Vancover Sun, 07 November 2011, By Gerry Bellett

Offenders diverted to Vancouver’s Drug Treatment Court reoffend less than people processed through the normal court system, an Simon Fraser University researcher told the Canadian Centre for Drug Abuse National Conference in November.

Julian Somers, associate professor of health sciences, said the finding was based on a study of people handled by the Drug Treatment Court (DTC) between 2001 and 2008 compared to a similar group handled by the ordinary court.

The study found there was also a 50-per-cent reduction in drug-related offences by those attending the DTC than by those attending regular court.

“The DTC group declined by one offence per person per year. There was a drop in the comparison group, too, but it was only half as large,” he said.

“What it tells you is that as a mechanism for reducing offending, the Drug Treatment Court is twice as effective as the alternative,” he said.

Canada only has six Drug Treatment Courts. By comparison there are 2,400 such courts in the United States, he said.

Somers said the state of Washington estimates that by diverting offenders to drug treatment courts and treatment centres it will save $2 billion in prison costs over the next 20 years. Other states that use similar programs are Texas and California, he said.

“They have looked at the implications of sentencing and realized they are unable to afford the cost of incarcerating those people. Right now we’re beginning to have that discussion here. If we follow their example and seriously consider alternatives to prison construction we can benefit from their years of experience,” he said.

However, Canada doesn’t have enough addiction treatment specialists in the civil system to handle such a diversion, so it’s time to consider training more, he said.

“Over a 10-year period it would have a more effective outcome and be considerably cheaper than building prisons.”

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

Los tribunales especializados en drogas reducen la probabilidad de reincidencia

The Moscow Times, 25 October 2011, by Joost van der Meer

The Russian government put itself in the spotlight of the international health community by organizing a high-level forum in Moscow two weeks ago on halting the spread of infectious diseases such as HIV. A goal agreed upon by all member states of the United Nations strives to halt and reverse the spread of infectious diseases, among which are HIV and AIDS, by 2015. Russia positioned itself at that conference as a leader in the battle against HIV.

Indeed, Russia has some things to boast of: Transmission of HIV from mother to child during pregnancy is almost eliminated, and many more Russians with AIDS are receiving medication against their disease than ever before. But HIV in Russia is growing because the government has not addressed HIV transmission in the group where it matters most: intravenous drug users. Nearly 80 percent of people with HIV in Russia got their infection through drug use, and new cases continue to occur among the country’s 1.8 million drug users.

There are evidence-based interventions that many countries have adopted and that lead to demonstrably lower HIV transmission, based on reducing the harm that drug use brings about, including the spread of HIV by contaminated injections. It is important to exchange used needles and syringes for clean ones among users that cannot or will not kick the habit, and it is equally important that those users who want to get clean are admitted to high-quality rehabilitation programs.

True, needle exchange does not cure opiate addiction, as some of our Russian critics argue. But we treat diabetes with insulin and are perfectly happy with this noncurative approach that hugely improves the quality of life of diabetics.

The scientific evidence that this approach works against the spread of HIV has been around for years. Methadone programs prevent new HIV infections, and they also help reduce petty crime, while fears that needle exchanges spread injection drug use have proved unfounded. But Russia has largely ignored these facts, much to the frustration of international organizations including the UN and much to the disappointment of nongovernmental organizations and local authorities in Russia that are dealing with a huge drug and HIV problem on the ground.

The Russian government is clearly shooting itself in the foot. The UN estimates that about 1 percent of adult Russians are HIV positive, while the population continues to decline. Brazil has made different choices. With similar expenditure on HIV as Russia, Brazil has managed to turn the tide and enjoys impressively declining rates of HIV among drug users.

So why does Russia ignore all the evidence and international pressure to step up its commitment to make sure the spread of HIV in the country is halted by 2015?

The U.S. battle against HIV may offer some good lessons. Under the administration of President George W. Bush, it made life for drug users difficult and blocked needle exchange among drug users. But when President Barack Obama took office, this changed.

It is not that Russia lacks supporters and leaders in the field of HIV prevention. Civil society leaders have spoken out over the last few years, television journalists such as Vladimir Pozner have played a pivotal role in bringing the issue to the attention of the public, and there are many health professionals and scientists who support evidence-based HIV prevention among people who inject drugs. But Russia lacks leadership among those in power who can really make a difference for the disenfranchised groups in society most affected by HIV.

There is one key difference with the U.S. approach to HIV: Russia lacks the outspoken and high-level support of business leaders to battle the disease. It was significant that the HIV forum in Moscow had no representation of the Russian business community. George Soros is a vivid example of a business leader and philanthropist from the United States who is not afraid to support and fund approaches that were not condoned by his own government.

It is in the interest of Russia and the world to see Russia, a Group of Eight member, containing its HIV epidemic. Therefore, it is hoped that we will see high-level governmental and business leadership on this issue occurring in Russia soon — hopefully, well before 2015.

Joost van der Meer, a medical doctor, is executive director of AIDS Foundation-East West, which has run HIV projects in Russia since 2001.

Cómo frenar la epidemia del VIH en Rusia

To mark the 50th anniversary of the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the Beckley Foundation published a public letter calling for a new approach in drug policy. The letter was published in British press in the Guardian, was written about by the Telegraph and the Daily Mail and received publicity in Polish press. Signed by a group of 60 major thinkers, Nobel Prize winners and celebrities including Sting, Yoko Ono and seven former presidents, this letter calls on members of the public and of Parliament to recognize that "improving our drug policies is one of the key policy challenges of our time."

The letter with a full list of signatories can be found on the Beckley Foundation's newly launched website for the Global Initiative for Drug Policy Reform.

