alert contains news, updates on the latest publications and upcoming events relevant to international drug policy.
News UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health calls for decrimininalisation
At a conference on international human rights in Hanoi, Anand Grover, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, has called for the decriminalisation of drug use and an end to compulsory drug rehabilitation camps in Asia. He said compulsory treatment amounted to "keeping sick people jailed" and that criminalising drug use "hinders the right to health of all persons." Compulsory drug treatment is practiced by several Asian states, including China, India, Malaysia and Vietnam and the Open Society Institute estimates that there are over inmates of mandatory drug treatment camps in Vietnam, and up to 350,000 in China. Read more.
Indonesia adopts new repressive narcotics law
Indonesia has adopted a new narcotics law that once again clearly prioritises a law enforcement approach over public health and human rights considerations. The law has been criticised by HIV/AIDS, harm reduction and rights-focused NGOs for being seriously flawed in its construction and disproportionately severe in its implementation. Although a careful textual analysis of the legislation is still needed, it is clear that the political considerations far outweighed sensible drug policy arguments in the adoption process. The appropriate response is still considered by both national and international stakeholders. A report from the Community Legal Aid Institute in Jakarta printed in their newsletter CAVEAT outlines the problems with the new legislation.
Human Rights Council endorse harm reduction and access to essential medicines
The UN Human Rights Council, the highest political body in the UN dealing specifically with human rights, has adopted two resolutions of considerable importance to harm reduction – HIV/AIDS and human rights, and access to essential medicines. These resolutions recognise that harm reduction is a part of a rights based response to HIV/AIDS and that access to essential medicines is a component of the right to the highest attainable standard of health. This puts the Council in line with ECOSOC and the General Assembly and highlights again the isolationism of the CND on these critical issues.
Launch of ‘After the War on Drugs: Blueprint for Regulation’
Transform Drug Policy Foundation are to launch their internationally groundbreaking book, ‘After the War on Drugs: Blueprint for Regulation’ on 12th November 2009 at the House of Commons in London, UK and at the Drug Policy Alliance Conference in Albuquerque,New Mexico. The book is also being launched in mainland Europe, South America, Australasia and Asia. Read more.
Asian drug users unite to form regional organisation
Over twenty-five drug users from nine different countries met in Bangkok on 16th and 17th October 2009 to finalize the Asian Network of People who Use Drugs (ANPUD) Constitution and elect a Steering Committee for the first regional network of people who use drugs. Based on the principles of Meaningful Involvement of People who Use Drugs (MIPUD), ANPUD has been setup by people who use drugs to advocate for the rights and unify the voices of their communities across Asia. ANPUD has over 150 members throughout the Asia region who are collaborating to influence decisions that affect their lives. Read more. US and Bolivia - Memorandum of Justification inaccurate and misleading
On September 15, the Obama administration submitted the Memorandum of Justification explaining their decision to name Bolivia as a country that "failed demonstrably... to adhere to their obligations under international counternarcotics agreements" for the second year in a row. Once again the determination presents inaccurate, poorly prepared information, further complicated by confusing language. Without reliable, coherent information, it is impossible to evaluate Bolivia’s drug control performance but false assertions contained in the Memorandum further impede bilateral relations. Any future efforts to redefine U.S. - Bolivian relations and cooperation must be based on a precise, realistic assessment of past interactions and the realization that the decision to “decertify” with a faulty justification has put the U.S. even farther out of step with the international community and Latin American multilateral anti-drug initiatives. Read the full report.
Call for effective law on access to medicines for developing countries
The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) are making the case in Canada for an effective law on access to medicines for patients in the developing world. Read more about the recent activities in Canada. They are part of a global campaign advocating for changes that would increase access to affordable medicines by people in developing countries. Other advocates include AIDS organisations, international development and humanitarian organisations, student groups, medical groups and other civil society groups. Click here for the full list of groups and further background information. Protest against overcrowding in Italian prisons
Italian prisons are severely overcrowded. A number of major organisations committed with a more human and just approach in the field of drug policies and the penal system – Forum Droghe, Antigone, ARCI, CNCA, Gruppo Abele, La Società della ragione among them – held a press conference at the Chamber of Deputies in Rome on October 1st 2009, urging the Italian Government to fully implement “treatment instead of prison” measures for drug users. Read more.
EU Council agree on need for common measures to prevent or delay drug use
The Council calls for action based on the EU Drugs Action Plan for 2009-2012, which sets as a main priority the reduction of the demand for drugs, and the health and social consequences of drug use by improving the coverage, quality and effectiveness of services of prevention, treatment and harm reduction. Read the full conclusions.
IHRA release new position statement defining harm reduction
The International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA) has recently released a detailed position statement on the definition of ‘harm reduction’, which outlines a set of underlying principles that best describe this approach. Although the term ‘harm reduction’ has been widely used since the 1980s, there has always been some debate regarding the exact definition. More recently, this has led to concerns that some organisations may hijack the term to justify interventions and policies which would not normally be classed as harm reduction. Read the new definition.
3rd UNAIDS Asia Pacific Monitoring and Evaluation Meeting
Approximately 100 participants from across Asia and the Pacific met in Bangkok from 28 September to 2 October to take part in the third UNAIDS Asia Pacific M&E meeting. Participants were invited to discuss preparations for the upcoming UNGASS on HIV as well as how to strengthen M&E among key affected populations, including injecting drug users.
