The Middle East and North Africa Harm Reduction Association (MENAHRA) and The Regional Arab Network Agianst Aids (RANAA) conducted a meeting for the MENA Civil Sociaty Organizations (CSO's) Position Statement on HIV/AIDS with the support of UNAIDS MENA to claim a unified position for Middle East and North Africa for HIV and harm reduction.

The meeting took place in Beirut, on 1 April 2016 in Padova Hotel and was attended by representatives of national/regional network including CSO's, Key Populations (KPs) and People Living with HIV (PLHIV).
This meeting came in the context of the preparation for the participation of civil society organizations whom will be heard by the United Nations hearing session on April 6 2016 and the high-level meeting on HIV, which will be held in New York in June 2016, during which will be concluded to issue a universal declaration for the coming years about the virus.

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MENA Position Statement on HIV/AIDS to the UN General Assembly special session HLM on AIDS

A Press Release from the Liberia Chapter of the West Africa Drug Policy Network (WADP)

The Liberia Chapter of the West Africa Drug Policy Network (WADPN) is saddened by the action of the government of Liberia to raid ghettos without considering the consequences of the action. The Network describes the action as a warlike approach to the drug problem in Liberia despite global calls on governments to change the old approach to the world’s drug problem.

The Network does not believe that government adequately counted the cost of the action, realizing the resettlement of ghetto occupants, violent action of state security in carrying out raids, rehabilitation of the thousands of drug users, risk in absorbing ghetto residents within communities as well as the political intolerance in solving a problem that some members of the Sirleaf led government has directly or indirectly created. We are of the ardent belief that government has made a useful but time-wise wrong choice in as much as following considerations did not precede the action.

Resettlement of ghetto occupants: On Wednesday, March 16, the government through the Ministry of Health invited partners including civil society actors to an emergency meeting aimed at finding possible resettlement space for occupants of ghettos. The Ministry officials said government has made a decision to raid ghettos and there was a need for civil society organizations and or development partners to provide space for resettlement of ghetto dwellers. Realizing the implications of the decision, civil society organizations advised that the action was not timely in as much as government did not put any resettlement mechanism in place. Additionally, government felt short over the years to empower or create enabling environment for empowerment of local institutions in the area of addressing drug use and dependent disorders. Government representatives at the meeting hammered the opinion of government that the decision was made and there was nothing to change it.

Violent Action of State Security in Carrying out Raid: State security actors perceive raid as an official order from government to exercise brutal and uncivil action against citizens (no matter what caliber of citizens). As far as the drug problem in Liberia is concerned, raid is an old mitigation approach, which has created more unresolved issues. Some of the issues range from forceful seizure of money and non-drug items that had never been accounted for. Failure of the part of state security to account for proceeds of raids is a semblance of drug related corruption. More besides, there are startling reports indicating security agents aiding drug traffickers, thereby ignoring their arrest. This is due to corruption issues related to drug money. Raid is an expensive security operation, which is part of the “war against drugs” – an approach to the world drug problem that has dismally failed to solve the problem. At no time has ghetto raid in Liberia led to arrest of international traffickers or people within their syndicates due to connections with people in government especially state security. Long term drug problem and the old failed approach of raiding ghettos continue to create indelible scars and burden on the government and people of Liberia, with raid creating more problems than the country can solve.

Rehabilitation of Thousands of Drug Users Living in Ghettos: There is no rehabilitation program for people suffering from controlled drug and substance disorders. We missed out as a nation and people when the United Nations afforded us the opportunity of disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and resettlement of former fighters – a process on which millions of donor fund was spent. We are all aware that controlled drugs and substances were part of the ‘arms and ammunitions used to fight our civil wars’. It is not strange to any of us in Liberia that young people were conscripted into fighting forces and drugged to fight wars. We negated addressing the drug habit of former fighters during the DDRR program; a choice that haunts us today with rising youth debut in drug use culminating from peer pressure, organic solidarity and differential association.

Risk of Absorbing Ghetto Dwellers in Communities: Discarding ghettos without temporary shelter or congenial residence for occupants is a direct communication for them to return to the communities. There are several risk factors association with this return some of which can be listed as follows:

Other young people who secretly admire them will have easy access to associate with them (differential association) thereby introducing new group of youths into their habit.

Some ghetto dwellers returning in the communities have relatives who they will live with. In as much as their habit remain with them, some of their relatives will ultimately share their pains, habit, joy or whatsoever (organic solidarity). This leads to deeper family problems in the communities.

