Statement For The "Civil Society Forum On Drugs In The EU" (organized by the EC)

ENCOD, Drugscope and The International Harm Reduction Association released a statement on the first day of the forum.
Mukta Sharma (IHRA Chair)

Brussels, 13 december 2007

Dear participants,

Since the early 1990s, several official engagements have been made to involve civil society in the design and implementation of drug policies in the European Union. The issue was included as a matter of priority in the former EU Strategy on Drugs (2000 - 2004), the Mid-term evaluation on this Strategy (published in 2002), the EU Strategy on Drugs (2005-2012), the EU Action Plan on Drugs (2005-2009), as well as in various verbal and written communications made by the European Commission in the past years.

In spite of these engagements, EU authorities have yet to formally commit themselves to a mechanism to strengthen cooperation with civil society organisations in this field.

With the publication of a “Green Paper on the role of civil society in EU drug policy”, released on 30 June 2006, the European Commission started a process that was meant to establish this mechanism. EU citizens and their organisations could comment on the proposals made in this document to organise the dialogue between civil society and authorities. The Commission published these comments on [21 June 2007 ]

Together with the release of the comments to the Green Paper, the Commission announced the organisation of the first meeting of a “Civil Society Forum on Drug Policy” before the end of 2007. Interested organisations were invited to apply for this forum before 17 August 2007. On 31 October 2007, the Commission published a list of 26 organisations that were selected to participate in this meeting.

We believe the way the Commission has organised this first meeting of the Civil Society Forum on Drugs does not meet the criteria mentioned in the conclusions of the Green Paper consultation as they were formulated by the Commission in its letter of 21 June.

1. The Forum should represent a wide spectrum of views in a balanced way

In the letter of 31 October 2007, the Commission announced that it would publish the list of all 75 organisations that had applied for the CSF. No such list has been published yet. Therefore, it is impossible to say if the organisations that were selected represent a wide spectrum of views in a balanced way.

2. The Forum should be inclusive rather than exclusive, with transparent selection criteria.

In the Green Paper, the Commission used the following definition of “civil society” as a criteria to select organisations for the dialogue: “associational life operating between the state and the market, including individual participation and the activities of non-governmental, voluntary and community organisations”. Organisations representing local authorities do not fulfil with this definition, yet two of the selected participants to the CSF do represent local authorities (ECAD and EFUS).

On the other hand, at least four organisations that do fulfil all criteria mentioned by the Commission (FAUDAS, LCA, PIC and SDB) have not been invited. Among them are organisations representing drug consumers, an important stakeholder in the debate on drug policies, who is currently not (enough) represented in the forum.

3. The Forum should have a clear mandate, well defined agendas, transparent procedures and achievable agendas with real input into the policymaking process.

At least two of the 26 organisations (IHRA and Drugscope) did not receive the letter from the Commission that they had been invited. When they were notified by others, they contacted the Commission to ask for details about dates, venue and background documents for the meeting, but did not receive a reply in sufficient time. In view of the fact that they had other commitments on 13 & 14 December, they were forced to cancel their presence at this meeting.

The agenda for the meeting was sent on 6 December, mentioning issues that had never come up as a specific topic for dialogue before (like the situation of drug use in prisons). No background documents were made available until 11 December, less than 48 hours before the meeting. One of these background documents contains the Progress Review on the EU Action Plan on Drugs, a document of 90 pages, which was only officially adopted on 10 December 2007.

In this way, it is virtually impossible for anybody to engage in a genuinely interactive dialogue. This forum does not facilitate the participation of all legitimate representatives of European civil society affected by drug issues (regardless of whether or not they are able to send representatives to the conference itself). Therefore, this forum cannot be considered a legitimate instrument of dialogue.

The Civil Society Forum on Drug Policy should not become yet another addition to a long litany of failures. We propose to postpone this first meeting of the Civil Society Forum to a new date within the next 3 months, and use the two days in Brussels to discuss the way in which it should be organised next time.

