Tue, June 12, 2018
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM IST

Wood Quay VenueDublin City Civic OfficesWood QuayDublinIrelandView Map

Our National Drugs Strategy currently advances a ‘health based response to drug use’. However, possession of illicit drugs is a crime, meaning that people who use drugs are, almost by definition, criminals. This tension between criminalising people who use drugs and vindicating a health based approach to drug use is currently a live issue in many countries, and Ireland is no exception. In 2015 a Joint Oireachtas Committee strongly recommended changing to a system whereby “the possession of a small amount of illegal drugs for personal use, could be dealt with by way of a civil/administrative response and rather than via the criminal justice route.” As part of the current national strategy, a working group has been established to “consider the approaches taken in other jurisdictions to the possession of small quantities of drugs for personal use” in light of the Joint Committee’s previous work.

The Ana Liffey Drug Project has joined forces with the London School of Economics & Hot Press for a series of Town Hall Events to discuss this important issue. We’ll have a conversation about the harms of the current approach, what can be learnt from experiences elsewhere, and what a health led approach to drug use could look like.

2018 is a pivotal time for drug policy in Ireland. We can choose to change how we respond to drug use and to move towards the health-based approach that is mandated by national policy.

We’re kicking off our Town Halls in Wood Quay Venue, Dublin on June 12th. Join us for a discussion on how we can lend a hand to keep people #SaferFromHarm.

Towards a health-led approach to possession of drugs

: Mary Clare Zak (Director of Social Policy, City of Vancouver), Dr Evan Wood (Director of the BC Centre on Substance Use), Donald MacPherson (Executive Director, Canadian Drug Policy Coalition).

: The Very Rev. Gary Paterson, 41st Moderator of the United Church of Canada

: Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne, Executive Director of First United Church.

Why decriminalize? Decriminalizing simple posession of drugs: A public forum

The Global Health Law Groningen Research Centre of the Department of Transboundary Legal Studies and the Research Centre for Public Order, Anti-Social Behavior and Security of the Department of Legal methods of the University of Groningen cordially invite you to participate in a seminar on International Law and Cannabis Policy: Options for Reform?

Cannabis policy is a hot topic in the Netherlands and around the world. Whilst technically cannabis falls within the often strict regulations of the international drug control system, a range of countries have taken more progressive and liberal approaches to cannabis regulation with outliers to even legalizing cannabis use and possession.

Both nationally and internationally, the debates around cannabis have also raised the question whether international standards on cannabis should be reformed including de-scheduling cannabis from the international drug control treaties, and drafting and adopting a separate international treaty to regulate cannabis. In this session, we will share insights from academia and practice and discuss the options for reform.

Everyone is welcome and participation is free of charge! We only ask you to write to ghlg@rug.nl to indicate your presence for catering purposes.

Chair: Prof. Brigit Toebes, Academic director Global Health Law Groningen Research Centre

15.00 - 15.20
Dr. Allyn Taylor - University of Washington
To be announced

15.20 - 15.40
Tom Blickman - Transnational Institute
Yes, Legalizing Cannabis Breaks the UN Drug Control Conventions but We Can Deal With That

15.40 - 16.00
Michelle Bruijn, LLM - University of Groningen
The Alternative War on Drugs: Fighting Crime by Legalizing Cannabis

16.00 - 17.00
Q&A and focused discussion towards outcome document

Seminar International Law and Cannabis Policy: Options for Reform?

Pre-reviews of cannabis and cannabis related substances

The Fortieth meeting of the Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, 

The 40th ECDD will be a specially convened session dedicated to carrying out pre-reviews of cannabis and cannabis-related substances:

For more information, please do not hesitate to contact the Secretariat at: ecddsecretariat@who.int

IDPC will deliver a statement at the meeting, urging the ECDD to commit to a rigorous review of cannabis products to dispel myths and seek to redress the contradictions with regard to these substances enshrined in the UN drug conventions.

The 40th Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) will be held in May 2018 at the WHO Headquarters, Geneva. The 40th ECDD will be dedicated to carrying out pre-reviews of cannabis and cannabis related substances. In preparation for the meeting, the ECDD Secretariat is making a public call for experts to express interest in writing the cannabis pre-reviews. The Secretariat is looking for experts in the fields of each of the following areas: Chemistry, Toxicology, Pharmacology, Epidemiology and Therapeutic Use. The expert will be responsible for writing that specific section (e.g. Chemistry) for each of the four pre-reviews on cannabis and cannabis related substances.

More information including Terms of Reference, application details and proposed timeline is available through the following link: https://www.ungm.org/Public/Notice/63472 Applications will close on the 19th of November 2017 If you require any further information, please contact the ECDD Secretariat: ecddsecretariat@who.int

40th meeting of the Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD - WHO)

For millennia, coca has been a cultural touchstone, a manifestation of sovereignty, a core nutritional staple, and an essential medicine in the indigenous Andes. As a part of the decades long U.S.-backed counter-narcotics campaign in Colombia, though, forced eradication of the coca plant—a tactic criticized for attendant violence and gross human rights violations—has disproportionately harmed rural and urban poor communities while failing to bring peace.

How can Colombia honor coca’s history while identifying a peaceful, inclusive pathway forward? How can coca-growing communities be included in their own development plans? Is there a legal framework for developing enterprises in Colombia based on coca?

We’ll tackle these questions at the launch of 

Coca Industrialization: A Path to Innovation, Development, and Peace in Colombia,

 the eighth in a series of publications by the Open Society Foundations documenting positive examples of drug policy reform around the world.

