There have been two primary sources of information for the evaluation of progress against the set of objectives and actions listed in the action plan - the latest Annual Report of the European Monitoring Centre on Drugs and Drug Addiction..
The European Commission has circulated a draft of the next action plan to member states for their comments This document is due to be debated by member states' representatives at two meetings of the Horizontal Working Group on Drugs (HDG) held, respectively, on 29 September, and 13/14 October 2008.
In partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and led by the Vienna Non Governmental Organisations Committee on Narcotic Drugs (VNGOC) 300 NGO delegates, from all regions of the world, met to debate and construct a consensus on policy recommendations and on mechanisms for NGOs and the government to work together.
The priorities of the French Presidency of the EU have been published and the fight against drugs and drug addiction has been expressly included as a constant objective essential to the protection of citizens. The French presidency will facilitate the negotiation of the new EU action plan against drugs for 2009 - 2012 and prepare EU positions and strategy for the CND.
Paola Barahona, MPH, a Global Health Policy Associate with Physicians for Human Rights, Washington, is reaching out to friends, family, and colleagues and asking them to consider signing the attached petition to the Government of Iran on behalf of Drs. Kamiar Alaei and Arash Alaei, physician brothers who have been working on HIV and drug use in Iran for many years.
Alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use cause considerable morbidity and mortality, but good cross-national epidemiological data are limited. This paper describes such data from the first 17 countries participating in the World Health Organization's (WHO's) World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative.
Following the call at the AIDS High Level Meeting in New York for more effective HIV prevention amongst injecting drug users, a group of NGOs initiated a sign on letter to senior UN officials pointing out the contradictions between the drive to tackle this problem, and the stigmatisation and marginalisation of drug users that is often part of UN-supported drug control activities.
On June 19, 2008, WOLA Senior Associate John_Walsh testified before Joint Economic Committee of the US Congress (chaired by Senator Jim Webb, Democrat of Virginia) on U.S. drug policy.