Milutin, Author at Drug Policy Network SEE

Global Drug Policy Index

Posted on 08/11/202115/11/2021 by Milutin

The Harm Reduction Consortium, which includes the following partners: the European Network of People Who Use Drugs (EuroNPUD), the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA), the Eurasian Network of People who Use Drugs (ENPUD), the Global Drug Policy Observatory (GDPO) / Swansea University, Harm Reduction International (HRI), the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC), the Middle East and North Africa Harm Reduction Association (MENAHRA), the West African Drug Policy Network (WADPN), the Women and Harm Reduction International Network (WHRIN), and Youth RISE, just published the Global Drug Policy Index – a unique tool that documents, measures and compares national drug policies.

The Index provides each country with a score and ranking that shows how much their drug policies and their implementation align with the UN principles of human rights, health and development. It offers an essential accountability and evaluation mechanism in the field of drug policy.

The Index is composed of 75 indicators running across 5 broad dimensions of drug policy: the absence of extreme responses, the proportionality of the criminal justice response, health and harm reduction, access to controlled medicines and development. Each country is then given a total score ranging from 0 to 100.

From the region of South East Europe, only North Macedonia is analysed in the 2021 issue of the Index. It took position 7 of 30 countries with overall index of 55/100:

Absence of extreme responses: 74/100
Proportionality & criminal justice: 38/100
Harm reduction: 46/100
Access to medicines: 61/100
Development: Not available

To read the Global Drug Policy Index, follow this link>>>.

UNAIDS calls for action against the criminalization of people who use drugs

Posted on 01/11/202118/11/2021 by Milutin

1 November is International Drug Users’ Day, when the global community of people who use drugs comes together to celebrate its history and affirm the rights of people who use drugs. The International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD) marks this day with a celebration of its diverse, vibrant communities’ accomplishments, while also acknowledging their work is more critical than ever.

On International Drug Users’ Day, UNAIDS is calling for urgent action against the criminalization of people who use drugs, for the redress of criminalization’s negative effects on HIV, viral hepatitis and other health issues, for the respect of human rights and for more funding for community-led harm reduction programmes.

People who use and inject drugs are among the groups at highest risk of acquiring HIV but remain marginalized and often blocked from accessing health and social services. In 2020, 9% of all new HIV infections were among people who inject drugs. Outside of sub-Saharan Africa this rises to 20%. Although women represent less than 30% of the number of people who use drugs, women who use drugs are more likely to be living with HIV than their male counterparts. Less than 1% of people who inject drugs live in countries with the United Nations-recommended levels of coverage of needles, syringes and opioid substitution therapy, and the funding gap for harm reduction in low- and middle-income countries sits at a dismal 95%.

Even where harm reduction services are available, they are not necessarily accessible. Punitive drug control laws, policies and law enforcement practices have been shown to be among the largest obstacles to health care in many countries. Criminalization of drug use and harsh punishments (such as incarceration, high fines or removal of children from their parents) discourage the uptake of HIV services, drive people underground and lead to unsafe injecting practices, and increase the risk of overdose. Women who use drugs face higher rates of conviction and incarceration than men who use drugs, contributing to the increased levels of stigma and discrimination they face in health-care settings. In effect, criminalization of drug use and possession for personal use significantly and negatively impact the realization of the right to health.

Harm Reduction Key Principles in Homeless Services

Posted on 30/10/202124/11/2021 by Milutin

Correlation presented the Key Principles of Harm Reduction – an innovative set of tools developed through the HR4Homelessness Project. The innovation lies in their capacity to translate existing experiences and knowledge on Harm Reduction into actionable guidance through an open, iterative and evolving framework.

HR4Homelessness – Integrating Harm Reduction Services in Homelessness Service is an Erasmus+ Project aiming at improving Harm Reduction services for people experiencing homelessness in Europe. The project involves organisations working in the field of homelessness and drug use FEANTSA (Belgium), C-EHRN / De Regenboog Groep (NL), Rights Reporter Foundation (HU), Simon Communities of Ireland (Ireland), Health Team City of Copenhagen (DK), Norte Vida (PT) and SMES-B (Belgium).

The Key Principles aim to contribute to improving and transforming the services that shape access to and the quality of care that people experiencing homelessness who use drugs or alcohol receive. Further, they aim to support these services to respond to conditions that negatively influence marginalised and underserved communities’ social and health outcomes.

The document offers service providers to implement activities that respect the rights of people experiencing homelessness who use drugs or alcohol, which are informed by evidence. It also intends to advance social justice transformations, respect service user decisions and priorities, and contribute to eliminating stigma and discrimination of the communities they work for and with.

To access the document, please follow this link>>>.

Cannabis decriminalised in Luxembourg

Posted on 27/10/202128/10/2021 by Milutin

Source: Herb

On Friday, Luxembourg’s government announced that citizens would be permitted to grow up to four cannabis plants on their property, making it Europe‘s first official country to decriminalise the production and consumption of cannabis, noted The Guardian.

The announcement follows Luxembourg’s government’s pursuit to provide fundamental changes towards the country’s perspective and view on recreational cannabis cultivation after failing to prohibit the drug. Now, people 18 and older are legally allowed to grow their own cannabis, up to four plants per household. Seeds received via trading are also deemed legal without having to specify the THC content. Luxembourg’s government also said that users could obtain seeds from shops, importation, or online purchases.

“The idea is that a consumer is not in an illegal situation if he consumes cannabis and that we don’t support the whole illegal chain from production to transportation to selling, where there is a lot of misery attached. We want to do everything we can to get more and more away from the illegal black market.” said Justice Minister Sam Tanson.

