Category: General News

Malta approves legalisation of cannabis for personal use

Posted on by Milutin

The Parliament of Malta approved the legalisation of cannabis and its cultivation for personal use on 14 December 2021 with 36 votes in favour and 27 against. Malta is the first country in the European Union to make that move.

Equality Minister, Owen Bonnici, said the “historic” move would stop small-time cannabis users from facing the criminal justice system, and would “curb drug trafficking by making sure that users now have a safe and regularised way from where they can obtain cannabis”.

Possession of up to seven grams of the drug will be legal for those aged 18 and above. It will permissible to grow up to four cannabis plants at home, with up to 50g of the dried product storable.

Possession of up to 28 grams will lead to a fine of €50-€100 but with no criminal record. Those under the age of 18 who are found in possession will go before a commission for justice for the recommendation of a care plan rather than face arrest. Those who consume cannabis in front of a child face fines of between €300 and €500.

It will be legal for non-profit cannabis clubs to cultivate the drug for distribution among their members, similar to organisations tolerated in Spain and the Netherlands. Club membership will be limited to 500 people and only up to 7 grams a day may be distributed to each person, with a maximum of 50 grams a month. The organisations, which cannot be situated less than 250 metres from a school, a club or a youth centre, may also distribute up to 20 seeds of the plant cannabis to each member every month.

Traineeship available at the EMCDDA

Posted on by Milutin

The European Drug Agency (EMCDDA) has 8 traineeship positions available to work with them next year. This is the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in one of the areas of the EMCDDA’s work.

Traineeship is available in 8 different areas of the agency’s work:

The deadline for applications is 10 January 2022.

The Call for traineeship is available following this link>>>.

 

On International Human Rights Day, UN drugs body silences UN human rights expert on ground-breaking report

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From the IDPC and Harm Reduction International press release

In an unprecedented, last-minute decision, the lead UN drugs body has blocked the presentation of a report from a group of independent human rights experts that calls out governments for serious human rights abuses committed in the war on drugs.

The UN’s lead drug policy-making body has slammed the door on human rights expert Dr Elina Steinerte, Chair of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, who was due to present a watershed study on how drug control policies drive an epidemic of arbitrary detention across the world. She has been blocked from addressing the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs today, 10th December, which is coincidentally International Human Rights Day, and her statement has been merely published online. This last-minute decision, which led to a contentious exchange during the session, was reached through an opaque, closed-door process that kept the human rights experts in the dark about their exclusion until today.

The report sheds light on the arrest and incarceration of millions of people around the world for drug-related offences, including for drug use. People who use drugs are also routinely held against their will in so-called ‘rehab centres’, where they are often subject to degrading and inhumane treatment, including forced labour. With today’s decision, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs stands in defiance of the Human Rights Council – the main UN human rights body – which had asked human rights experts to produce the very same report that now has been stonewalled.

The move to block the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s presentation is particularly galling, given that it is happening on International Human Rights Day 2021, held under the themes of equality and non-discrimination. From stop and search practices to mass incarceration or the death penalty, evidence shows that repressive drug policies disproportionately target oppressed and marginalised people across the world, including racialised groups, Indigenous people, people living in poverty, women, and  LGBTQI+ people.

A report on the global qualitative study

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The International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD) has collaborated with the World Health Organization (WHO) Department for Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes on a global qualitative study examining the values and preferences of key populations, including people who inject drugs, for HIV, Hepatitis and STIs services. The findings of this study will inform the update of the WHO 2016 Consolidated Guidelines for HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for key populations. These Guidelines will be used to inform countries on the design and implementation of health packages for key populations, making it extremely important that they take into account the specific values and preferences of each key population included in the study (people who inject drugs, gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men, female, male and trans sex workers and trans people).

Across the globe, people who inject drugs continue to be at increased risk of HIV, viral hepatitis (HCV, viral hepatitis B (HBV) and tuberculosis (TB). In order to reduce HIV, HCV and HBV transmissions along with overdose deaths, a comprehensive package of harm reduction interventions must be made available to people who inject drugs. Although such interventions are considered by the WHO and other UN agencies as essential to achieve global targets, access to harm reduction is still limited or non-existent in many countries, with less than 1% of people who inject drugs having sufficient access to services. Structural barriers caused by the criminalisation of drugs and the accompanying stigma and discrimination directed towards people who inject drugs are among the biggest contributors to this problem.

As one of the four key population networks included in the study, INPUD conducted eight regional focus group discussions and ten semi structured interviews with people who use drugs from 27 total countries. This report is a summary of our key findings that will be used to update the Consolidated Guidelines with the values and preferences of people who inject drugs.