Report author Dora Lucila Troyano Sanchez, with the National Narcotics Fund (FNE), was granted the very first permit to legally purchase, transport, and stock raw coca leaves for their transformation into licit goods such as fertilizers and nutritional ingredients to be used in scientific research. The report explores the promise that the coca leaf holds as an agricultural product for lawful uses as well as the challenges and opportunities that have influenced industrialization. It then sets out the parameters for a system that could significantly expand coca industrialization—in a manner designed to make the most of its many potential social, political, and economic benefits.

A reception will follow the panel discussion.

The future of coca industrialization in Colombia—A pathway to development and peace

The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of WHO. It is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board. The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget. The Health Assembly is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland.

71st World Health Assembly

Let's talk about women and addiction on our latest Stop and Search podcast.

Join journalist and author, Jenny Valentish, as she travels over from Australia to talk about her new book Woman of Substances, a journey into drugs and alcohol treatment, a fascinating book which has been highly recommended and critically acclaimed.

We’re also joined by Milly Chowles, reporter and producer for BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. Having recently produced the series The Fix: Woman and Addiction, Milly is certainly a valued member of the panel.

So what are we talking about? We’ll be chatting about the many overlapping factors of addiction, including mental health, social pressures, as well as talking about the media, the treatment sector, and what part gender may play in this broad conversation.

Tickets are limited so please do book now to avoid losing your place. Please do bring your questions and opinions!

The podcast Stop and Search is a two-time British Podcast Awards nominee, produced in association with LEAP UK, brought to you by the Distraction Pieces Network.

Woman of Substances - A journey into drugs, alcohol and treatment

The 12th Annual Conference of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy (ISSDP) will be held in Vancouver, Canada on 16-18 May, 2018. The conference is hosted by Simon Fraser University's School of Criminology.

The ISSDP Conference is a unique occasion to present your latest findings to an intellectually engaged, diverse and dedicated scholarly community, and to immerse yourself in the state of the art research across the full spectrum of drug policy research, with the participation of leading international scholars.

Researchers and/or practitioners interested in contributing scholarly papers that advance future thinking regarding the development, assessment, or evolution of drug policy nationally or internationally are encouraged to submit abstracts.

The International Society for the Study of Drug Policy (ISSDP) conference 2018

The Annual IOTOD 2018 Conference is now open for registrations

From dynamic interactive lectures to lively case study-based panel discussions, the IOTOD conference is a unique opportunity to get the latest from the experts and join over 300 healthcare professionals working with clients using opiate agonist therapy.

With an expert scientific faculty including Professor John Marsden, Professor Marc Auriacombe, Professor Wim van den Brink, the EMCDDA represented by Ms Dagmar Hedrich, Professor Graham Foster and many others, IOTOD 2018 will cover a wide range of topics such as:

Will new treatment options revolutionise the field?

How best can psychosocial interventions be used?

What should be done when first-line treatment doesn’t work?

How can drugs practitioners be part of the hepatitis C virus elimination strategy?

What can healthcare professionals do to stop opioid overdoses?


A limited number of free* scholarship places are available now. If you would like to apply for a free place, simply send an email to contact@iotodmeeting.com with your name and position along with a short explanation as to why you are unable to self-fund your place.

The scholarship will cover free access to the scientific sessions, satellite symposia, conference materials, lunches and coffee breaks.

Annual conference: Improving outcomes in the treatment of opioid dependence 

The Permanent Mission of Mexico, along with Austria, Switzerland and the Global Commission on Drug Policy,

have the honour to extend the invitation to the

GENEVA - VIENNA DIALOGUE ON THE WORLD DRUG PROBLEM

This Dialogue will foster an open discussion guided by the

“Working together to achieve sustainable solutions in addressing the world drug problem”

, Director General of the World Health Organization

, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights

, Board Member of the International Narcotics Control Board

, Director, Division for Treaty Affairs of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

, Commissioner of the Global Commission on Drug Policy

Moderated by Ambassador Alicia Buenrostro

, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Vienna and Chairperson of the Commission on Narcotics Drugs

If you require an access pass to the Palais, please contact: conrad.chahary@globalcommissionondrugs.org

For more information, please contact the GCDP's Secretariat:

+41 22 908 4375
secretariat@globalcommissionondrugs.org

Geneva-Vienna dialogue on the world drug problem

10 Civil Society Representatives have an opportunity to participate in an INCB hearing on the margins of the INCB annual meeting.

The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) will host a civil society hearing for the INCB board members on the margins of this years INCB board meeting. The hearing will be on the topic of 

“The Use of Cannabis for Medical and Non-Medical Purposes” 

May 7 2018, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Vienna, Austria.

Following the Call for Applications published on April 4 2018 we received 34 applications before the deadline of April 17 2018. The VNGOC board selected 10 civil society representatives to present their work on the topic mentioned above during the two hour meeting.In order to ensure an inclusive, comprehensive and meaningful civil society participation the board took into consideration the following selection criteria:

INCB Civil Society Hearing

The thirthieth session of the Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group will be held in Geneva from 7 to 18 May during which the next group of 14 States are scheduled to have their human rights records examined under this mechanism.

The group of States to be reviewed by the Universal Periodic Review Working Group during this session are (in order of scheduled review):

 Turkmenistan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Uzbekistan, Tuvalu, Germany, Djibouti, Canada, Bangladesh, Russian Federation, Azerbaijan, Cameroon and Cuba

Representatives of the 14 countries are scheduled to come before the Working Group, which comprises the entire membership of the 47-member Human Rights Council, to present efforts they have made in fulfilling their human rights obligations and commitments, in particular since their last UPR review, assessing both positive developments and identifying challenges.

Deadline for stakeholder submission to the Universal Periodic Review for the 31st session was 5 October 2017.

Past Events