George Charlton’s T-shirt is emblazoned with the words “nice people take drugs” in vibrant neon orange. George is sitting in the offices of Addaction, one of the UK’s leading drug and alcohol charities, in Redcar, in the north-east of England, looking out over the town’s esplanade and the North Sea beyond.

“I like these T-shirts,” he says. “I like to go into the Co-op on a Monday morning and have someone do a double take and say: ‘Really? Are you mad wearing that?’ It allows us to have a conversation. They’ll say: ‘You’re a decent lad,’ and I’ll say I was a problematic drug user for 15 years. Nice people do take drugs.”

George is a force of nature. He’s hard to contain. He speaks rapidly and enthusiastically about life, love and his work as a drug-user activist. He’s a qualified counsellor and offers mentoring and training to people affected by drugs.

What he defines as his life’s purpose emerged from 15 years of problematic drug use of his own. “My drug of choice was ‘more’,” he says. “It was more of anything I could get my hands on.”

He works tirelessly across the country on a range of projects but his focus at the moment is here in Redcar and Cleveland, where together with Addaction he is rolling out a pioneering project designed to save lives.

Under the project, a team of peers – people with lived experience of drug issues – take an intravenously administered medication called naloxone out on to the streets and train members of the community, including active drug users, in how to use it. The main life-threatening effect of an opioid overdose is to slow down or stop breathing. Naloxone blocks this effect and reverses breathing difficulties.

The majority of people who access naloxone do so through drug treatment or harm reduction services, but studies show people outside of structured drug treatment are most likely to die of a drug-related cause, so taking it out on to the streets is key.

George is joined in the Addaction offices by his team of four peers, or “naloxone champions”, dressed in matching azure hoodies. Jimmy, Chris, Andy and Nicky all pile in, laughing, talking over each other, excited about the day. Over cups of tea and chocolate biscuits, they complete a hectic “check-in”, one by one sharing with the room how they are feeling. They are “buzzing”, “excited”, “nervous” and “ready to save lives”.

'I feel like I have a purpose': People who used drugs working to save lives in the UK

Philippines officials involved in the country’s bloody drug war and a subsequent crackdown on opposition are finally facing official condemnation and repercussions from the United States. The drug war—including extrajudicial killings of people suspected to use or sell drugs by both law enforcement and vigilantes—was estimated by the country’s Human Rights Commission to have caused as many as 27,000 deaths by December 2018. It began in 2016.

On January 8, the US Senate agreed to a resolution that condemns, among other things, the state-sanctioned killings and the detention of Philippines Senator Leila De Lima, a prominent critic of the drug war. The resolution also called on President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on implicated security forces and government officials. A few weeks prior, Trump had signed a spending bill that banned officials “involved in the wrongful imprisonment” of De Lima from entering the US.

Among the Philippines officials who have now been denied US visas is Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, dubbed the “architect” of the violent crackdown led by President Rodrigo Duterte. On January 22, Dela Rosa told reporters that he believes the denial of his visa is because of his involvement in extrajudicial killings, rather than the detainment of De Lima.

It seems as though he was anticipating this. Dela Rosa missed a July 2019 boxing match in Las Vegas “because I might just be barred and be embarrassed. I had been hearing rumors even prior to the fight,” he told reporters in December, just a week before Trump signed the bill blocking his colleagues.

US finally condemns and sanctions Philippines drug warriors

MANILA (Reuters) - Colonel Romeo Caramat oversaw the bloodiest day in the blood-soaked war on drugs in the Philippines – 32 people killed in 24 hours in the province north of Manila where he was police chief in 2017.

Now the head of drug enforcement for the Philippine National Police, Caramat said that ultra-violent approach to curbing illicit drugs had not been effective.

“Shock and awe definitely did not work,” he told Reuters in an interview, speaking out for the first time on the issue. “Drug supply is still rampant.”

Caramat said the volume of crime had decreased as a result of the drug war, but users could still buy illegal drugs “any time, anywhere” in the Philippines.

He said he now favored a new strategy. Rather than quickly arresting or killing low-level pushers and couriers, he wants to put them under surveillance in the hope they lead police to “big drug bosses”.

Three and a half years after President Rodrigo Duterte launched a war on drugs in the Philippines with a call to kill addicts and traffickers, his signature policy has failed in many key objectives, according to police officers, health professionals and government officials.

Duterte’s spokesman, Salvador Panelo, did not respond to requests for comment on Caramat’s statements. But in a statement on Jan. 6 responding to a request from Reuters for comment on the anti-drug campaign, Panelo said “we are winning the war on drugs”.

Duterte, however, has repeatedly said in recent speeches and interviews that the anti-drugs campaign has fallen short, blaming endemic corruption for undermining enforcement and the absence of a death penalty for failing to deter crime.