Read more.
Latest publications IHRA and OSI briefing on Poland to UN Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights
IHRA in conjunction with OSI have fed into the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’ consideration of the State Report of Poland with a briefing to follow up on the mission to Poland of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health, Anand Grover. The Committee was urged to support the recommendation of the Special Rapporteur that ‘targets must be set to ensure that those who are in need of methadone get it as soon as possible’ and to ask the Polish Government delegation what action has been taken to address the concerns raised by the special Rapporteur, especially in relation to places of detention and in the Pomorze region as it appears at this stage that there has been no follow up. Read the briefing.
IHRA Report: From Evidence to Action
The International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA) has recently launched a new report which brings together and documents the highly publicised and well received keynote speeches by Professor Michel Kazatchkine and Craig McClure at the international harm reduction conference in Bangkok last April. Both speeches were motivating, passionate and visionary. They were both articulate calls from senior international policy makers for increased global attention and funding for harm reduction. They both also questioned the logic and harms of drug prohibition – and each received a standing ovation from delegates. Read the report.
IHRA - Online Document Collection on Overdose
The International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA) has launched the fifth in a series of online document collections – this time focusing on the extent and prevention of overdose. This collection is designed to improve knowledge and discussion on the important topic of overdose. It is the result of several months of literature searches and research by IHRA – inspired by the Eurasian Harm Reduction Network (EHRN) – with the guidance of an International Reference Panel. Overdose is a risk for all psychoactive drug users, but is a fundamentally preventable harm. In many ways, overdose prevention is a quintessential harm reduction approach. View the collection.
TNI Briefing paper: Burma's Cease-fires at Risk
Tensions are rising in Burma with respect to the cease-fire agreements with ethnic minority groups along the northern border. Cease-fire groups have put their armed forces on high alert. Ethnic conflict must be resolved in order to bring about a lasting political solution in Burma. Read the briefing.
Drug Driving in New Zealand: A survey of community attitudes, experience and understanding
Little is known about the prevalence of drug driving in New Zealand, and even less is known about New Zealanders attitudes and knowledge around driving under the influence of drugs other than alcohol. To help fill this knowledge gap, the New Zealand Drug Foundation conducted a general population survey to assess New Zealanders’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviours around driving under the influence of psychoactive substances, including illicit drugs, prescription medicines, and alcohol. The research report has now been published, which includes a useful summary of current international literature on drug driving. Read the report.
Carnevale Policy Brief: The Continued Standstill in Reducing Illicit Drug Use: Is the Policy-Budget Mismatch to Blame?
This Policy Brief shows what can happen when a drug policy fails to align program resources with its strategic goals and objectives. The Research and Policy Analysis Group of Carnevale Associates find that the US has experienced a standstill in progress to reduce drug use so far in this decade and attribute this lack of progress to the eight-year failure of the US Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to meaningfully match its federal drug control budget with the demand reduction goals set forth by its own policy. Read the brief.
Submission to the UN Human Rights Council: Review of Kazakhstan
This submission describes several key human rights priorities and provides recommendations for Kazakhstan’s Government to better respect, protect and fulfill human rights, consistent with its international obligations, in areas of particular relevance to an effective response to HIV. This submission was prepared, on behalf of several civil society organisations including IDPC, by the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network.
Upcoming events First Caribbean Drug Policy Forum
2 - 3 November 2009, Kingston, Jamaica
The First Caribbean Drug Policy Forum led by the Caribbean Drug & Alcohol Research Institute, and supported by The Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition and the Caribbean Harm Reduction Coalition will be held at Mona Lodge, UWI Campus, Kingston, Jamaica on 2-3 November 2009. We plan to bring together academics, policy makers, law enforcement and activists to have an open debate on where Caribbean drug policy is and where it should go. For further information contact Marcus Day at marcus.p.day@gmail.com. International Drug Policy Reform Conference
12 – 14 November 2009, Albuquerque, New Mexico
The International Drug Policy Reform Conference is the world’s principal gathering of people who believe the war on drugs is doing more harm than good. No better opportunity exists to learn about drug policy and to strategize and mobilize for reform. Visit the conference website for online registration, schedule announcements, ways to support the conference, or to join the conference mailing list. MENAHRA's First Regional Conference on Harm Reduction
16 - 18 November 2009, Beirut, Lebanon
MENAHRA is organising the First Regional Conference on Harm Reduction in November 2009, in order to present and discuss the strategies of harm reduction for the region and advocate for their implementation. The Conference is anticipated to attract around 300 professionals and academics engaged in, or interested in adopting, harm reduction strategies. For more information visit the conference website. Harm Reduction 2010: IHRA’s 21st International Conference
25 – 29 April 2010, Liverpool, UK
The online registration and abstract submission systems for the International Harm Reduction Association’s 21st conference are now open. The deadline for abstract submission is November 1st, and the deadline for discounted ‘Early Bird’ payments is January 21st. As in previous years, this promises to be a ‘must-attend’ event for the harm reduction field, with a programme covering a huge range of topics. For 2010, the event is returning to the city which hosted the first conference back in 1990 – Liverpool, England. All of the latest information – including news, supporting organisations, scholarships, travel, visas, and an online accommodation booking service – are available on the conference website.
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