Kind regards,

DRUGSCOPE

EUROPEAN COALITION FOR JUST AND EFFECTIVE DRUG POLICIES (ENCOD)

INTERNATIONAL HARM REDUCTION ASSOCIATION (IHRA)

WWW.HaRdCOREhARMREdUCER.BE
DrugWarLog
ArtCoreFromTheHardCore

ENCODs' Letter To The EC (About The Exclusive Civil Society Forum On Drugs)

Manuel (ENCOD) and Stijn (INPUD)
in the European Parliament

PUBLIC LETTER TO EUROPEAN COMMISSION

To: Carel Edwards
Head of Drug Coordination Unit
European Commission
DG JLS
B- 1049 Brussels

23 November 2007

Dear Carel Edwards,

Herewith we would like to thank you for your letter of 31 October 2007,
announcing the organisation of the first meeting of the Civil Society
Forum on Drugs in the European Union, on 13 & 14 December 2007.

We note from your letter that 26 organisations have been selected to
participate in this meeting, out of a total of 75 respondents to the
call for applications that expired on 17 August 2007.

Several questions can be raised concerning the selection process for
this forum.

According to the Green Paper on the role of civil society in Drug Policy
in the European Union, published in June 2006, the objective of the
dialogue with civil society is ‘to explore the scope for bringing those
most directly concerned by the drugs problem more closely into the
policy process’ (p.3).

Several important stakeholders in the European drug debate, such as
organisations representing drug consumers, are not (enough) represented
in the current forum. On the other hand, some organisations have been
selected in spite of the fact that they did not participate in the
previous consultation. The same counts for some organisations that, from
a first glance, do not seem to fulfil the eligibility criteria to join
the forum as they were published by the Commission in April this year.

In December 2006, the European Parliament approved a budget increase of
1 million EURO to the 2007 budget for Drugs Prevention and Information.
The specific purpose of this budget increase was to “support dialogue
with civil society on drug policy”. We assume the major part of this
budget increase has yet to be spent, and there ought to be enough margin
in the budget to invite 75 representatives to the two days conference in
Brussels.

In April this year, the European Commission published the key results of
the open consultation with stakeholders that took place through the
Green Paper. One of the six main conclusions of this consultation was:
“The Forum should be inclusive rather than exclusive, with transparent
selection criteria.”

Therefore we wish to make the following enquiries

1. Can the Commission explain what are the reasons for not inviting all
75 organisations that applied to the August 17 deadline to the first
meeting of the Civil Society Forum?

2. Can the Commission indicate, for each organisation that applied to
the August 17 deadline, and for each organisation that ultimately made
it to the selection, the specific reasons for selection and omission
from selection?

We look forward to your responses to these questions, which will help to
ensure the transparency and therefore the legitimacy of the forum.

Best wishes,

ENCOD European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies, Belgium

AKZEPT Bundesverband für akzeptierende Drogenarbeit und humane
Drogenpolitik, Germany

FAUDAS Federación Estatal de Personas Afectadas por la Política de
Drogas, Spain

INPUD International Network of People who Use Drugs, Belgium

LCA Legalise Cannabis Alliance, United Kingdom

PIC Pazienti Impazienti Cannabis, Italy

SDB Stichting Drugsbeleid, Netherlands

WWW.HaRdCOREhARMREdUCER.BE
DrugWarLog
ArtCoreFromTheHardCore

WENEN 2008: Tien Jaar Later

WWW.ENCOD.ORG

published vrijdag 7 september 2007 10:10, door Martin Veltjen. update dinsdag 11 september 2007 11:25

Alle versies van dit artikel:

• [Deutsch][English][français][italiano][Nederlands]

NEEM DEEL AAN HET WERELDDORP VOOR EEN ANDER DRUGBELEID

Op de speciale sessie van de VN Algemene Vergadering in New-York in juni 1998 stippelden de regeringen van de wereld een 10 jarenplan uit om belangrijke en meetbare resultaten voor te leggen in de strijd tegen drugs tegen 2008.

Zo werd er onder andere een strategie ontworpen om de illegale kweek van coca, cannabis en opium tegen 2008 volledig of grotendeels uit te roeien.

De VN-Commisse over verdovende middelen komt in maart 2008 samen in Wenen om de resultaten van deze strategie te bespreken.

