The governments of Costa Rica, Guatemala and Mexico all called for developing more effective responses to drug trafficking based on promoting public health, respect for human rights and harm reduction.
Years of grassroots advocacy on pain management and the lack of opioid analgesics spurred the AU to invite the INCB to advise on how the global drug control treaties could serve to ensure availability of narcotic drugs for medical and scientific requirements.
This is a brief account of the INCB's visit to Malaysia in September, where it met with the AADK and NGOs to discuss Cure and Care centres and other drug policy issues in the country.
A coalition of Thai NGOs asked the government to decriminalise kratom and support more research into its pharmacology and its potential as a substitute in the treatment of dependence.
The 8th Thailand National Conference on Substance Abuse covered current debates such as the voluntary, community-based treatment, the trends of drug use in the country or the decriminalisation of kratom.
Links between HIV and overdose are close and overdose prevention programmes help to strengthen HIV programmes and prevent the spread of HIV among people who inject drugs.
This Forum gathered 18 researchers and social stakeholders from across Europe, North America and Latin America, to discuss the current role of the coca leaf, its production/industrialisation, future markets and modern uses beyond Bolivia.
