Over 120 German professors of criminal law are supporting an initiative to legalize cannabis. They have called on the Bundestag to discuss the issue. Merkel's coalition is skeptical.

Around 3 million Germans regularly smoke marijuana. Some 14 million are estimated to have tried the drug at least once. It's not punishable by law in Germany to use pot, but it is to sell and grow it.

Several legal experts believe that criminal prosecution of cannabis users doesn't serve the desired purpose. Lorenz Böllinger, emeritus professor of criminal law at Bremen University, founded the ‘Schildow Circle' two years ago. It now consists of 122 criminal law professors who are campaigning to legalize the sale and ownership of marijuana.

In November 2013, the group called on the lower house of parliament to set up a cross-party working group to look into Germany's narcotics laws and assess the efficacy of current drug policies. Now, two opposition groups in the Bundestag, the Greens and the Left party, have agreed to back the idea. Lorenz Böllinger hopes that some Social Democrats could follow suit. At least 120 parliamentarians are needed for the commission to be set up. The two opposition groups alone have 127 seats in the parliament.

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German law professors demand cannabis legalisation

Today, the Healthy Options Project Skopje (HOPS) celebrates 

 It is an immense pleasure for us to be able to celebrate this jubilee. In the past years, HOPS has been building its credibility among the communities for which it exists and works, but also among all the concerned parties connected to the policies on respect, care and support for the marginalized communities in the Republic of Macedonia.

In 15 years, HOPS became an organization with a clear mission for promotion, respect and protection of the human rights and freedoms towards improvement of health and socioeconomic status of all people, especially drug users, sex workers and other marginalized groups, based on the principles of harm reduction, by equal access to services, community strengthening, capacity building, research, analyses and advocacy.

It is on days like this that we look back on our beginnings, we remember the previous years and the respective accomplishments, we remember the challenges we faced and the solutions we came up with. On days like this, we have a great opportunity to thank all those who were involved in this continuous, successful story, and also to give ourselves the proper recognition for all that we’ve accomplished.

In its working, HOPS was primarily focused on improving the status of the drug users and the sex workers, as well as the status of all the other marginalized groups in the society.

On the other hand, HOPS gave its full support in the formation of other civil organizations with mission similar to its own, both in Skopje and throughout Macedonia, who have the potential to work with similar communities. HOPS works as a mentor and assistant in the work that these organizations do and their access to the users.

In its efforts for advocacy, creation, modification and implementation of policies in favor of drug users and sex workers as well as other marginalized groups, HOPS collaborates with the public institutions, the decision makers, the policy makers, the donors and the international organizations both in and outside of Macedonia who operate in the same field of work.

In 2010, HOPS received the International Award for Action on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights, awarded by the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and Human Rights Watch, as a recognition for the successful work in the respective fields of work.

The first 15 years of HOPS have been more than successful. The success poses a challenge for future accomplishments, for achieving the vision of the organization and the vision of a society in which everyone enjoys their human rights and freedoms, as well as social, health and economic welfare.

HOPS celebrates its 15 years of existence

Two doctors, with a senior researcher from Human Rights Watch, tell us that physicians all over the world must come together to demand the removal of unnecessary red tape blocking access to essential medicines.

Doctors demand change in policy

, PhD, represented the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) at the Vienna NGO Coalition on Drug Policy in Austria. She explains how the Commission on Narcotic Drugs is changing its view of access to essential medicines for palliative care.

The issue of lack of access to opioid analgesics in 80% of the world, drew unprecedented attention at the recent High Level Segment of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and the annual (57th) session held on 13/14 March in Vienna. Although the WHO (World Health Organization) classifies opioids such as morphine, used for the relief of severe pain, and methodone used for dependency treatment, as “essential medicines,” access to both is internationally restricted, since they are “scheduled” under the three drug control treaties supervised by the CND. Palliative care physicians in lower and middle-income countries confront multiple legal and regulatory barriers in accessing controlled medicines.

Two side events and a series of speeches by member states in plenary sessions educated delegates on the harmful health effects of national and international drug control policies. Member states were urged to make public health the cornerstone of drug policy and to review the effects of harsh law enforcement on access to essential medicines for palliative care and harm reduction.

Access to essential medicines for palliative care: Report from the 57th Commission on Narcotic Drugs

Poland's drug law is the second most restrictive in Europe, after that of Belarus. The Polish Drug Policy Network is arguing for an immediate change to the Law on Counteracting Drug Addiction, while seeking to ease the draconian rules with temporary measures.

Until 2012, the harsh Polish drug law gave prosecutors and judges only one option in respect of illicit drug use and low-level possession - to send Polish citizens to prison, in line with Article 62 of the Law on Counteracting Drug Addiction. A year and a half ago, amendment 62A was passed, giving prosecutors discretion not to proceed with minor cases involving "small amounts" of a drug. The amendment did not, however, provide any definition of a “small amount”, nor did it include a drug quantity table as an Appendix. This omission has led to a situation where the provision has not been widely used, despite the large number of relevant cases, with someone being arrested on suspicion of possessing illegal drugs every seventeen minutes in Poland today - a total of 30,000 people a year.

Polish legal system needs a clear definition of "small amounts" of drugs

A court in the Czech Republic has set precise new standards for prosecuting the possession of illegal drugs, replacing a vague limit of "more than a small amount."