Consumption of cannabis in public spaces, selling it and transporting it remains forbidden. If someone is caught with up to three grams, they won’t be charged with a crime but a misdemeanour. But, fines are now reduced to 25 euros, a massive shift from the previous fine of 2.500 euros. “Above three grams, nothing changes, you will be considered a dealer,” Tanson stated. “Nothing changes for car drivers either: there is still zero tolerance.”

The government plans to implement a state-regulated production and distribution system to help users find quality and safe products. The majority of the revenue earned will help invest in “prevention, education, and healthcare in the broad field of addiction,” government sources added.

Closing event of the “No risk, no borders” project

Posted on 23/10/202108/11/2021 by Milutin

Closing event of the “No risk, no borders for young people” project was held on 22 October 2021. Our generous host, like many times before, was the Office for Combating Drugs of the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

Mr Milan Pekić, Director of the Office, welcomed participants expressing his satisfaction with the level of cooperation they have with the civil society organisations working on the issue of drug policy. He proposed that the results of the project should be widely promoted, especially fighting stigma and discrimination of people who use drugs.

Mrs Snežana Žugić, Assistant Minister for Youth and Sport informed that the National Youth Strategy 2015-2025 includes provisions for youth at risk which links the project with the Strategy. She emphasized that improving current and designing new programs for vulnerable groups may contribute to their involvement in the community, including education, employment, etc.

Young members of the Project Team presented activities and results of the project. We hope that it will bring sustainable results in supporting youth at risk and be a basis for long-term cooperation with the Regional Youth Cooperation Office.

Evaluation meeting of the Project Team

Posted on 22/10/202108/11/2021 by Milutin

The Project Team of the “No risk, no borders” project met for the last time on 21 October 2021. The main aims of the meeting were to discuss the final version of the Curriculum for work with youth at risk, to plan the final Promotional event of the project and plan evaluation.

It was also an opportunity for young people who were the backbone of the project to get together and talk about future plans and continuation of a nice friendship they created.

Should sex work be regulated in Serbia?

Posted on 21/10/202126/10/2021 by Milutin

President od “Prevent” Nebojša Đurasović (also DPNSEE President) was invited by the Nova S TV station to the discussion about legalisation of sex work in Serbia. Other guests in the TV show “Between Us” were Andrijana Radojčić Nedeljković from the non-governmental organization Atina and Blažo Marković, president of the Union of Police and Police Officers.

Nebojša promoted the approach that as the first step it would be important to decriminalise sex work. That would allow those involved to get health and other kinds of protection.

The discussion, in Serbian, is available following this link>>>.

New website to report hate crime

Posted on 19/10/202118/10/2021 by Milutin

Our colleagues from the ERA – LGBTI Equal Rights Association for the Western Balkans & Turkey launched “You Are Heard“, an LGBTIQ hate crime reporting website, in partnership with Stonewall. This new service provides a safe space for LGBTQ+ people and allies to report incidents.

You Are Heard has been developed with expert civil society organisations, members of ERA, to allow individuals to report anti- LGBTIQ incidents, such as harassment, violence and hate speech.

Users can remain anonymous when reporting, or add contact information if they wish to receive support from trusted local LGBTIQ organisations. Individual reports won’t be shared with the police or governmental bodies – instead, local LGBTIQ support organisations will receive the information and data to manage and analyse. They’ll then lead on advocacy work across local regions within the Western Balkans and Turkey.

The anonymous statistics created from the data will be used to show governments and policy makers which policies and support systems for LGBTIQ communities must be introduced or improved. Crucially, the website has been built with the safety of LGBTIQ individuals in mind, so that users making reports can be sure that their personal information will remain private.

By creating a strong bank of evidence on hate crimes against LGBTIQ people, advocacy groups will be empowered to create meaningful changes in legislation at a governmental level. ERA also hope that members of the LGBTIQ community feel confident using You Are Heard to report incidents, since the platform will provide routes for survivors to access support in their area.

Visit You Are Heard following this link>>> and help spread the word.

The Role of the Civil Society in the EU Accession Process

Posted on 17/10/2021 by Milutin

In the framework of the EU-funded Technical Assistance to Civil Society Organisations in Western Balkans and Turkey (EU TACSO 3) project, we are pleased to invite you to participate in the P2P on-line event under the title: “The Role of the Civil Society in the EU Accession Process” that will take place on 25 and 26 October 2021.

This event is organised in cooperation with the European Policy Institute (EPI) from North Macedonia and the Think for Europe Network (TEN).

Aiming to discuss the needs for improved CSO inclusion in the EU accession process and IPA programming and particularly to share the current practices, a regional P2P event will be organised. The purpose of the event is threefold:

To discuss the importance of CSOs involvement in the EU accession process and IPA (III) programming;
To share challenges and to learn about upcoming potential changes in the EU accession process;
To learn from best practice examples.

The four main topics of discussion will include:

General overview of the mechanisms for CSOs involvement in the EU accession process
Mechanisms for CSO involvement in the IPA programming structures
Key challenges for meaningful CSO engagement in the EU accession process
Challenges posed by the new methodology for accession in terms of the role of CSOs in EU accession

The on-line event will gather up to 60 CSOs, public institutions representatives and experts, mainly those who are members of various platforms for CSO inclusion in the EU accession process in the enlargement region.

If you are interested in attending the P2P event, please register at the following link>>> until Thursday, 21 October till 15:00 hrs CET.

The event’s official language is English, with simultaneous translation provided in Albanian, Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian, Montenegrin, Macedonian and Turkish.

The Zoom link to join the event, along with the agenda and other details, will be sent to all registered participants prior to the event.