De afgelopen 10 jaar is voor iedereen duidelijk geworden dat deze strategie volledig mislukt is, zelfs in de landen die de doelen het hardnekkigst nastreefden. Vraag en aanbod op de drugmarkt stijgen systematisch in heel de wereld, soms zelfs spectaculair zoals in Afghanistan. Ondertussen heeft het drugverbod geleid tot gewelddadige conflicten, schending van mensen- en burgerrechten, criminalisatie en stigmatisatie van hele bevolkingsgroepen, sociale en gezondheidsrampen, zoals de verspreiding van HIV. Het heeft ook geleid tot de stijging van de georganiseerde misdaad.

Het uitroeien van planten is een bedreiging voor de biologische en culturele diversiteit van de planeet. Hennep, cocabladeren en opium hebben veel toepassingen op medisch en voedingsgebied. Het legaal verbouwen van deze planten kan kleinschalige, niet gesubsidiëerde en duurzame landbouw steunen.

Wenen 2008 is de perfecte gelegenheid voor alle burgers die nieuwe oplossingen willen voor het wereldwijde drugprobleem.

In maart 2008 kunnen we de wereld laten zien dat er meer te vrezen valt van het drugverbod dan van een gereguleerd alternatief.

Wij plannen een 3 daags ‘Werelddorp voor een ander drugbeleid” in Wenen tijdens de zitting van de VN commissie. (de definitieve data worden bevestigd in oktober).

Hierbij vragen we je om mee te werken aan een van de volgende activiteiten in dit dorp:

1. Een tentoonstelling over de cultuur en het nuttig gebruik van planten die door VN drugconventies werden verboden.

We rekenen op de aanwezigheid en/of de medewerking van bedrijven die betrokken zijn bij de organisatie van hennepbeurzen in Europa, maar ook aan bedrijven en organisaties die ijveren voor het nuttig en verantwoord gebruik van hennep/cannabis, paddo’s, cocabladeren etc.

2. Een wetenschappelijke conferentie om het huidige drugbeleid te onderwerpen aan een psycho-analyse. Is het drugverbod gebaseerd op een primitief instinct dat zijn nut al lang geleden heeft verloren?

We rekenen op de aanwezigheid van experts (onderzoekers, vertegenwoordigers van getroffen gemeenschappen etc.) die een ander licht kunnen werpen op het waarom van het aanhoudende drugverbod in weerwil van de vele bewijzen die aantonen dat dit verbod een totale mislukking is.

3. Een manifestatie naar het VN gebouw in Wenen: Genezing in plaats van Oorlog

Wij hopen op de aanwezigheid van duizenden activisten, en steun van muzikanten en artiesten.

In 2003 organiseerde ENCOD een gelijkaardige happening tijdens de halftijdse evaluatie van de strategie die in 1998 werd afgesproken.

Als je met ons wil samenwerken bij de organisatie van deze manifestatie, contacteer ons dan liefst voor 8 oktober 2007. Binnenkort volgt meer nieuws.

We hopen snel van je te horen!

ENCOD - Lange Lozanastraat 14 - 2018 Antwerpen - België

Tel: +32 (0)3 293 0886 - Mob: +32 (0)495 122 644

E-mail: info@encod.org

WWW.HaRdCOREhARMREdUCER.BE
DrugWarLog
ArtCoreFromTheHardCore

VIENNA 2008: TEN YEARS AFTER

ENCOD

published Thursday 6 September 2007 10:48, by Joep.

update Thursday 6 September 2007 16:16

All the versions of this article:

• [English]
• [français]
• [Nederlands]

JOIN THE GLOBAL VILLAGE FOR A DIFFERENT DRUG POLICY

In June 1998, in a Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly held in New York, the governments of the world announced a 10-year strategy to achieve significant and measurable results in the fight against drugs by the year 2008.

Among others, the strategy included the purpose of eliminating or significantly reducing the illicit cultivation of the coca bush, the cannabis plant and the opium poppy by the year 2008.

In March 2008, the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs will meet in Vienna to review the results of the strategy.

In the past ten years, it has become obvious for everybody that this strategy has failed completely, even in the countries that enforced it most strictly. Drug supply and demand are rising systematically throughout the world, sometimes even spectacularly as in the case of Afghanistan. Meanwhile the policy of prohibiting drugs has led to violent conflicts, violation of human and civil rights, criminalisation and stigmatisation of entire populations, social and health disasters such as the spread of HIV, as well as to the increase of organised crime.