The findings of this research emphasise the critical importance of listening to the values and preferences of people who inject drugs to guide services and interventions and ensure there is a primary focus on delivering genuine person centred care.

The report is available following this link>>>.

 

Strategy documents commented

Posted on by Milutin

Last two months, the strategy documents, prepared with the support of the TACSO 3 Strategic Mentoring Programme by the external expert Nenad Čelarević, were on consultations at the DPNSEE member organisations.

We shall summarise the comments and proposals to the DPNSEE Strategic Platform and DPNSEE Communication Strategy and prepare final drafts that will be offered for adoption at the DPNSEE General Assembly, planned for March 2020.

The strategy review process was suppoeted by the TACSO 3 Strategic Mentoring Programme, a part of EU TACSO 3 Capacity Development and People to People (P2P) Programme.

 

Workshop on civil society advocacy

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The Civil Society Forum on Drugs (CSFD) organised an on-site Workshop on civil society advocacy from 23th to 24th November in Madrid, with the support from UNAD, International Drug Policy Consortium, Rights Reporter and AFEW.

Since advocacy is an important tool for civil society members to achieve their main goal of influencing public policies, this training workshop brought together representatives from Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the field of drugs in order to improve their capacities in formulating, implementing and evaluating advocacy actions.

Several participants came from the DPNSEE member organisations. The participants’ profile was:

  • Civil society representatives and service providers in the field of drug use and drug demand reduction which have their main base of operation in an EU member state, EEA, acceding, candidate or potential candidate country(*). They are members of the Civil Society Forum on Drugs or related to one the members’ networks.
  • Highly motivated to improve their capacities in the area of advocacy and will be able to implement and share gained knowledge and information within their organisation.

The workshop was an interactive training with open space to intervene and to create new tools for advocacy in a hostile environment. Excellent presentations were delivered by Peter Sarosi and Marie Nougier.

UNODC launched Synthetic Drug Strategy

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From the UNODC press release

In response to the rapidly-growing problem of synthetic drugs around the world, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) today launched a new strategy to support countries in addressing the situation on 19 November 2021.

The launch of the new strategy comes at a critical moment. The number of new psychoactive substances emerging on illicit drug markets has increased six-fold in the past decade and reached a record high of over 1,000 unique substances in 2020. Annual global seizures of amphetamine-type stimulants increased by 64 per cent in 2019, while opioid use disorder deaths have gone up by 71 per cent over the past decade.

Building on UNODC’s experience and lessons learned from the past years in dealing with the opioid crisis, the new Synthetic Drug Strategy will offer a balanced and comprehensive framework that is grounded in science.

A particular emphasis will be placed on evidence-based responses for women and youth, in recognition of the specific challenges they face.

The Strategy will focus on four “spheres of action”: multilateralism and international cooperation, early warning on emerging synthetic drug threats, science-informed health responses, and counternarcotic interventions.

Those challenges have been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, as economic hardship and growing inequalities have pushed people towards dangerous coping mechanisms.

Women who use drugs also face specific difficulties, including a lack of availability of necessary gender-specific health and drug treatment services, barriers to accessing existing services, social stigma and the fear of possible legal sanctions in relation to drug use and/or losing the custody of children while in treatment.

Through science-informed processes, evidence, and knowledge, the new strategy will help policymakers to introduce effective policy directions and strategies to disrupt the manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs, and to provide access to treatment in different parts of the world.

To learn more about the UNODC Synthetic Drug Strategy, follow this link>>>.

European Union 2021 Enlargement Country Reports

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Traditionally, the European Commission adopted its annual assessment of the implementation of reforms in the Western Balkan partners and Turkey, together with recommendations on the next steps for those countries, and published its annual country reports. This year, due to coronavirus pandemic, the report was published in autumn, not in spring as it used to be.

The 2021 Enlargement package: European Commission assesses and sets out reform priorities for the Western Balkans and Turkey includes a detailed assessment of the state of play and the progress made by the Western Balkans and Turkey on their respective paths towards the European Union, with a particular focus on implementing fundamental reforms, as well as clear guidance on the reform priorities ahead.

All six Western Balkans partners have committed to establishing a Common Regional Market, building on EU rules and standards, and should focus on overcoming the difficulties encountered in order to bring the opportunities of this initiative to the citizens and businesses of the region and to maximise the benefits of the investments under the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, which aims to spur the long-term recovery of the region, a green and digital transition, foster economic regional cooperation, boost economic growth and support reforms required to move forward on the EU path.