La guerra global contra las drogas ha fracasado: llegó la hora de un nuevo enfoque 

Brazil's police say they have completed an operation to clear Rio de Janeiro's biggest slum, Rocinha, of drug gangs.

Hundreds of special forces police and navy commandos backed by armoured military vehicles and helicopters moved into the slum before dawn.

The chief of military police said "there were no incidents and no shots were fired" during the operation.

Police are trying to clear Rio's shantytowns of drug gangs ahead of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics.

Since 2008, they have occupied some 20 slums, or favelas, to drive out the dealers who controlled the areas.

"I have the pleasure to inform you that Rocinha and Vidigal [a neighbouring favela] are under our control," chief of military police Alberto Pinheiro Neto told a news conference.

"There were no incidents and no shots were fired. We don't have any information on arrests or weapons seized."

He said the two favelas had been under their control since 06:00 local time (08:00 GMT) and the streets - which had been shut a few hours before the operation began - would soon reopen.

The AFP news agency reported that a few residents watched from their windows as the troops advanced through the deserted streets of Rocinha.

Residents spoken to by the AFP said they supported the move, hoping it would bring better conditions and prospects as well as ridding the favela of criminals.

However, some women were seen crying as the troops moved in, suggesting not everyone supported the operation.

Police had openly announced their plan to move into Rocinha - which is officially home to some 70,000 people, although is widely thought to have considerably more residents.

Some of the favela's residents left the area on Wednesday, as police began setting up checkpoints at entrances to the slum district, which is located close to tourist areas in Rio's south zone.

They scored an early success on Thursday when they arrested alleged drugs kingpin Antonio Francisco Bonfim Lopes - widely known as "Nem" - as he tried to escape Rocinha in the boot of a car.

The driver of the vehicle tried to claim diplomatic immunity, saying he was the honorary consul of the Democratic Republic of Congo, police said.

He then offered a bribe worth $570,000 (£358,000), they added, but officers refused and opened the boot to discover the hidden suspect.

Nem was one of Rio's most wanted suspects and his arrest was described as a "historic moment" by the city's state security secretary Jose Mariano Beltrame.

The police operation to clear the favelas involves special forces, known as BOPE, moving in to take on the traffickers. Police then establish a permanent base in the favela with officers trained in community policing.

City officials also move in to provide services such as healthcare and electricity.

Pacification has been generally welcomed in favelas, where residents have seen a drop in crime.

But there have been complaints about the behaviour of some of the troops and police involved, with local people reporting excessive violence or abuse of authority.

La policía brasileña se moviliza contra las bandas de drogas en la mayor favela de Rio 

This December, IDPC will be participating in the 2011 International Conference on HIV/AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), which will take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Our objective is to promote humane and effective drug policy and harm reduction measures in the face of increasing drug related problems in Africa.

On Tuesday 6th December, IDPC, in collaboration with Harm Reduction International and the Kenya AIDS NGOs Consortium (KANCO), will organise a satellite session entitled 

"Putting health and human rights at the centre of drug policy: Recommendations from the Global Commission on Drug Policy"

During the session, the speakers will outline developments in HIV prevention policies and programmes for people who use drugs in the region with a specific focus on Kenya and Mauritius. The session will also be a forum to share ideas, discuss good practice and innovative approaches towards the legislative reform of drug policies appropriate for the African context. The session will be followed by a reception, enabling the participants to network after the event. Please, read the flyer below for more information.

Please join us at the Satellite and share the information among your contacts!

Time: Tuesday, 6th December 2011, 17:30-19:00
Location: B7 Hall ‘Sof Omer’, ICASA venue, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

IDPC participa en el 2011 ICASA! 

Global Drug Survey has launched the annual Mixmag Drug Survey in partnership with The Guardian, which is anticipated to be the world's biggest, most comprehensive drug survey ever conducted.

Receiving over 7000 responses in the first 48 hours alone, the anonymous online survey addresses how people are using illegal drugs as well as alcohol, tobacco and prescription medications. The survey combines basic information on what drugs people use, how often they take them, and the medical, social and legal consequences of drug use. It also explores various issues in depth, including attitudes towards buying drugs online, being caught in the possession of drugs and emerging drug trends.

Created by consultant addictions psychiatrist and researcher Dr Adam Winstock (who has run the Mixmag survey as a predominantly UK-based project for over a decade) the reach of this year’s survey has already received responses from the USA, Australia, Canada, France, Spain, Italy, Thailand, Denmark, Brazil, Poland and even Malawi and Benin in the first two days alone.

Dr Winstock sees the drug survey as a vital tool in understanding the reality behind drug use, “This study will provide an honest description of how people interact with drugs the impact that their use has upon people and their friends. Whilst most drug surveys focus on dependent drug users or those involved in criminal justice, rarely is there a focus on that vast majority of other people who use drugs - the hidden masses. This year’s findings will reflect current drug use patterns as they really are - exploring the good, the bad and the ugly.”

The survey is run by Global Drug Survey, is entirely anonymous and takes 20-25 minutes to complete. You can access the survey here.

You can read Mixmag's Global Drug Survey’s results from the 2011 and 2010 surveys here.

Global Drug Survey is an independent data-mapping agency that receives no government funding.

Noticias

Los tribunales especializados en drogas reducen la probabilidad de reincidencia

Los tribunales especializados en drogas reducen la probabilidad de reincidencia

Cómo frenar la epidemia del VIH en Rusia

La guerra global contra las drogas ha fracasado: llegó la hora de un nuevo enfoque

La policía brasileña se moviliza contra las bandas de drogas en la mayor favela de Rio

IDPC participa en el 2011 ICASA!

Lanzamiento de La Encuesta Global sobre Drogas