To eliminate plants would threaten the biological and cultural diversity of the planet. Hemp, coca leaves and opium have many medicinal, nutritional and other useful applications. The legal cultivation of these plants can support small-scale agriculture that operates without state support and promotes sustainable development.

Vienna 2008 is the perfect opportunity for all those citizens who want new solutions to the global drugs problem.

In Vienna in March 2008, we can show the world there is much more to fear from drug prohibition than from a tolerant alternative.

Our plan is to organise a 3 day "Global Village for a Different Drug Policy" in Vienna during the period in which the UN meeting will be held.(final dates will be confirmed in October).

We would like to invite you to participate in one of the planned events of this village:

1. An exposition on the culture and beneficial use of plants that are prohibited by the UN Drug Conventions.

We hope to count with the presence and/or collaboration of companies involved in the organisation of hemp fairs around Europe, as well as companies and organisations who promote the beneficial and responsible use of hemp/cannabis, mushrooms, coca leaves etc.

2. A scientific conference with the purpose of making a psychoanalysis of current drug policy. Is prohibition based on a primitive instinct that has lost its legitimacy long ago?

We hope to count with the presence of experts (researchers, representatives of affected communities etc.) who can shed some light on the reasons why drug prohibition is continued in spite of the many evidences that prove it to be a total failure.

3. A demonstration to the UN building in Vienna: Cures Not Wars.

We hope to count with the presence of thousands of activists, as well as musicians and artists.

In 2003, ENCOD organised a similar event, during the mid-term evaluation meeting of the 1998 strategy.

If you are interested to collaborate with us in the organisation of this event, please contact us before 8 October 2007. More news will follow soon.

Looking forward to hear from you!

ENCOD - Lange Lozanastraat 14 - 2018 Antwerpen - Belgium

Tel: +32 (0)3 293 0886 - Mob: +32 (0)495 122 644

E-mail: info@encod.org

WWW.HaRdCOREhARMREdUCER.BE
DrugWarLog
ArtCoreFromTheHardCore

AuctionAds: Increase the bid on your site's income!

Trekt Uw Plant Gaat Door

TREKT UW PLANT

FREEDOM TO FARM

Op 25 april 2007 werden 5 leden van Trekt Uw Plant veroordeeld door de Correctionele Rechtbank van Antwerpen voor het bezit van een cannabisplantje.

Drie leden kregen starfopschorting, de overige twee kregen een boete van 15 (VIJFTIEN) euro.

Wij hebben hoger beroep aangespannen tegen deze veroordeling. Deze veroordeling staat haaks op de ministeriële richtlijn van januari 2005. Die richtlijn stelt immers dat het bezit van 1 plantje, mits geen sprake is van verzwarende omstandigheden, niet vervolgd zal worden.

De zaak zal eind 2007/begin 2008 voorkomen. Onze advocaat zal zich richten op de juridische argumenten. Het negeren van de ministeriële richtlijn door het Antwerps parket en de correctionele rechtbank doet afbreuk aan de rechtszekerheid waar iedere burger recht op heeft: men moet duidelijk weten wat mag en niet mag. We zullen daarbij ook het Europees Verdrag van de Mensenrechten inroepen, waarin het begrip "rechtszekerheid" wordt omschreven.

En ondertussen, in de politiek...

Onze inschatting is dat de nieuwe oranjeblauwe regering, als die eenmaal geïnstalleerd is, haar voornemen bekend zal maken om de ministeriële richtlijn te vervangen door een wet waarin het bezit van een cannabisplant opnieuw volledig strafbaar wordt gesteld, terwijl het bezit van enkele grammen cannabis waarschijnlijk een "lage vervolgingprioriteit" zal behouden.

Naast de rechtszaak moeten we dus ook het politieke debat blijven voeden. Het model van de collectieve teelt voor eigen gebruik biedt een oplossing voor het probleem van de illegale cannabisteelt, het coffeeshoptoerisme, de uitgaven aan politionele en justitiele acties tegen cannabis etc.. We hebben genoeg argumenten om dit model te verdedigen.

Voor het einde van het jaar plannen we nieuwe acties, volg deze site voor meer nieuws..

