Public Health England (PHE) have released a free resource to assist prison staff about new psychoactive substances (NPS) in prisons.

The toolkit has been recently released after the HM Inspectorate of Prisons report ‘Changing patterns of substance misuse in adult prisons and service responses’, published in December 2015, which identified NPS as having “created significant additional harm and are now identified as the most serious threat to the safety and security of the prison system.”

The resource is intended to support custodial, healthcare and substance misuse staff by providing information about the extent of NPS use as PHE currently understand it and about the properties of the various categories of NPS, and by providing advice on how to manage the problem from a clinical, psychosocial and regime perspective.

The toolkit also discusses the various challenges that are associated for healthcare staff, such as the covert nature of use, unpredictable effects the various drugs have, the delay in seeking medical help, as well as multiple challenges for the wider prison regime.

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New psychoactive substances in prisons: A toolkit for prison staff

HIV-related point-of-care testing technologies have become widely available in last the few years and can potentially play a major role in achieving the UNAIDS 90–90–90 targets through increasing access to diagnostics in low- and middle-income countries. However, challenges remain regarding the appropriate use of point-of-care testing to ensure accurate patient results. Maintaining a high quality of testing while increasing access is critical for better patient care.

This handbook, produced by the World Health Organisation, has been created to address the weaknesses identified in existing point-of-care testing programmes and to assist service providers in adhering to a new set of minimum standards that promote and ensure quality assurance for HIV-related point-of-care testing.

This handbook describes the quality assurance cycle, a three-phased process developed to assist health-care providers and stakeholders in planning, implementing and sustaining quality assurance for HIV-related point-of-care testing.

Improving the quality of HIV-related point-of-care testing: Ensuring the reliability and accuracy of test results

Fom October 1-3, 2015 a regional meeting of NGOs, policy makers and scientists/researchers from the countries of Southeast Europe, was organized by Diogenis Association in Belgrade, to discuss the UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs (UNGASS, April 2016) and its significance for Southeast Europe. The meeting closed with the formulation of some conclusions relevant for the situation in the SEE countries.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.

The UNGASS 2016 and its significance for SEE: Statement of NGOs in South East Europe

This chapter describes four main displacement effects of the supply-reduction strategy in Latin America: the “balloon effect” (the displacement of the targeted activity to another location), the “cockroach/diaspora effect” (the displacement of the targeted criminal groups to another territory), the “butterfly effect” (the displacement of the impact of state intervention), and the “short-sheet effect” (the displacement of budget priorities).

To explore recent changes in the drug market and organized crime in the region, the chapter analyzes cocaine trafficking in 2000-2013, identifying a tipping point of the supply-reduction strategy in 2006-2008. In the tipping point, three sets of policy changes with respect to drug production and trafficking were introduced. First, Colombia shifted tactics in drug interdiction and weakened the major criminal organizations; second, Mexico intensified its offensive against trafficking organizations; and, third, the United States stepped up its control over its Southwest border with Mexico.

Displacement effects of supply‐reduction policies in Latin America

This new publication in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization discusses the issues of morphine shortage in Egypt today.

Medical treatment is the main element in cancer pain management and for most patients, relatively inexpensive drugs like morphine are effective. For many years, morphine has been on the World Health Organization (WHO) model list of essential medicines as the strong opioid of choice because of its suitability for management of moderate to severe cancer pain. However, global data on licit opioid consumption shows very low levels in many countries, suggesting that pain control may be inadequate for a large number of patients worldwide, and Egypt is one of these countries. This represents a great inequality between people in countries with access to such essential medication and people in countries without sufficient medication access.

A shortage of oral morphine in Egypt

A central task for the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) is to produce an annual report of the latest data available on drug demand and drug supply in Europe. This paper is intended to facilitate a better understanding of, and easier access to, the main quantitative European level data sets available in 2015.

The European reporting system formally covers all 28 European Union (EU) Member States, Norway and Turkey and incorporates multiple indicators alongside an early warning system (EWS) on uncontrolled new psychoactive substances (NPS). While epidemiological information is based largely on registries, surveys and other routine data reported annually, the EWS collects case-based data on an ongoing basis. The 2015 reporting exercise is centred primarily on a set of standardized reporting tools.

The most recent data provided by European countries are presented, including data on drug use, drug-related morbidity and mortality, treatment demand, drug markets and new psychoactive substances, with data tables provided and methodological information. A number of key results are highlighted for illustrative purposes.

The drug situation in Europe: An overview of available data

The 3rd newsletter of the Drug Policy Network South East Europe covers the period November to December 2015 and covers topics such as:

The UNGASS regional consultation meeting between Eastern Europe and Central Asia

The “Drug Startegy and Drug legislation” meetings in Albania and Serbia

The opening of the 1st rehabilitation center for female addicts

20 years of preventing drug addiction in Novi Sad

Drug Policy Network SEE Newsletter No 4 

Almost three months after the Brocher symposium: 

, the report examines the outcome of this successful event. Discussions revealed the need for and challenges of a truly multidisciplinary debate, and new partnerships are explored. The executive summary of the symposium report reflects briefly what issues emerged from the contributions and discussions.

