Can Europe lead?

[namkha]

Modernising the global drug control system – Can Europe lead?

http://idpc.net/publications/2012/06/idpc-gcdp-report-modernising-the-global-drug-control-system-can-europe-lead

06/2012

The seminar entitled “Modernising the global drug control system – Can Europe lead?” was organised in the European Parliament by the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC), and the Global Commission on Drug Policy, and co-hosted by the Member of European Parliament (MEP) Nikos Chrysogelos.

The event aimed to present the recommendations of the Global Commission and discuss the role that the European Union (EU) could play in current drug policy reform debates taking place within Europe and around the world. The seminar also comes at a time when the EU is working on drafting a new Drug Strategy to replace the one that will expire at the end of 2012.

Two Global Commissioners participated in the panel discussion - Michel Kazatchkine, physician and former Executive Director of the Global Fund, and Pavel Bém, psychiatrist, who has played a leading role in designing Czech Drug policy and is the former mayor of Prague. To continue reading, please find the report below.

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“I would like to plea for moving away from

prohibition. We need a policy that is based

on freedom. And if we have freedom, we

need to allow people to act foolishly. Then

we can start with education, prevention and

dealing with health issues, rather than issues

of criminal law.”

Sir Graham Watson, MEP

“Since prohibitive policies have failed in their

primary objectives and they have proven

ineffective, with a clear overweight of cost over

benefits, there is an urgent need to reform them

towards better regulation that would reduce the

harms to users, society and the economy”.

Nikos Chrysogelos, MEP

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The seminar entitled “Modernising the global drug control system – Can Europe lead?” was

organised in the European Parliament by the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC), and the

Global Commission on Drug Policy, and co-hosted by the Member of European Parliament (MEP)

Nikos Chrysogelos. The event aimed to present the recommendations of the Global Commission

and discuss the role that the European Union (EU) could play in current drug policy reform debates

taking place within Europe and around the world. The seminar also comes at a time when the EU is

working on drafting a new Drug Strategy to replace the one that will expire at the end of 2012. Two

Global Commissioners participated in the panel discussion – Michel Kazatchkine, physician and

former Executive Director of the Global Fund, and Pavel Bém, psychiatrist, who has played a

leading role in designing Czech Drug policy and is the former mayor of Prague.

Mr. Kazatchkine explained that the work of the Global Commission was triggered by a global

assessment of the current “war on drugs” approach. The Commission found that 40 years of such a

prohibitionist and punitive strategy had failed to

reduce the production, trafficking and consumption

of drugs, had led to increased levels of violence,

corruption and insecurity, had undermined social

cohesion, and had led to an explosion of the HIV

epidemic among people who use drugs, and of the

number of overdose deaths. The report of the

Global Commission, “War on drugs”, which

summarised these findings, was presented to the

UN Secretary General in June 2011. A second report will be launched in June 2012 in London,

focusing this time on issues related to public health, and more specifically the HIV epidemic. The

2011 report includes 11 recommendations, with a general call for:

 Breaking the taboo for the political leadership to engage in open and honest debate on drug

policies.

 Ending the criminalisation and stigmatisation of people who use drugs.

 Focusing on providing drug dependence treatment and harm reduction services, as part of a

general public health approach to the drugs issue.

 Experimenting with alternatives to drug control, including legal regulation.

Mr. Bém described Europe as a pioneer for the past thirty years on designing and implementing a

balanced and cost-effective drug policy, focusing on the health and social aspects of the drug

problem. Looking at numbers, it seems that even Europe has not quite been effective in reducing

the scale of the drug market and use, while new challenges have recently arisen, among them an

increasing prevalence of cocaine use, and the emergence of new psychoactive substances against

which governments do not have the ability to react fast enough and efficiently. Evidence clearly

shows that arresting and punishing people who use drugs have not been effective in reducing drug

use prevalence and have led to countless harms. However, there is a wide range of evidence which

demonstrates that harm reduction and social inclusion strategies have been highly effective in

reducing drug-related harms. The current economic and political crisis does not enable

governments to waste valuable resources on ineffective policies.

Mr. Bém and Carel Edwards, former Head of

the Drugs Coordination Unit of the European

Commission (EC), raised concerns about the

recent EC Communication “Towards a stronger

European response to drugs”, as this document

seems to promote a one-sided approach to the

drugs problem by mostly promoting stronger law

enforcement initiatives as the best way to tackle

drug markets – the very approach that the Global Commission has criticised as ineffective. In

response to these concerns, the EC Justice representative, Paula Tardioli-Schiavo, stated that the

Communication represented future plans for the EC to introduce new legislation on key pressing

issues for Europe, but did not necessarily reflect the contents of the future EU Drug Strategy. The

new Strategy will be based on the conclusions of an independent evaluation of the Strategy for

2005-2012 conducted by RAND Europe, the recommendations of the EC Civil Society Forum on

Drugs, as well as the principles of “balance” and “evidence”. The previous Strategy had been

developed under the Dutch and Irish Presidencies with extensive involvement of European

Commission experts. While it is clear that the European Commission is taking a less proactive role

in the production of the new Strategy, Ms Tardioli-Schiavo emphasised that her unit is ready to

support the Cypriot Presidency in developing the new Strategy, and she expressed confidence that

the new Strategy will be based on more specific objectives than the previous strategy.

