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Government must ignore UN flak on progressive cannabis policy says drug think tank.

25/02/03

The International Narcotics Control Board, the UN body responsible for making sure member states abide by the three UN drug control treaties (1961, 1971, 1988) has today, in its annual report, criticised UK drug policy developments including the proposed reclassification of cannabis. The Transform Drug Policy Institute, the UK's leading independent drug policy think tank, has offered support to the government for its defense of cannabis reclassification in the face of UN flak.

Danny Kushlick, TDPI director said; "UN drug control policy reflects outdated and discredited US prohibitionist thinking. The INCB seem determined to stamp on any reforms that challenge this prevailing ideology, even when there is strong evidence that such policies can be highly effective.

"By contrast there is no evidence that the UN Drug Control Programme's focus on enforcement and eradication has been successful. Despite the billions spent over the past 4 decades illegal drugs are cheaper and more available than ever before. In the light of such striking failure we have to question the credibility of the entire UN drug control system.

"If the UK move on cannabis sends out a message it is that the UN treaties are outdated and in need of a major rethink. The UN drug control agencies are being left behind by the innovative policy developments taking place across mainland Europe, as well as in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, all of whom have received criticism from the INCB.

"This challenge to the UN is likely to be a major theme at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs meeting in Vienna this April. This meeting includes a ministerial meeting of member states to review progress at the half way point in the UN's 1998 ten-year strategy. The slogan for this strategy is 'A drug free world, we can do it!' which reflects just how distanced from reality The UN drug control agencies are."

"The UK now finds itself amongst the group of European countries that includes Holland Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium, and Portugal that are going to be getting flak at the Vienna meeting. In their eyes we have become a pariah state. It's a ridiculous situation since the UN drug agencies should be facilitating innovative evidence based policy developments, not hindering them."

Notes for editors

A TDPI briefing giving background on International drug control policy and details about the Commission on Narcotic Drugs ministerial meeting in April is available on the TDPI website http://www.tdpi.org.uk/drug_policy_6.htm

Further detailed briefings on UN drug control policy and are available from the Transnational Institute on http://www.tni.org/drugs/ungass/index.htm

UN Acronyms:

CND - Commission for Narcotic Drugs

"The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) is the central policy-making body within the United Nations system dealing with drug-related matters. It analyses the world drug situation and develops proposals to strengthen the international drug control system to combat the world drug problem". Also the "the governing body of UNDCP". (www.unodc.org/odccp/about)

UNDCP - United Nations Drug Control Programme

"Founded in 1991, UNDCP works to educate the world about the dangers of drug abuse. The Programme aims to strengthen international action against drug production, trafficking and drug-related crime through alternative development <alternative_development.html> projects, crop monitoring <crop_monitoring.html> and anti-money laundering <money_laundering.html>
programmes" (www.unodc.org/odccp/about)

INCB - International Narcotics Control Board

"The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) is the independent and quasi-judicial control body for the implementation of the United Nations drug conventions. It was established in 1968 by the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 <http://www.incb.org/e/conv/1961/cover.htm>. INCB is independent of Governments as well as of the United Nations; its 13 members serve in their personal capacity." (www.unodc.org/odccp/about)