Critics say that problems with the drug war run deeper, pointing to a failure to target high-level drug traffickers, cut the supply of drugs and invest in rehabilitation.

“Heavy suppression efforts marked by extra-judicial killings and street arrests were not going to slow down demand,” said Jeremy Douglas, the Southeast Asia and Pacific representative for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Bangkok.

“There has to be a focus on prevention and public health, coupled with intelligent policing that takes on transnational crime.”

Exclusive: 'Shock and awe' has failed in Philippines drug war, enforcement chief says

The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) stands in support of the HIV2020 conference in Mexico City, which has been created in solidarity with communities who are unable or unwilling to participate in AIDS2020, which will be taking place in the United States.

HIV2020 is an alternative event led by key population networks – following the decision to hold AIDS2020 in San Francisco and Oakland, meaning that many individuals (including people who use drugs) will be unable to attend due to US laws and the Trump administration’s discriminatory immigration laws, detention and family separation policies, and deteriorating human rights conditions.

HIV2020 is informed by a mutually agreed upon set of values and principles:

: ensuring diverse voices are heard and reflected, including the broadening of GIPA principles to ensure the meaningful involvement of key populations. ‘Nothing about us, without us.'

-led programs and solutions that amplify community voices and show community commitments to global health and human rights responses.

: ensuring communities are equal partners (or leaders) in new research, tools, policies and strategies.

Linking global, regional and local networks through activities that strengthen global, regional and national advocacy for local impact.

IDPC has already formally endorsed the conference and supports the INPUD Statement. More information about the event can be found on the official website – https://www.hiv2020.org/ – as well as on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

IDPC Statement of support for ‘HIV2020: Community reclaiming the response’

The UK government has announced a summit focused on reducing the impact of problem drug use that will bring together a variety of experts from across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The announcement was made by Minister for Crime, Policing and the Fire Service Kit Malthouse at a meeting of the Scottish Affairs Select Committee on the 23rd of October.

The summit will be held in Glasgow, and the intention is for it to take place before Christmas. It will provide an update on Dame Carol Black’s review of drugs, which is due to report later this year.

The meeting will also provide an opportunity to discuss the issues of drug use across the UK, share best practice on common goals and identify areas for closer collaboration.

Speaking after the committee meeting, the minister said:

“The number of drug deaths across the UK is extremely concerning, particularly the figures for Scotland. We should continue to work closely at all levels and across the nations of the UK to tackle the issue of drug misuse.

Drug summit in Glasgow announced by UK government

A single dose of psilocybin, the compound found in magic mushrooms, can have anti-anxiety and anti-depressant effects which can last for nearly five years after being administered, new research suggests.

Researchers at New York University's Grossman School of Medicine said that the compound, when given to patients alongside psychotherapy, resulted in improvements in emotional and existential distress in cancer patients.

The use of the drug was first detailed in a landmark study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology in 2016, where the new research has also been published.

It found that psilocybin "produced immediate, substantial, and sustained improvements in anxiety and depression" in cancer patients, who can often be demoralised by the disease.

A follow-up assessment half a year after the dose found up to 80% of participants had clinically significant reductions in their depression or anxiety, as well as improved attitudes toward death.

Psilocybin: Magic mushroom compound provides anti-anxiety effect that lasts years, study finds

The Colombian government has published a proposed law that will allow it to resume a controversial program of aerial fumigation of coca crops using glyphosate, a weed-killer thought to cause cancer in people exposed to it regularly and in high doses.

“The resumption of the spraying would increase the capacity of the Colombian state to confront drug trafficking in less time and in a more effective way,” said Colombia’s Ministry of Justice in a statement announcing the decree in late December.

The decree, similar in legal status to an executive order in the U.S., calls for a program of new crop-spraying flights, with national police oversight. The plans are in the final stage of their passage to law, and spraying is expected to begin “in the second half of this year,” said Ricardo Vargas, an expert in crop fumigation and coca at National University of Colombia.

The proposals by the Colombian president, Ivan Duque – after a five year hiatus in coca spraying – have been criticized by local government officials, environmentalists, drug policy experts and rural communities living under the proposed toxic flight paths.

Colombia: We’ll spray toxic chemicals to keep Americans from doing drugs

Vienna (Austria), 20 January 2020 - The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with the support of the Government of Canada, convened 50 experts from 25 countries and 5 international organisations from 14 to 16 January to contribute their expertise and experience to an initiative on how to address stigma around substance use.

Stigma is an enormous challenge in the field of psychoactive substances, including controlled substances, strongly and negatively affecting people with substance use disorders, their families and friends, as well as the services that they are offered and seek.

Research shows that stigma around substance use is much higher than that around mental health disorders and that it amplifies the negative health and social effects of substance use, including the burden of the disease and mortality.