Open dag Trekt Uw Plant op 10 november

Op zaterdag 10 november organiseren we een open dag voor leden en belangstellenden, in de Lange Lozanastraat 14 in Antwerpen vanaf 14.00 uur.

Programma

15.00 - 17.00 Algemene Vergadering van Trekt Uw Plant vzw
(iedereen is welkom, alleen leden hebben spreekrecht)

17.00 - 20.00 maaltijd en muziek

20.00 - 22.00 Informatieworkshops over cannabis en hennep

De strijd voor de "Freedom to Farm" kost geld. Met jouw steun draag je bij aan een betere toekomst voor mens en plant.

GRTS
Joep, Stijn, Philippe

*Reknr. 001- 3470861- 83**
**tav ENCOD vzw - Borgerhout **
**Vermelding: TREKT UW PLANT*

WWW.HaRdCOREhARMREdUCER.BE
DrugWarLog
ArtCoreFromTheHardCore

Encod press release On the occasion of the International Day against Drugs (June 26th)

HaRdCOREhARMREdUCER
ArtCoreFromTheHardCore

Time to change.

The war against drugs has become a war against citizens

Press Release of the European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies

June 27th 2007

On the occasion of the International Day against Drugs (June 26th), Antonio María Costa, the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, declared that “for almost all drugs - cocaine, heroin, cannabis and amphetamines - there are signs of overall stability, whether we speak of production, trafficking or consumption”. Yet repression is rising.

Stability in this case means that current drug policies place the heaviest burden among those who are already among the most marginalised in the first place: drug consumers and producers of drug-related plants, both in the North and in the South. They experience far more damage from drug policies than from the drugs themselves.

Stability means an escalation of law enforcement and repression. Millions of people are in jail or on trial because they have grown, used or possessed drugs or drugs-related plants. Aggressive eradication campaigns of opium and coca have created a humanitarian crisis in resp. Afghanistan and Colombia. Meanwhile, there is no sign that the war on drugs is having any effect on the strength and effectiveness of criminal organisations dealing with drugs.

Stability means a war against minorities. In Laos, the internal resettlement of indigenous ethnic communities promoted by international aid agencies, is increasing the mortality rates up to 30% more than the national average. In US, a black person has 5.5 bigger chance of incarceration than a white person, while a Hispanic has 2 times more. In the fiscal year 2005, 53% of all federal powder cocaine defendants were low-level offenders such as mules or street-dealers. Only 12.8% were high-level dealers, as stated by the US Sentencing Commission.

Stability means also that opium poppy crops in Afghanistan have boomed; new trafficking routes for heroin and cocaine smuggling have been opened, among others through Africa; the use of opiates is rising in East Europe and Africa, and the use of cocaine is increasing in South America, Africa and Europe; the total potential amount of cocaine has increased from 980 metric tons in 2005 to 984 mt in 2006. UN coca crops estimations seem to be extremely low, while the US Office of National Drug Control Policy states 157,200 hectares of coca crops in Colombia for 2006, the UN presents the figure of 78,000 h.

In many countries the use of one drug increases, and of another one decreases. This has been the case for many years. It is probable that levels of use, abuse and dependence have been reached that will stay fairly constant for a long time, with or without repression. The term "stabilization" could have been used many years ago, but it wasn’t convenient at that time for UNODC and other authorities to do so. Now, because it is impossible for UNODC to pretend any progress in the war on drugs, the term stabilization is used to hide this failure.

Drug users can not be considered just sick or criminal people: we are also citizens. Drug policies cannot be effective without the voice of those affected by them. For more than 20 years, the European Union has committed itself to start a process of dialogue with civil society on future drug policies in Europe, but as yet, it has not been able to establish an effective and professional way to construct a transparent and inclusive structure to achieve this. ENCOD has commented the history of dialogue with citizens in EU drugs policy in a document called the Green Pepper.

On the other hand, the year 2008 will be the deadline to “eliminate or significantly reduce” the drug related crops all over the world. This goal was declared by the UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs (UNGASS) held in 1998. It is time to accept that the current regimen is a failure. It is time to stop the war on citizens which the drugs war has become. It is time to open the door to alternative and pragmatic drugs policies.

A world without repression: we can do it.

HaRdCOREhARMREdUCER
ArtCoreFromTheHardCore