A Supreme Court ruling released Wednesday makes it illegal to possess more than 1.5 grams (0.05 ounce) of heroin, 1 gram of cocaine, 10 grams of marijuana or 1.5 grams of methamphetamine. Lesser amounts will be considered a misdemeanor punishable by a fine.

Wednesday's ruling came after the Constitutional Court last year canceled part of the penal code that allowed the government to set such rules.

Czech court sets rules on drug possession

The rural farmers who are negatively impacted by aerial fumigation in Colombia are one of the most overlooked groups affected by the continuing drug conflict in the South American nation.

The livelihoods and health of small-scale farmers are continuously threatened by the damaging effects of chemical pesticides dropped from government-contracted planes in Colombia’s remote regions. ‘Aerial fumigation’ targets the rural areas where coca cultivation is possible.

Colombia is one of the largest producers of cocaine in the world. The profitability of drug growing, production and trafficking has contributed to a decades old conflict in the country between left-wing, right-wing groups and non-ideological drug gangs struggling for control of the trade.

The victims of Colombia's aerial fumigation

Federal health regulators approved a drug overdose treatment device on Thursday that experts say will provide a powerful lifesaving tool in the midst of a surging epidemic of prescription drug abuse. Similar to an EpiPen used to stop allergic reactions to bee stings, the easy-to-use injector — small enough to tuck into a pocket or a medicine cabinet — can be used by the relatives or friends of people who have overdosed.

The hand-held device, called Evzio, delivers a single dose of naloxone, a medication that reverses the effects of an overdose, and will be used on those who have stopped breathing or lost consciousness from an opioid drug overdose. Naloxone is the standard treatment in such circumstances, but until now, has been available mostly in hospitals and other medical settings, when it is often used too late to save the patient.

US Federal health regulators approved the use of a substance that reverses the effects of drug overdoses.

Hand-held treatment for overdoses is approved in the USA

Russia is home to the world's fastest-growing HIV epidemic. Driven by injection drug use, it is now becoming generalized. A zero-tolerance policy toward drug use in the country bans harm reduction tools and treatment. For many drug users, the only choice is to quit drugs entirely or go to prison.

Outreach workers like Max supply clean needles and health information. Now, with the help of an online network, Max, a former intravenous drug user, also provides legal advice to help people access treatment and overcome abuses in the justice system.

This video features the situation of drug users in Russia and the will of a former drug user to provide legal advice to help people who use drugs to have access to treatment.

In Russia, the fight against HIV goes online 

Monitoring and responding to HIV and hepatitis C among people who inject drugs (PWID) is the focus of two new reports from the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The reports are the result of two expert meetings organised by the agencies last autumn which brought together key stakeholders from the areas of drug monitoring and infectious disease surveillance.

The meetings had their roots in an ECDC–EMCDDA regional assessment of HIV trends, risks and prevention coverage among PWID conducted in mid-2013. This assessment had identified a low level of prevention coverage in at least one third of European countries, constituting a potential risk of increased HIV transmission among this group.

The first expert meeting held in Bucharest (18–19 November 2013) — 

Detecting and responding to outbreaks of HIV among PWID

 — provided an important opportunity for sharing knowledge and best practice among experts from six countries in the south and south-east of the European region (Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Malta, Romania and Slovakia). The participants heard about the Greek response to an HIV outbreak among PWID, which started in 2011, and the subsequent scaling up of prevention interventions. This had been guided by monitoring data and research findings and resulted in significant progress in curbing the epidemic. Participants also discussed the situation in Romania, the second country to report an HIV outbreak since 2011. This outbreak has seen additional challenges associated with: high rates of co-infections; changing patterns of drug use among PWID; and the need to address funding gaps through a coordinated country-level response.

The second meeting, a regional Reitox Academy held in Tallinn (21–22 November 2013) — 

Monitoring trends in and responses to drug-related infectious diseases among people who inject drugs

 — contributed to maximising synergies at national level between institutions and experts in the fields of drug monitoring and infectious disease surveillance in four countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland). The event helped participants from both fields to deepen their knowledge and mutual understanding of the situation; fostered joint initiatives at national level and further strengthened collaboration between neighbouring countries in the Baltic Sea region.

Both meetings acknowledged the critical role and added value of collaboration between the EU agencies in assessing risk and providing technical support to countries as well as in informing policies with evidence-based guidance.

Experts examined progress and defined common priorities regarding actions to be taken forward at national level (e.g. improvements in screening and prevention coverage) and recognised the key role of monitoring and surveillance for evaluating whether prevention efforts to are adequate to avert outbreaks.

EMCDDA and ECDC facilitate sub-regional exchange of knowledge and best practice in monitoring and preventing drug-related infections

This video features information on drug use and harm reduction services for young people in some European countries.

Drugs, harms and youth 

Uruguay is considering using medical marijuana to treat prison inmates addicted to a crude and cheap form of cocaine, one of the country's top health officials said at the United Nations.

The South American country made headlines last year when it became the first in the world to legalize the sale of marijuana. Now, as Uruguay prepares to implement its pioneering legislation, health leaders are considering possible uses for medical forms of marijuana -- including in prisons, where many of the incarcerated are addicted to drugs.

"Pasta base" -- also known as "paco" -- is cocaine base paste, a byproduct of the cocaine refining process. The cheap drug swept through Uruguay and neighboring Argentina during the 2000s, leaving public health officials struggling to control its fallout.

Research on medical marijuana's efficacy in treating addiction to other, "hard" drugs like pasta base appears limited. But other countries, such as Colombia, have begun considering projects seeking to use marijuana to treat addicts.

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