Accession negotiations have been opened with candidate countries Montenegro (2012), Serbia (2014), and Turkey (2005). North Macedonia is a candidate country since 2005 and Albania since 2014. Bosnia and Herzegovina (application to join the EU submitted in February 2016) and Kosovo* (Stabilisation and Association Agreement entered into force in April 2016) are potential candidates.

As in the previous three years, DPNSEE extracted segments related to drugs from each of the country reports and packed them in one document. Same like in previous years, it is a pity to see that, almost exclusively, except some references to drug abuse prevention and harm reduction in Chapter 28: Consumer and health protection, the reports deal only with law enforcement related to drugs.

 

The document we prepared with reports for 2020 and part 2021 is downloadable following this link>>>.

Full versions of the Commission’s documents from 2020 and part 2021 are available following this link>>>.

European Drugs Winter School 2022

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The European Drugs Winter School 2022 (EDWS), organised by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and the University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE-IUL) will be held from 14th to 25th of February 2022. EDWS prepares professionals and students to meet the complex policy challenges that face Europe and the World in the field of drugs.

This edition will have a special focus on Cannabis: practice, policies and debates in the EU and beyond.

The Winter School will be delivered through online and remote instruction. Following the success of the first Winter School, live sessions with experts and practitioners will be held from early afternoon until late afternoon (Lisbon Time, GMT +1 to GMT +3/4). Individual small exercises will be given and assessed every day, and an exam will be offered to those who wish to earn the credits. Virtual tours to field work will be included.

Candidates’ Profile include university students (undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate), researchers, professionals and administrators interested in or working in the drugs field, including participants from the EMCDDA’s network of focal points in 30 countries, or from programmes being developed by the EMCDDA with third countries (e.g. Western Balkans, North Africa, Eastern Europe).

Bursaries are available for Western Balkan region and European Neighbourhood Policy!

Professionals, academics and experts from the Western Balkan region and European Neighbourhood Policy countries will have an opportunity to participate in the 2022 European Drugs Winter School (EDWS), thanks to scholarships offered through two EMCDDA projects: the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA7) and EU4Monitoring Drugs (EU4MD). The scholarships will cover the course fees. All candidates from those regions who apply in the first phase (deadline 5th of December) will be eligible.

Deadline for applications: 5 December 2021 (Early Bird) | 23 January 2022 (Final).

Deadline for scholarship applications: 5 December 2021.

The EDWS will be followed by the European Drugs Summer School (EDSS) from 27 June to 8 July. Scholarships (covering course fees) are also available.

If interested, find more information following this link>>>.

 

 

Global Fund Board Approves New Strategy 2023-2028

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From the EECA Regional Platform for Communication and Coordination communication

The Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria approved the new Global Fund Strategy: Fighting Pandemics and Building a Healthier and More Equitable World. The new Strategy places people and communities front and center of the fight against HIV, TB, malaria and accelerates the shift to more integrated, people-centered models of prevention, treatment and care. Strengthening the leadership and engagement of communities living with and affected by the diseases will reinforce this unique strength of the Global Fund partnership and tackle barriers to effective participation and leadership.

In addition, the Board approved the planned operating expenses (OPEX) budget of US$322 million for 2022 bringing the total OPEX investment to US$930 million for the 2020-2022 cycle to sustain achievements and transition to the new Strategy cycle, and a new global disease split for the 2023-2025 allocation methodology. At amounts for country allocations up to and including US$12 billion, the split of 50% for HIV, 18% for TB and 32% for malaria will be applied. A new split of 45% for HIV, 25% for TB and 30% for malaria will be applied to additional amounts above US$12 billion.

The Board also approved the new model for the Global Fund Independent Evaluation Function which establishes an Independent Evaluation Panel (IEP) and creates a Chief Evaluation and Learning Officer (CELO) function.

Recognizing the significant impact of COVID-19 on the Global Fund’s operating environment and risk landscape, the Board recalled its ultimate responsibility to the Global Fund’s stakeholders for overseeing the implementation of effective risk management. While supporting the increased risk appetite, Board members stressed the importance of actively mitigating risk, especially at a country level, and instructed the Secretariat to provide greater granular reporting on emerging risk trends and the effectiveness and results of the assurance measures, including the assurances put in place.

Ahead of the Global Fund’s Seventh Replenishment next year, and less than a decade to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Board called the entire partnership to mobilize to increase financial resources to fight the three diseases. The grants based upon the new Strategy will start in January 2024 with funds from the upcoming Seventh Replenishment.

For more details, please follow this link>>>.