Increasing involvement of transnational organized criminal groups in ATS drug trade pose a growing security threat in the region, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
The Red Crescent Society of Tajikistan marked the World AIDS Day with an awareness-raising campaign where young volunteers from the National Society warned their peers about the dangers and consequences of HIV and AIDS, chronicled the history of this disease, and gave an overview of the current situation in Tajikistan and elsewhere.
In the past few years, Russia has emerged as a self-proclaimed leader in the fight against HIV. Yet rates of HIV infection are skyrocketing among Russia’s own population as a result of the government’s negligence, discriminatory policies, and hostility towards evidence-based practices.
Undercover American narcotics agents have laundered or smuggled millions of dollars in drug proceeds as part of Washington’s expanding role in Mexico’s fight against drug cartels, according to current and former federal law enforcement officials.
The Open Society Foundations announced the appointment of Christopher Stone as its next president, effective July 2012. For almost three decades the Open Society Foundations have been committed to promoting justice, human rights, health, and education around the world.
A United Nations-appointed expert is urging Vietnam’s government to close down rehabilitation centers for drug users and sex workers following criticism of abuses by an international rights group, calling them “counterproductive.”
On December 5, 2011, the Romanian Government issued a new Emergency Ordinance which amends the current legislation on drugs. The new provision simplifies the procedures for amending the lists with controlled substances: from now on it will be easier to criminalise a new substance, once identified.
Initiative for Health, a harm reduction NGO, organised the first street action in Bulgaria to promote drug policy reform. The event was part of a coordinated international advocacy campaign of the European Drug Policy Initiative.
Since the last update in September, the Count the Costs project of Transform has gone from strength to strength, with new materials, supporters and activities. The main aim of the initiative is to mainstream the drugs issue into sectors that are affected by the drug war, but have yet to engage with it.
There is no simple, straightforward fix to America's drug problem. Successfully combating this social challenge and reducing the toll substance abuse takes on our nation requires a broad approach that blends drug treatment, smart law enforcement and effective alternatives to incarceration. With these proven public health and public safety strategies, we can break the vicious cycle of drug use and crime, thereby saving countless lives and taxpayer dollars and helping to make it possible for all Americans to achieve their full potential.
Leading international experts in prevention research will meet in Lisbon from 8–9 December to examine the influence of social and economic environments on substance use. Over 100 participants from some 20 countries will gather at the 2nd International Conference of the European Society for Prevention Research (EUSPR), hosted by the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA).
The Case Study Database –Banco de Injustiças in Portuguese aims to promote a debate among legal professionals about the absence of basic constitutional principles in Brazil’s Drug Laws such as the right to health care, limits on the punitive power of the State and, above all, the democratic spirit of the rule of law.
