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8 February 2016
How Latin America can fix its female incarceration epidemic

How Latin America can fix its female incarceration epidemic

Opening the event at the OAS to launch the policy guide, OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro, emphasized that the injustices caused by the excessive use of incarceration present a grave problem for the Americas and that the guide is a necessary tool to promote policy change.
18 January 2016
INCB President Werner Sipp speaks at CND side event on Portuguese drug policy

INCB President Werner Sipp speaks at CND side event on Portuguese drug policy

At the reconvened 58th CND in Vienna, a number of side events were held on 9th December 2015, including 'Public health as a basis for drug policy in Portugal'. Portuguese government officials spoke at the event, alongside Wolfgang Gotz, Director of European Monitoring Centre on Drugs and Drug Addiction and Werner Sipp, President of the International Narcotics Control Board. The Permanent Representative of Portugal, Pedro Moitinho de Almeida, opened discussions by explaining that the Portuguese policy model is no longer an experiment; instead, it is a success. A decade ago, drugs ranked at the top of the country's problems. As a result of the policies implemented, and the courage of the government to shift from a law enforcement focus to one that centres on public health, this is no longer the case. The Portuguese officials spoke of the originally hostile approach of the UN system toward its decriminalisation; however, since 2009 the World Drug Report was no longer critical. Portugal's system included 'dissuasion panels', with possession falling within administrative law rather than criminal law. In addition, housing, social support and care are addressed: the Portuguese government stresses than the model is not simply one of decriminalisation. The final speaker was Mr Sipp of the INCB. He remarked on the innovative character of Portugal's Law 30/2000, but added that it was not unique, with non-criminal responses to small amounts of drugs for personal use in many other countries in Europe and South America. He argued that what is unique about the system is the use of the Dissuasion Commissions. Mr Sipp also stated that it is not a system of 'legalisation': non-medical use remains prohibited, though instances are not punished by the criminal law. Therefore, the Board has acknowledged that Portugal is fully committed to the objectives of the drug control treaties. After elaborating the place of Portugal's policies within the place of the drug control conventions, the INCB President concluded by saying that it can be considered a model of best practice as the UNGASS approaches. The policy is fully committed to the principles of the conventions, having health and welfare at its core and applying a balanced, comprehensive and integrated approach. Based on the principle of proportionality and respect for human rights, it can show positive results without going outside the present drug control system or legalising the use of drugs. It is a positive response to the policy response in Portugal, which was at one time viewed highly skeptically by the INCB. Nonetheless, there are a great number of nation states around the world where the example of Portugal is remote, and where authoritarian drug policies show no sign of changing. The inclusion in the drug control treaties of an explicit permission for countries to exercise more restrictive policy options than those outlined by the drug control treaties does nothing to improve the lives of people who use drugs. Provisions such as these (Article 39 of the 1961 Convention, Article 23 of the 1971 Convention) are in direct contradiction to the public health orientation the UN is currently attempting to strengthen. Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert. Thumbnail:UNODC
27 November 2015
INCB Members visit Uruguay to meet with government officials

INCB Members visit Uruguay to meet with government officials

A delegation from the INCB, presided by Werner Sipp, has visited Uruguay last Wednesday, 26 November 2015. The three members of the Board met behind closed doors with various officials from the Uruguayan government in charge of the country's drug policy, including Juan Andrés Roballo, President of the National Drug Policy Board [Junta Nacional de Drogas - JND], and the Advisory Scientific Committee [Comité Científico Asesor - CCA] in charge of monitoring the legal market for cannabis. The visit took place against the backdrop of past strong critiques made by the INCB to the country's decision to regulate the cannabis market. In 2013, the INCB and its former President, Raymond Yans, had rebuked the recently approved Uruguayan legislation on the basis that it '[broke] the universally agreed and internationally endorsed legal provisions of the [Conventions on Drug Control]'; a position reiterated by the Board's 2014 Annual Report, which states that the law threatened the health of citizens and weakened international efforts to eradicate drug markets. However, Susan Mallo and Luís Yarzabal, from the Advisory Scientific Committee, have said they appreciated the INCB members' openness and frank interest in understanding the different elements of Uruguayan drug policy. In their view, the Board's disposition seems to have changed from its past 'rigid and insensitive' critiques. Instead, the Board members would have expressed gratitude for the Uruguayan government's transparency and reliance on an objective evidence-base. For more information, click here. Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert. Thumbnail: Wikimedia Commons
13 November 2015
EU Civil Society Forum on Drugs meets in Brussels

EU Civil Society Forum on Drugs meets in Brussels

The meeting was an opportunity for the CSF to discuss and draft recommendations on the UNGASS in an effort to feed into the conclusions of the CSTF, and met with members of the HDG to offer guidance on the EU position around the Special Session.
29 October 2015
INCB opens its 114th Session

INCB opens its 114th Session

INCB President Werner Sipp stated that the Special Session ‘provides a real opportunity to enhance the effectiveness and impact of national and international drug control policy…’ Reviewing the performance of States Parties, he noted the lack in prevention, treatment, harm reduction (‘reduction of negative consequences’), rehabilitation and reintegration.