On May 7th, International Harm Reduction Day will be an opportunity to promote evidence-based drug policies based on public health and human rights. Get involved!

 to get more information about the event.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.

1st International Harm Reduction Day

This is Canada's first national trauma conference, which will take place in Alliston in Ontorio from 7th to 8th May 2014. On 6th May there will be a pre-conference session.

 for more details about the conference and the venue.

Grounding Trauma

Last December, Uruguay’s Senate gave final approval to legislation creating the world’s first national framework to legally regulate the cultivation, distribution, and use of cannabis for medical, industrial, and recreational purposes. The detailed rules governing Uruguay’s recreational cannabis market are scheduled to be released this month, with guidelines for the medical system expected later this year.

Uruguay’s leaders have emphasized that their initiative is designed to address their country’s particular circumstances, and is not intended to serve as a model for other countries. At the same time, however, the architects of Uruguay’s new law are conscious of their pioneering role—together with the U.S. states of Colorado and Washington—in moving forward with regulatory approaches amidst a prohibitionist global drug control system.

Please join us for this timely discussion of Uruguay’s historic new law and the implications for the regional and global drug policy debate.

Please click here for more details on the event and the venue.

Launching Uruguay’s new law to regulate cannabis

The Criminal Justice Centre, School of Law, QMUL and DrugScience are delighted to invite you to Regulating New Psychoactive Substances: Science, Law and Policy, the first in a series of conferences exploring The Future of Pharmacological Regulation.

The appropriate regulation of New Psychoactive Substances (NPSs) is a topic of pressing public and political concern in the United Kingdom and around the world, but how should this be achieved?

Last year, New Zealand enacted the Psychoactive Substances Act 2013, which is widely perceived as marking a major shift away from the paradigm of prohibition under the criminal law. However, there are alternative schemes.

The aim of this major one-day conference is:

to provide a critical and objective analysis of the science and law relating to NPSs,

to identify facts and myths surrounding the distribution and use of NPSs,

to explore the values and public health ethics that should guide policy-makers in this arena, and

to consider and discuss viable options for regulating (if at all) activities in connection with NPSs.

Speakers will include Professor David Nutt (DrugScience), Dr John Ramsey (Tic Tac), Dr Leslie King, Professor Fiona Measham, Professor Rudi Fortson QC (QMUL), Professor Richard Ashcroft (QMUL), and Amber Marks (QMUL).

Location: Barts Pathology Museum, 3rd Floor Robin Brook Centre, West Smithfield, London.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.

Regulating new psychoactive substances: Science, law and policy

The 55th Regular Session of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) will take place from April 29, 2014 to May 1, 2014 in Washington, D.C.

Please find attached the information bulletin as well as the draft agenda of the event.

55th CICAD Regular Session – Information Bulletin

55th CICAD Regular Session – Draft Agenda

This regular session contemplates a space, on March 28, 2014, for the intervention of civil society organizations registered with the OAS in accordance with Resolution CP/RES. 759 (1217/99) “Guidelines for the Participation of Civil Society Organization in OAS Activities.”

Civil society organizations registered with the OAS that would like to attend the 55th Regular Session of CICAD should send a letter addressed to the Secretary General of the OAS, Jose Miguel Insulza, expressing their interest to attend, and the names of the representatives of the organization (maximum of 2) to the Department of International Affairs of the OAS (civilsociety@oas.com) 

no later than Friday, April 11, 2014 at 5:30pm

. Please take into account that civil society representatives will be responsible for covering their own expenses related to their stay in Washington, D.C., including accommodation, transportation, meals and other incidentals.

For more information about the 55th Regular Session of CICAD, please visit the OAS Civil Society Website or the CICAD Website.

This event will be broadcast live on the Media Center of the OAS Website.

55th Regular Session of CICAD 

Last year it was revealed that of 85 prisoners detained in Jurby Prison, 34 were in custody for drug-related offences and two for known alcohol associated crimes. However, there are a large number of prisoners in custody for assaults and other violence, whose offences are probably drug or alcohol related.

The average annual cost per prisoner to the Manx taxpayer is about £59,000! It's perhaps time we reviewed the drugs and alcohol policy, particularly as the Isle of Man is developing a new Criminal Justice Strategy.

We are indeed fortunate to have Professor David Nutt from Imperial College, London, visit the Island to stimulate debate about a problem that society cannot afford to ignore. His views are respected worldwide and his book "Drugs Without the Hot Air" has been widely acclaimed.

David Nutt was the Chair of the UK government's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, famously sacked for writing a paper comparing the harms of ecstasy with those of horse riding, and for publicly criticising the government for ignoring scientific advice by reclassifying Cannabis from Group C to Group B, indicating increased harmfulness.

Professor Nutt is 'Edmond J Safra Professor of Neuropsychopharmacolgy' at Imperial College London, and President of the British Neuroscience Association. He is also Chair of the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs (ISCD). A number of his lectures and talks can be viewed on Youtube.

Some of the questions he will address will be:

How harmful are alcohol and tobacco compared to illegal drugs?

Does the “War on Drugs” cause more harm than good?

How does it affect legitimate scientific research into potentially valuable therapies?

What should you tell your children about drugs, and at what age?

Does prison or a criminal record do more harm to young people than smoking cannabis?

After the presentation there will be Q & A session so come along and join in!

The truth about drugs: A basis for a fair and rational policy? 

Christian Aid, Health Poverty Action and Transform Drug Policy Foundation invite you to a special briefing and discussion on the UN processes leading up to the UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on Drugs in 2016.

Come and join us, to explore how and why the Development sector needs to engage, and discuss current plans.

Jamie Bridge, Senior Policy and Operations Manager, International Drug Policy Consortium

 on the background to the process how it will work and opportunities to engage.

