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27 November 2015

INCB Members visit Uruguay to meet with government officials

A delegation from the INCB, presided by Werner Sipp, has visited Uruguay last Wednesday, 26 November 2015. The three members of the Board met behind closed doors with various officials from the Uruguayan government in charge of the country's drug policy, including Juan Andrés Roballo, President of the National Drug Policy Board [Junta Nacional de Drogas - JND], and the Advisory Scientific Committee [Comité Científico Asesor - CCA] in charge of monitoring the legal market for cannabis. The visit took place against the backdrop of past strong critiques made by the INCB to the country's decision to regulate the cannabis market. In 2013, the INCB and its former President, Raymond Yans, had rebuked the recently approved Uruguayan legislation on the basis that it '[broke] the universally agreed and internationally endorsed legal provisions of the [Conventions on Drug Control]'; a position reiterated by the Board's 2014 Annual Report, which states that the law threatened the health of citizens and weakened international efforts to eradicate drug markets. However, Susan Mallo and Luís Yarzabal, from the Advisory Scientific Committee, have said they appreciated the INCB members' openness and frank interest in understanding the different elements of Uruguayan drug policy. In their view, the Board's disposition seems to have changed from its past 'rigid and insensitive' critiques. Instead, the Board members would have expressed gratitude for the Uruguayan government's transparency and reliance on an objective evidence-base. For more information, click here. Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert. Thumbnail: Wikimedia Commons

13 November 2015

EU Civil Society Forum on Drugs meets in Brussels

The meeting was an opportunity for the CSF to discuss and draft recommendations on the UNGASS in an effort to feed into the conclusions of the CSTF, and met with members of the HDG to offer guidance on the EU position around the Special Session.

13 November 2015

INCB invokes the flexibilities of the UN drug control treaties to stop punishing drug users

This statement from the Board’s President is therefore a positive step which we hope will pave the way towards the endorsement of decriminalisation for people who use drugs, following similar calls from other UN agencies such as UNAIDS, WHO, UNDP, UN Women and others.

12 November 2015

Discourse vs. reality: Increasing incarceration for drug offenses in Latin America

The prison crisis and inhumane prison conditions that high incarceration rates have generated is at the heart of the debate on the need for drug policy reform in Latin America.

30 October 2015

Preparing for UNGASS 2016: Examining complex drug policy issues

The meeting highlighted some of the challenges engendered by the global drug control regime as well as ways forward that could inform the process of dialogue and negociations taking place in the run-up to the UNGASS 2016.

29 October 2015

INCB opens its 114th Session

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.

18 September 2015

Enhancement of mechanisms to cope with the increasing spread of illicit drugs amongst young people: a Youth RISE report

The conference’s main objective was to promote collaboration between law enforcement agencies and CSOs in order to identify measures to protect children and young people from the use of illicit drugs - although conclusions were disappointing in terms of promotions of harm reduction and drug policy reform.

14 September 2015

INCB Watch: Summer news from the International Narcotic Control Board

After a prolonged period of quiet on the INCB website, the Board has released its regular Newsletter detailing recent activities.

9 September 2015

Brazilian Supreme Court discusses decriminalisation of drug use

The trial is one of the most awaited on the year and can become a historic event in the debate on drug policy in Brazil.

29 July 2015

Werner Sipp speaking at ECOSOC

The President of the INCB, Mr Werner Sipp, presented the Annual Report of the INCB for 2014 to the ECOSOC Coordination and Management on 22nd July 2015. Mr Sipp told delegates that he regarded the Report as a contribution to the UNGASS debates on the ‘right path’ for drug policies.

21 July 2015

International Remembrance Day for people who have died in the War on Drugs 2015

21st July marks the International Remembrance Day for people who have died in the war on drugs. International Remembrance Day is to remember those we know, and those we don’t – from our villages, towns and cities across the world.

16 July 2015

Drug law reform coming to Thailand, but how far will it go?

This blogpost highlights the last 2 weeks of developments in Thailand, including a meeting with the Minister of Justice that 12D and other advocates organised for the Support Don’t Punish Campaign, and seminars organised by the Ministry of Justice.