Our communities are already porous in the sense that drugged soup is served at most parties in the communities. The ghetto returnees will now add new flavor (example bone dust of long time dead people, etc.).

Liberia’s drug problem has long term political, social and economic intricacies and does not therefore deserve quick-fixed solution. Preliminary findings from current baseline survey being conducted by a member agency of the Network (Foundation Against Illicit Drugs and Child Abuse) suggests that 69% of people living in the ghettos are between the ages 25 – 39 years. A cross section of this population were actually conscripted and drugged to fight wars sponsored and led by some members of the current government.

Government insiders have intimated to us that President Sirleaf promised the West Africa Commission on Drugs (WACD) delegation visiting Liberia in late February that she would have taken action in response to the drug issue in the country prior to the end of her term of office. Our sources maintained that this pledge of the president was in response to the issue of creating policy framework aimed at supporting harm reduction, human rights and public health in dealing with drugs. We are not sure if the raid is part of the President’s promised intervention; as this approach is a complete contradiction of the West Africa common position towards the United Nations General Assembly (UNGASS) Special Session on the World Drug Problem taking place from April 18 – 22, 2016 in New York.

In view of the intricacies of the situation, we are of the opinion that the following recommendations will be useful in amicably addressing the problem:

Government should target drug related corruption within the security apparatus. This will encourage equal treatment of people with drug related crime. Clamp down on drug related corruption involving security topnotch and other officials of government will reduce drug flow within communities.

Raiding ghettos without resettlement and rehabilitation plan is a lip service to addressing the drug problem in Liberia. Ghetto raid has a history of one ghetto being replaced with at least five new ghettos. Occupants of raided ghettos seek settlement in new communities and forge new alliances. But should there be a government or institutionalized facilities for keeping and controlling the activities of drug users, incidence of new ghettos and rising youth debut into drug use could be minimized. Senegal is an example of countries in West Africa with this kind of model; and it is call harm reduction program. The government should consider identification of a suitable place to relocate these Ghetto occupants with a rehabilitation plan that will include the treatment centers, recreational and skill training programs for at least 3-5 years.

There is no contact details of people dislodged from the ghettos. Tracing them within communities in case of any eventuality becomes very difficult. There is a need to conduct mapping of ghettos in the country. Additionally, communities did not receive any form of advice from government as a way of reuniting ghetto dwellers with their families, friends and relatives. In the absence of such community awareness threats, anger, reprisal, rejection and violence can be hardly avoided.

Raiding ghettos without counting the cost: A bellicose approach to drug problem in Liberia

China's top court on Thursday released a new judicial interpretation on rules for drug-related convictions and sentencing, stepping up punishments.

The document, issued by the Supreme People's Court (SPC), adopted stricter rules for ketamine by lowering the threshold for criminalization of the drug by half.

Ketamine abuse in China is quite serious, said Fang Wenjun, a senior justice of the SPC. The number of ketamine users continues to grow, and it ranks third among substances, after methamphetamine and heroin, in terms of involvement in drug-related violations.

Production and sale of the drug has also been on the rise in recent years, and harsher rules are needed to deal with it, Fang said.

An increase in users and violations has resulted in a number of cases of self-mutilation, violence and driving under the influence, according to the SPC judge.

The new document also added 12 new types of illegal drugs to be subject to criminal penalties and lowered the threshold for conviction of illegal use for 33 precursor chemicals.

China top court releases tougher rules against Ketamine abuse

Current drug policies which focus on prohibition over public health reinforce the vicious cycle of poverty and ill health by increasing the risk of health harms, and limiting access to medical care for people who use drugs. They also impact on entire communities by overly restricting access to essential medicines. In short, drug policy impacts heavily on health.

Although a number of countries take a public health approach to drug policy, many do not. The so called ‘war on drugs,’ which prioritizes the prohibition of illicit drug use, possession, cultivation, production and trafficking, has dominated since the mid-twentieth century. This is despite serious implications for public health.

The health of people who use drugs are the most obviously impacted by this zero-tolerance approach to drug policy, which restricts their access to medical care and support services for issues directly related to drug use and more generally. The criminalization of people who use drugs, and social stigma which results from this, acts as a barrier that often prevents people who use drugs from accessing health care for fear of legal punishment. Conversely it also results in people who use drugs sometimes being denied access to healthcare because of their status; in particular pregnant women who use drugs.

World Health Day highlights the need to talk about drug policy

The U.S.-led war on drugs and U.S.-shaped international drug policies are being scrutinized and debated this month by governments from around the globe as the world’s countries prepare to gather in mid-April for the United Nations General Assembly Special Session, or UNGASS, to review the world’s drug control regime. It is the first such meeting in 18 years.