Equitable access to controlled medicine: Between drug control and human rights in post-market access in low-and middle-income countries

The United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the World Drug Problem in April 2016 provides a unique opportunity to review the impact of the existing international drug control system on the health and well-being of mankind. The development and implementation of drug control policies have a significant impact on health and rights. Addressing HIV among people who inject drugs is one of the major avenues to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

UNAIDS welcomes the stronger health and rights approach that is emerging in current drug control debates in the context of the 2016 UNGASS on the World Drug Problem. This trend needs to be translated into concrete operational and measurable commitments by Member States.

 A public health and rights approach to drugs

Globalisation has facilitated cultural exchange between indigenous traditions and Western practices, which has led to a growing interest in the ritual, religious and therapeutic use of ayahuasca

Indigenous peoples in the Amazon have used ayahuasca for centuries as a remedy for physical and psychological health, and to ensure the life and wellbeing of their communities. In the past two decades, the use of this decoction has expanded beyond Amazon indigenous spheres. Globalisation, and with it the contact between populations, has facilitated cultural exchange between indigenous traditions and Western practices, which has led to a growing interest in the ritual, religious and therapeutic use of ayahuasca.

People who participate in the sessions have a positive perception of its use; while most scientific research over the past decade supports the subsequent benefits attributed to it. But the increased use of ayahuasca has not been free from challenges, such as its excessive commercialisation in the Amazon, linked to ayahuasca tourism, or the exploitation of natural resources used for its preparation. Despite not being a controlled substance at the international level, and not banned in almost any national jurisdiction, in recent years there have been an extraordinary number of detentions and judicial prosecutions in Europe, the United States and Latin America for ayahuasca importation and use. This contradiction has produced a number of uncertainties regarding its legal and political status, which varies between countries.

In this policy brief, ICEERS and TNI offer an analysis of the challenges associated with the globalisation of ayahuasca.

Ayahuasca: From the Amazon to the global village

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will convene a Special Session (UNGASS) on the world drug problem in April 2016, three years ahead of its regular review of the ten-year plan of action to ‘counter’ drugs planned in 2019. Convening this Special Session illustrates the need for new approaches to respond to drug use, for a review of international drug policies and an open dialogue on all aspects relating to drug use. Though the General Assembly named the Commission on Narcotic Drugs as the leading entity for the preparatory process of the UNGASS 2016, it also introduced an innovation in the process by calling for input from all other UN entities.

As the UNGASS approaches, the Geneva-based organisations with mandates on human rights and health have a major role to play in the global debate on drug policies. This working paper reviews how the mandate of the major UN entities and international organisations based in Geneva covers drug policy, their current contribution to the UNGASS process, and suggests pathways to strengthen their involvement in the debate on drugs. The paper focuses on the impact of the current drug control approaches on the work of the World Health Organisation, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Human Rights Council, the International Labour Organisation, the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. With the identification and acknowledgement of the shortcomings of the current drug control system on health and human rights, the involvement of the Geneva-based organisations should positively influence the course of the debate around UNGASS 2016 and beyond.

UNGASS 2016 on the world drug problem

I have the honour to address you in my capacity as United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health (right to health), pursuant to General Assembly resolution 57/5 and Human Rights Council resolution 24/6.

In connection, please accept this letter in the context of the reconvened 58th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, which will take place in Vienna from 9 to 11 December 2015, as part of the preparations for the UN General Assembly Special Session on the Drug Problem (UNGASS), scheduled to take place in New York in April 2016.

I welcome the UNGASS process which is an important opportunity to reflect upon the achievements and challenges of international drug control, and its impact upon the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms. For two decades, the UN General Assembly has consistently called for drug control to be carried out “in full conformity” with the UN Charter and international law and standards, specifically, human rights. While such language is welcome, it becomes meaningless unless underpinned by clear and explicit human rights standards and principles. Right now, this pledge only represents a consensus based commitment repeated in different fora that remains far from being realized.

As Special Rapporteur on the right to health, I am concerned about the lack of explicit and clear human rights standards and commitments in the current negotiations for the UNGASS outcome document. While human rights is included as a theme, it has played a very minor role in the negotiations to date, and risks becoming a hollow opening paragraph with no meaningful debate, development or follow up.

Recalling the commitment made by the 2005 World Summit ‘to support further mainstreaming of human rights throughout the United Nations system’, Member States must ensure this commitment is upheld as they develop the substantive elements of the UNGASS discussions. Human rights must be a cross-cutting issue informing all discussions at the high-level general debate, and thematic workshops.

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