Despite these explanations, several participants raised concerns that the EU and its Member States

had become complacent regarding their drug policies and the issue of public health. A number of

initiatives from around the world, in particular in Latin America and even the United States, are now

calling for drug policy reform. It was made clear that the US government is not planning on

comprehensively revising its prohibitionist drug policy, but it is also noticeable that they are giving

more priority to treatment and health. At the 2012 Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Gil Kerlikowske

himself declared that the US had been over-reliant on ineffective and costly punishment and

incarceration. Mr. Trace remarked that, because the US had been so influential on drug policies

developed in many regions of the world, this new position was particularly important in the current

context. Many countries around the world are today looking to turn to a more balanced Europeanstyle strategy. In a Latin American context, it is crucial that the EU steps into the debate and takes

responsibility in leading discussions positively, since drug production is mainly triggered by demand

from North American and European markets.

Pierre Vimont, Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) reminded the

participants that the drugs issue was highly complex and that any response would need to be global

and comprehensive, taking account of every dimension of the problem, including social stability,

democracy, security, etc. In addition, he noted that because of the diversity of views on drug policy

among EU member states, it would be difficult to come to a common position on the issue, but

agreed that there were opportunities for Europe to use its diplomatic and technical resources to

influence the international debate more proactively. Mr. Vimont also acknowledged the need for

European representatives and EU focal point diplomats in various regions of the world (e.g. in Latin

America) to give one coherent and agreed discourse on drug policy, during multi- and bi-lateral

meetings and events.

Mr. Kazatchkine and Mr. Bém agreed, and called on the EU to join the active debate currently

taking place on drug policy reform, and to take a positive lead both within and beyond Europe to

share evidence and scientific knowledge, and provide technical and financial support, in order to

promote balanced, effective and evidence-based drug policies. MEPs and Global Commissioners

present at the seminar also called for support for initiatives undertaken by coalitions of countries

willing to promote drug policy reform.

Following this vibrant and well informed debate, IDPC and the Global Commission made a

commitment to continue working on these issues at a European level, and will promote work in the

following areas:

 With the European Parliament, to convene an informal working group of MEPs to look at the

drug policy issue from a problem solving, rather than a political party, perspective.

 With the European Commissioners for Justice, Home Affairs, and Public Health, to urge

them to recognise the importance of drug policy reform for the achievement of wider EC

priorities of security, justice, public health and human rights, and to bring forward initiatives

that use European experience and expertise to modernise responses.

 With the European Commissioner responsible for DG Justice, to ensure that the findings of

successive evaluations into progress and challenges are fully incorporated into the drafting

and implementation of the new EU drug strategy.

 With the EEAS, to develop a clear position statement on drug policy and best practices, and

be proactive in promoting the European model in multilateral and bilateral settings.

The seminar was followed by a second meeting on a similar theme, this time attended by civil

society organisations.

[demidog]

we can only hope that they will see sence and change the polices. but i think it is difficult for them to admit that they are wrong as they have been fighting this 'war on drugs' for so long, and it is so ingrained into their beliefs that they dont want to admit defeat and change their stratigy.

let hope its possible though for the near future. we all know the amout of tax money that goes towards fighting drugs when it could be better spent on education, prevention and treatment. if drugs were legal and you could buy them from the pharmacy in a box with instructions and a list of ingridients, side effects and what to do in event of an over does ect. it would make drugs much safer and take them out the hands of the criminal drug dealers.

[catfish]

"we can only hope that they will see sence and change the polices. but i think it is difficult for them to admit that they are wrong "

this is such a true statement and it could apply to most things the govenment lie to us about .

its all about status and feeding their sad over inflated egos.

how sad that we live in a world where status overides common sence.

now i am very stoned (found some hippy crack) as i type this and if it doesnt make sence

then i am sorry

[pier09]

they'll see the light, albeit slowly, because it's in their interest, economically, socially. It takes time as always when you

have to change mentalities. The problem is the right has instrumentalised the field and are using it to frighten the voters and

capitalise on their fears as they are the self appointed 'defenders' of the institutialised order. But they cant keep doing it much

longer, especially if the U.S. is changing too...

[pier09]

I wonder if the time will come when we will regret the 'good old times' when it was illegal ?!

[Arnold Layne]

I read as far as "Legal Regulation", when I saw the truth. They are suggesting replacing prohibition with prohibition. What is "Legal Regulation" if not State run prohibition?

I wonder if the time will come when we will regret the 'good old times' when it was illegal ?!

Yes, it most certainly will.

Until they do the right thing and shred the entire legal corpus on drug use, and set the individual free.

I am my own, I am not the state's property. What I do to myself is my business, and not the state's. Their business is about what I do or don't do to others; not to myself! How about you? Are you free, or are you "Property of the state"?

Wakey wakey!

[snatch]

I read as far as "Legal Regulation", when I saw the truth. They are suggesting replacing prohibition with prohibition. What is "Legal Regulation" if not State run prohibition?

I wonder if the time will come when we will regret the 'good old times' when it was illegal ?!

Yes, it most certainly will.

Until they do the right thing and shred the entire legal corpus on drug use, and set the individual free.

I am my own, I am not the state's property. What I do to myself is my business, and not the state's. Their business is about what I do or don't do to others; not to myself! How about you? Are you free, or are you "Property of the state"?

Wakey wakey!

iam me mate and nothing will change me and who iam as a person