The good news is that there are signs that American leaders are beginning to question the wisdom of a four decade-old war on drugs that has caused more harm than good. Increasingly, elected officials and the public are condemning laws that marginalize, criminalize and incarcerate millions of U.S. citizens for using drugs - laws that have helped make the U.S. the world’s leading jailer and have caused particular harm to persons and communities of color.

The bad news is that the U.S. continues to prioritize the use of police, prosecutors and judges to deal with persons who possess and use illicit drugs. Nowhere is this more evident than the persistent push by local and national politicians to implement or expand so-called drug courts, and their encouragement of other countries to do the same. Today, roughly 3,000 such courts operate around the country.

Legal experts urge UN to reject drug courts

In less than two weeks a rare United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on global drug policy takes place in New York. Among the issues to be debated and discussed many resonate in Southeast Asia, including the impact of drug production, trafficking and use on vulnerable countries, communities and people. Importantly, preparatory negotiations over the past year have created space for countries and policy leaders to reflect on the traditional "war on drugs" approach, but also prominently featured a debate on the need for justice reform and improved access to health services.

A major challenge for governments here in Southeast Asia is high, and rising, prison populations resulting from sentences for drug-related offences including for minor drug possession and use. Disproportionate sentences for relatively low level drug crime are not only a burden on justice systems and state budgets in the region, but have also proven to be detrimental to human rights -- most correctional facilities in the region simply do not provide a safe and healthy environment for people in custody.

Will the global drug policy evolution hit SE Asia?

Former Presidents of Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Nigeria, Cape Verde, Switzerland & Poland; Former Prime Ministers of Greece, Hungary & The Netherlands Join With Distinguished Scholars, Jurists, Clergy, Business Leaders, Elected Officials, Celebrities and Others in Calling for Alternatives to Prohibitionist Drug Control Policies

“Humankind cannot afford a 21st century drug policy as ineffective and counter-productive as the last century’s,” Letter says

 – On the eve of the 2016 United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the World Drug Problem, world leaders and activists have signed a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urging him to set the stage “for real reform of global drug control policy.”

The unprecedented list of signatories includes a range of people from Senators Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker and Bernie Sanders to businessmen Warren Buffett, George Soros, Richard Branson and Mo Ibrahim, actors Michael Douglas and Gael Garcia Bernal, Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, singers Annie Lennox and Sting, activists Gloria Steinem and Michelle Alexander, as well as distinguished legislators, cabinet ministers, and former UN officials.

Over 1,000 leaders worldwide call for end to "disastrous" drug war, ahead of UN special session

SAO PAULO — Next week the United Nations is convening the largest gathering on drug policy that the world has seen in two decades. It was the brainchild of three Latin American presidents — from Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico — who wanted to end decades of poorly conceived and executed counter-narcotics programs. Their hope was that the General Assembly Special Session, or UNGASS, would stimulate new thinking on ways to reverse the political, social and economic wreckage of a failed war on drugs.

The hopes of these presidents — and like-minded governments and civil societies — were scuttled from the start. Part of the problem is that the framing of UNGASS is backwards. Rather than focusing on the “world drug problem” as prohibitionists are want to do, we should instead be addressing the “problematic way we deal with drugs.” Formulated this way, it is then possible to have a genuinely “people-centered” approach to drug policy that actually improves lives rather than destroys them.

Think about it. If drugs alone are treated as “the problem” (as is currently the case), then we are lost. No one disagrees that drugs can be addictive and can negatively impact health and well-being. But drugs on their own are not the right starting point. The better way to think about this is how we, as governments and societies, choose to deal with drugs. The extent to which public authorities prohibit or regulate drugs will determine the problematic impacts — on individuals, families, and communities — that result.

Illicit drugs are not the only problem — It’s outdated drug policy that needs fixing

We are glad to present the five best posters submitted to 

's poster contest targeting the UNGASS on drugs this year!

We are especially delighted that all these five posters were produced by young artists from different parts of the world - please have a look at the posters with the short intro sent by the authors!

1. The Winner of the Contest: "A Useless War" by Flavio Velluti, Uruguay

Prohibitionism is failing, leaving nothing but damage and waste of resources. This allegorical illustration explains the simplistic and ridiculous character of the prohibitionist system. Aiming for a critical view, an almost childlike drawing emphasises the simplicity of the system and ridicules its methods, represented by the monotonous and far-reaching arms. The current situation does not allow society to continue on this path, and requires the regulation of the market as an alternative to defeated prohibition.