Eric Gutierrez, Senior Advisor on Accountable Governance, Christian Aid

Martin Drewry, Director, Health Poverty Action

While these issues are comparatively new to many of us in the sector, UNGASS 2016 presents a unique moment – a once in a generation opportunity – to review this key policy area that is so pivotally important to so many developing countries.

This meeting is an opportunity to learn more about it.

For further details please see attached invitation.

If you are unable to attend, but would like to be kept informed, please let us know.

"It is time to admit the obvious. The 'war on drugs' has failed, at least in the way it has been waged so far… The 'unintended' consequences have been disastrous. Thousands of people have lost their lives in drug-associated violence. Drug lords have taken over entire communities. Misery has spread. Corruption is undermining fragile democracies." 

Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Former President of Brazil

The last UNGASS on drugs took place in 1998. The current session has been brought forward (from 2019) as a result of pressure from Latin American leaders, recognising how severely the war on drugs is impacting on development.

UNGASS 2016: Why is it a key moment for development NGOs?

The use of enhancement drugs is by no means a new phenomenon. However, in recent years, needle and syringe programmes across the United Kingdom have experienced a significant increase in clients reporting the use of these drugs.

For many of these services, the majority of their clients are no longer opiates or stimulant users but injectors of anabolic
steroids, growth hormones and other peptide hormones such as melanotan II. The levels of harm caused by enhancement drugs, in particular relating to those new and emerging drugs, remains largely unknown.

However, case reports and crosssectional studies indicate a range of chronic adverse conditions associated with this form of drug use. These include liver damage, cardiovascular pathologies, genitourinary disorders, and additionally, the presence of blood borne viruses including HIV, all of which contribute to this public health concern.

With leading international and UK speakers, this conference will explore the nature of this drug use together with the public health implications and the opportunities for effective harm reduction interventions.

Please, find below information about the conference and its programme.

Public health and enhancement drugs

From 8-10 April representatives of eight countries will get together in Amsterdam to present their achievements within the “People who Use Drugs Project” as part of the Bridging the Gaps – Health and Rights of Key Populations programme.

Exchanging best practices; sharing lessons learned; and strategizing on different themes

The following themes will be discussed during the meeting in Amsterdam:

Access to and quality of healthcare services for people who use drugs;

Integration of services into national health systems; and

The protection of human rights of people who use drugs

Partners involved in the project will share with each other the progress that is made in the different countries in these areas. The meeting is expected to become a good platform for all partner organisations not only for linking and learning but also for discussing and developing the strategic plan for the rest of their work within the Bridging the Gaps programme. Participants will have ample opportunities to learn from each other, to go into more depth on specific themes related to programming for people who use drugs and to consider revision of their project or adding valuable solutions initiated in countries. Finally, the participants will share thoughts on the global efforts to advocate for human rights of people who use drugs. In April, some experts will come to Amsterdam to exchange best practices and share lessons learned related to their work with and for people who use drugs as part of the international programme Bridging the Gaps.

Please, click here for more details about the conference and the venue.

Health services and the right to access them for people who use drugs

People who inject drugs represent the core of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemic worldwide. There are compelling data demonstrating that with the appropriate programmes, treatment for HCV infection among PWID is successful. The approaching era of interferon-free directly acting antiviral therapy has the potential to provide one of the great advances of clinical medicine.

Simple, tolerable and highly effective therapy will likely enhance the numbers of PWID cured of HCV infection. This presentation reviews evidence to argue that we should strive for the eradication of HCV infection among PWID, considers how feasible this is, and what elements of intervention strategy are needed to bring this about.

For information about this seminar, please contact: Rachael Parker (Rachael.parker@lshtm.ac.uk)

 Free and open to all with no ticket required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis.

 for more details about the location and the event.

Can hepatitis C be eradicated among people who inject drugs?

Students for Sensible Drug Policy Ireland is hosting the 1st ever National SSDP Irish Conference at National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) on Saturday, the 5th of April at 10:30am.

We invite you to participate in our first National Conference to learn more about the future of Students for Sensible Drug Policy in Ireland and how we will be instrumental in creating future more proactive drug policies that better serve to protect our society.

Ex-Police Constable and International Drug Policy Adviser

Author of ‘The Irish War on Drugs’ and member of the Irish Penal Reform Trust

SSDP is the only student-lead, grass-roots, non-profit network of students in the world working to end drug prohibition. We are dedicated to ending the failed, disastrously ineffective and counter-productive war on drugs by offering students opportunity to educate themselves as we put students and non-students in direct contact with medical and academic professionals. Our aim to increase student-lead capacity building around drug related issues and to keep students informed and articulate about current policy developments internationally and to provide a platform for the public to engage in these conversations.

Click here for more details and registration.

2014 Irish Conference on Drug Policy

The organizers are pleased to welcome you to the European Conference on Outreach Work, 2014. The main focus will be on how the outreach workers understand, meet and engage with various groups of marginalized youths. There will be a special focus upon youths and young adults with an ethnic minority background. The conference will explore how new pattern of migration will shape new possibilities and challenges for young people in the margin of society. The conference takes place in Oslo, 3 – 4 April, 2014.

The Norwegian Directorate of Health, the Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research and the Norwegian Association for Outreach Workers are organizing this conference jointly with the City of Oslo, Agency for Social and Welfare Services’ Competence Centre and the Outreach Service. The conference has the support of several European networks working in the field. The program has been developed in close cooperation with our partner organizations to ensure a European perspective and high-profiled speakers for the plenary and workshop sessions.We have made an effort to keep the registration fee to a minimum and are confident that you will find it rewarding to attend the conference.

The conference venue will be the Oslo Kongressenter, located in downtown Oslo.

Read here more information about the conference.