INCB visit to Denmark in 2011: Notes from BrugerForeningen (Danish Drug Users Union)

On September 28, 2011, BrugerForeningen (BF) - the Danish Drug Users Union - had the honor and pleasure to open our doors for a small but prominent delegation from INCB, lead by Dr. Carola Lander, member of the INCB Board and Mr. Matthew Nice, Drug Control Officer, of the INCB Secretariat, and two secretaries in Denmark on a 3 day mission visiting relevant authorities and BF.

I proudly showed them around BF’s 22 rooms for activities and administration, and revealed to them that all the people they met at BF, even at substitution treatment, were using heroin regularly, nevertheless, still in a civilized, and some lucky ones even in a legalized manner at the relatively newly opened Heroin on Prescription clinic, which was on the mission’s visiting program the following day.

The INCB heard that we were running the union in its 18th year, entirely based upon voluntarily working opiate users. I presented our diminutive user room – and they saw our Opiate Museum, where I pointed and explained that the half kilos replica lump of the finest heroin no. 4 - the UO Globe Brand, is our favourite preference of stimulant. They also saw the 12 patent medicines and opiate based substances in ”household” bottles from 1880s − 1916 – one labelled: ”Anodyne for infants” and another: ”Kopp’s Baby Friends” and several have the ”Skull and crossbones” sign, but still all sold right over the counter and without any prescription in the peaceful era, long before INCB and its predecessors came into power with their prohibition conventions, and started destroying the life and peace for the world's opiate users.

I also told them that the users since 2008 have been successful at building INPUD as a trustworthy International Network of People Using Drugs, representing active drug users as an organization and representative voice, and gathering understanding and support for our common causes, around the world.

The INCB delegation was very polite and asked many questions, and thanked us kindly for opening the BF house which they said they found interesting.

Later I heard from my contact at the Health Ministry that the INCB delegation was “positively amazed” – as he kindly expressed it.

I dare to think it’s more right to say that they were flabbergasted at what they saw and heard.

Most important I really hope that visiting local user unions would be a new trend whenever INCB conducts its mission visits to member countries.

Changes and new eras are coming…

By Joergen Kjaer, President of the Danish Drug Users Union (BrugerForeningen)