In recognition of this situation, the Government of Canada, together with Uruguay and Bolivia, tabled a resolution at the 61st session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, which was endorsed with the co-sponsorship of 19 other Member States: 61/11 "Promoting non-stigmatizing attitudes to ensure the availability of, access to and delivery of health, care and social services for drug users". As a follow-up to the Resolution, UNODC, with the support of the Government of Canada, launched an initiative on how to address stigma around substance use.

Inclusion, not exclusion: UNODC addresses stigma around substance use

In June 2019, WHO announced the revision of two pain management guidelines. A full web statement on this revision can be found here.

The document “Ensuring balance in national policies on controlled substances: Guidance for availability and accessibility of controlled medicines (2011)” is being revised in accordance to the methods and procedures outlined in WHO Handbook for Guideline Development.

The new guideline will assist policy makers as well as programme managers and experts in countries in the formulation and implementation of balanced policies to ensure access to and safe use of controlled medicines while preventing their diversion, misuse and harm to health.

As part of the revision of this document, WHO is carrying out an online public hearing on the scope of the guideline on 

Additional information on how to register for this public hearing can be found here . The deadline to register interest in submitting a written or oral statement at the public hearing is 11 February.

For any further queries, please contact controlled.medicines@who.int

WHO guideline on ensuring balanced national policies for access and safe use of controlled medicines - Revision process

KUALA LUMPUR: The Pakatan Harapan (PH) government aims to decriminalise drug possession for personal use before the end of its first term.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly indicated this as the “timeline” when asked about the plans that it had announced last year.

“We have put (in) the timeline and policy appropriately and whatever we need to embark on will be based on proper scientific evidence based on discussions with the group.

“It’s going to be a journey and we are going to take baby steps but we are committed," he told reporters on the sidelines of a conference on Malaysia's drug policy at Universiti Malaya today.

In June last year, Dr Dzulkefly made the announcement that the government was set to introduce a “significant game-changer policy” of decriminalising drugs, as reported by AFP.

The proposal included removing criminal penalties for possession and usage of drugs in small amounts.

On the backlash he would face as a minister of health and a member of an Islamist political party, the Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) strategy director today said he was taking up the matter in the interest of the nation and Malaysians.

Malaysia's Pakatan Harapan aims to decriminalise drug possession for personal use before end of 1st term

Health advocates say a safe supply of opioids is critical to help prevent people from overdosing on tainted street drugs.

Now, a pilot project in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside provides some high-risk users with access to an automated machine that dispenses opioids prescribed by a doctor.

The machine, called MySafe, is stocked with hydromorphone tablets that are released on a pre-determined schedule to high-risk opioid users. A user must scan their palm on the machine to identify themselves. The machine recognizes each individual by verifying the vein pattern in their hand and then dispenses their prescription.

Made of steel and bolted to the floor, MySafe resembles an ATM or vending machine. It logs every package that is released and sends that information to a web feed that only program administrators can access.

Thousands of Canadians have lost their lives to the opioid crisis. In British Columbia, close to 5,000 people have died from overdoses since the province declared a public health emergency in 2016.

A toxic drug supply, often contaminated by a powerful opioid called fentanyl, is responsible for at least 80 per cent of overdose deaths in B.C. in the past three years, according to the province's coroners service.

"I think the only ethical response in this situation is to at least give people an alternative of a safe pharmaceutical drug that they will not overdose on," said MySafe founder and infectious disease doctor Mark Tyndall.

Tyndall says unlike methadone treatment, which is considered an abstinence-based program and helps addicts only with cravings and withdrawal symptoms, prescribed hydromorphone still gives users a high without the risk of death.

Vancouver's drug-dispensing machine: Why it exists and how it works

Black and Asian men are more likely to be jailed for drug dealing offences in England and Wales than white men, a study of 14,000 people suggests.

The Sentencing Council looked at the penalties received by defendants aged 26-50 for possession with intent to supply from April 2012 to March 2015.

Its analysis also found men were more likely to be jailed than women.

The council said it was seeking views on whether its sentencing guidelines could lead to discrimination.

Its study found that for possession with intent to supply a class B drug, 37% of white offenders would be expected to receive an immediate custodial sentence, compared with 46% of Asian, 44% of black and 46% of Chinese and other ethnicities.

For a class A substance, around 93% of white offenders, 95% of Asian offenders and 95% of black offenders would be expected to be jailed.

The length of sentence also differed, with Asian offenders being jailed for an average of 4% longer, equal to around one month extra, than white counterparts.

Black and other ethnicity offenders did not have statistically different sentence lengths to white offenders.

The researchers also compared men and women and found 37% of men would be expected to be jailed for possession with intent to supply a class B drug, compared with 20% of women.

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