This is how young artists see the war on drugs: the winners of Drug Reporter's poster contest

At about two o'clock in the morning on March 23rd, after tense negotiations in Vienna, the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) reached a disappointing compromise. The hard-bargained draft of the outcome document of the UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on drugs taking place in New York from 19-21 April was adopted by ‘consensus’. Although its key features are by no means a surprise the draft is disappointing nonetheless.

A statement in the name of some 200 civil society organisations on the opening day of the CND warned that “the UNGASS is now perilously close to representing a serious systemic failure of the UN system … an expensive restatement of previous agreements and conventions”. Will the UNGASS 2016 go down in history as another wasted opportunity or have the debates leading to it laid a solid groundwork for systemic changes in the near future?

UNGASS 2016: Watershed event or wasted opportunity?

A French junior minister has sparked controversy by calling for renewed debate over the decriminalisation of cannabis.

"Prohibition is not effective", Jean-Marie Le Guen told France's BFMTV.

Other lawmakers - including fellow Socialists - dismissed the call, and a government spokesman said there were no plans for decriminalisation.

A recent WHO report found more French 15-year-olds smoked cannabis than in 41 other developed nations.

The study cautioned that "cannabis is a dangerous and harmful substance, especially for children and young people who use it regularly... Cannabis use is a risk factor for mental disorders and may trigger psychosis".

Mr Le Guen, who is secretary of state for relations with parliament as well as a medical doctor by training, said he opposed cannabis use and was a public health advocate who had always "fought against consumption of cannabis among the young".

But he said that approach had failed. Young people needed to be reached out to and taught that cannabis was dangerous, he said: "It is a health-based approach that I propose, not a moral or legal one."

French minister Le Guen reignites cannabis debate

In the year of our 10th anniversary the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) is seeking ‘expressions of interest’ from individuals to join our Board of Directors. These are voluntary, non-executive positions. We are seeking to recruit two to three new Board members to join us from July 2016. As part of this recruitment process, we are looking to ensure robust succession planning for the positions of Chair and Vice Chair.

IDPC is a global network of over 140 civil society organisations from over 60 countries. We come together to promote objective and open debate on the effectiveness, direction and content of drug policies at the national and international level, and we support evidence-based policies that are effective at reducing drug-related harm. Our advocacy positions are based five core policy principles that prioritise human rights, civil society engagement and reducing the harmful consequences of the illicit drug market, rather than on reducing its scale.

The Board is responsible for the oversight of finances, management and performance of IDPC’s small but dynamic secretariat (based in London and Bangkok). The IDPC secretariat is a UK-based non-profit company limited by guarantee and the Board of Directors retain the financial and legal liability as per our Articles of Association. The Board is supported by a Members’ Advisory Council made up of representatives from the network.

In return for these responsibilities, new Directors would be joining the Board of a highly visible, diverse and growing network with a motivated, effective and committed staff team at the secretariat. IDPC has developed strong financial and administrative systems and processes since it became an independent legal entity in 2011. New Board members will be instrumental in further supporting IDPC as it moves into its next stage of organisational maturity and delivers on the new 5-year strategy that runs to December 2020.

The Board meets quarterly, with three out of four meetings being held by conference call and one annual face-to-face meeting which also serves as the Annual General Meeting. All meetings and documentation are in English only. Successful applicants will be expected to attend the next face-to-face Board meeting in London from the 6th to 8th July 2016. Meetings of the Directors, and all documentation and communication, are in English. Directors need to be available for the annual two-day face-to-face meeting each year in London. Good telephone and internet access is essential. Directors are also expected to be available to provide advice and comments between meetings. Board members will be appointed for one three-year term, with the ability to renew for one further three-year term.

We are particularly seeking individuals with the following skills and experience:

Experience of advocacy and/or campaigning work

Experience of advocacy engagement towards governmental and/or multi-lateral agencies

Successful track record of fundraising and ability to support resource mobilisation for IDPC

Experience from outside of the drug policy ‘field’, ideally in a related field such as health, human rights, development

Experience of working within government settings

Experience of financial oversight and management of organisations like IDPC

Experience of human resource oversight and management

Interested individuals should send a CV and a short cover letter outlining why they are interested in joining the Board of IDPC, and highlighting their relevant skills and experience for the Board position. These expressions of interest must be sent to Juan Fernandez (jfernandez@idpc.net) by no later than Friday 20th May 2016.

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