INCB opens its 114th Session

On 29th October 2015, the International Narcotics Control Board opened its 114th Session in Vienna. During this Session, the Board will discuss its contribution to the 2016 United Nations Special Session on the World Drug Problem (UNGASS). INCB President Werner Sipp stated that the Special Session ‘provides a real opportunity to enhance the effectiveness and impact of national and international drug control policy…’ Reviewing the performance of States Parties, he noted the lack in prevention, treatment, harm reduction (‘reduction of negative consequences’), rehabilitation and reintegration. Nonetheless, the INCB’s public pronouncements on the UNGASS have to date been predictably conservative.

In the 114th Session, INCB will finalise its Annual Report for 2015, due to be published in March 2016. The Board will likewise finalise its Special Report on the availability of controlled drugs for medical and scientific purposes, a topic that has been at the forefront of drug policy discussion over the past couple of years. It will also seek to discuss the Missions carried out to several countries conducted over the summer of 2015.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.