After several marathon inter-sessional meetings in 2013, where a slightly different cohort of delegates debated contentious paragraphs of the proposed ‘Joint Ministerial Statement’, many representatives voiced disbelief that they were having to go over it all again and somehow come to a new consensus with new colleagues.
Ahead of the High-Level Segment on the world drug problem to take place on 13th and 14th January 2014, the UNODC Executive Director, Yuri Fedotov, has released his "contributions" to the debate.
In the month of December 2013, the Policy Team under the European Union-funded Asia Action project organized two events aimed towards improving the human rights environment surrounding people living with HIV and people who use drugs.
A worrying bill proposes an increase in the administrative fines imposed for the possession of small quantities of cannabis for personal use up to a minimum of 1,001 euros and a maximum of 30,000 euros.
The INCB and UNODC statements on Uruguay cannabis legalisation were ill-prepared, politicised and undiplomatic, what is surprising due the fact that they were aware of Uruguay’s plan in advance.
The 17th ICASA, held in Cape Town, was more focused on drug use and drug policy than the 2011 conference, but much more needs to be done at the upcoming 2015 conference in Tunisia.
On 11th December 2013, the International Narcotics Control Board issued a press release on the cannabis legislation approved by Uruguay's Congress the evening before.
Mauritius has one of the highest prevalence of drug use per capita, with high rates of heroin injection, but the possession of a syringe is considered as a criminal offence.