CANNABIS
CAMPAIGNERS'
GUIDE

February 23

PUBLIC HEARING ON DRUG POLICY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION - BRUSSELS

23 February 2010 from 10 - 16 hs Place: European Parliament, Brussels, Room A1E-3 The hearing will be organised in collaboration with Member of European Parliament Michail Tremopoulos of Greece (GREENS/EFA).

THURSDAY 4 MARCH 2010, 1 PM

Why do we organise this hearing?

In March 2009, the European Commission presented the “Report on Global Illicit Drug Markets 1998 – 2007" (the Reuter-Trautmann report). This report contains a valuable database and conclusions that confirm those of other evaluation reports on drug policies in the EU of past years. These conclusions are that current policies are failing in their main objective, which is to reduce the demand and supply of illicit drugs, and that they are a crucial factor in generating and increasing harm to individual drug consumers, their direct surroundings and society at large.

The authors of the report mentioned above have not been asked to produce any recommendations. According to DCU representatives, the report “does not contain sufficient data to be called an evaluation”. Thus, it seems likely that the report, the result of one year of scientific research will soon be forgotten.

From 8 to 12 March 2010, the next annual meeting of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs will be held in Vienna, Austria. On this meeting, the European Union representatives will defend common viewpoints on the future course of global drug policies. We believe that it is of essential importance that both civil society organisations and Members of the European Parliament discuss the conclusions of the Reuter-Trautmann report before the next CND meeting.

We have formally requested the European Commission to announce at least before January 15, 2010, whether it will organise the next session of the Civil Society Forum before March 1st, 2010 and have asked the Members of the European Parliament to support this request.

As we did not receive any response from the Commission, we decided to organise a Public Hearing in the European Parliament. The aim of the hearing would be to formulate a set of recommendations concerning current drug policies and proposals to adopt alternative schemes, that are based upon the experiences and arguments brought forward by the participants.

Access to this hearing (which will be held in English only) is public and for free. If you wish to attend this meeting, it is necessary to register. Please copy the following form and send it before 15 February 2010 by email to info@encod.org

REGISTRATION FORM

I wish to participate in the Public Hearing on EU Drug Policy, to be held on Tuesday 23 February 2010, in the European Parliament in Brussels.

Name:

Date of birth:

City of residence:

Nationality:

QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

If you are not able to make it to Brussels on 23 February but would like to put a question or comment that should be dealt with during the hearing, please send it to info@encod.org

In the coming days, we will keep you informed with details on the agenda of this hearing.

http://www.encod.org

http://www.encod.org/info/ENCOD-PROPOSES-NEW-SESSION-OF-THE.html

March 4 2010 and 8, 9 March 2010

PICKETS AGAINST MALAYSIAN CANNABIS DEATH SENTENCES - UK AND FRANCE

FOR AN END TO THE DEATH PENALTY FOR DRUG OFFENSES IN MALAYSIA AND ELSEWHERE FOR AN END TO DRUG PROHIBITION

JOIN US IN FRONT OF THE MALAYSIAN EMBASSY, 45 BELGRAVE SQUARE, LONDON SW1X 8QT (near Hyde Park Corner, Piccadilly Line).

THURSDAY 4 MARCH 2010, 1 PM

REJOIGNEZ-NOUS FACE DE L’AMBASSADE DE MALAISIE A PARIS – 2 Bis Rue Benouville, 75116 Paris (Métro Porte Dauphine)

JEUDI 4 MARS 2010, 1 PM

In cooperation with Encod members in London, Paris and Vienna, Encod is organising picket line demo's at the Malaysian embassies in the UK and France (on 4 March 2010) as well as at the entrance of the UN Centre in Vienna where the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs will be held (on 8 and 9 March 2010).

You can find a link at http://www.encod.org/info/PICKET-LINE-IN-FRONT-OF-THE.html (London), http://www.encod.org/info/REJOIGNEZ-NOUS-FACE-DE-L-AMBASSADE.html (Paris) and http://www.encod.org/info/VIENNA-CALLING.html (Vienna)

Please let others know on these events sending them the message below, and if you want to participate in these events or wish to organise one in your own country, please let me know.

Best wishes

Joep (ENCOD)

DRUG LAWS ARE MORE DANGEROUS THAN DRUGS THEMSELVES

From March 8 to 12, 2010 during the yearly meeting of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna, governments from all over the world will once again declare their support to the global fight against drugs, i.e. the substances that were prohibited worldwide by a UN Convention in 1961.

In Malaysia, as in 21 other countries in the world, people who use or possess relatively small quantities of drugs, including cannabis, are sentenced to death. These sentences are mandatory: judges have no possibility to invoke any extenuating circumstance. Furthermore, the usual burden of proof is reversed so that an individual is presumed to be guilty unless he or she can prove otherwise.

International Conventions on Human Rights, various UN Human Rights Bodies and the UN Secretary General have expressed that the “death penalty should only be considered in cases where the crime is intentional and results in lethal or extremely grave consequences, not in cases of economic, non-violent or victimless offences. In those cases a death sentence may be considered as an arbitrary execution.”

The use, sale or trafficking of drugs is not intended to have a lethal outcome. People use drugs to feel good or to feel better, and as long as there is a demand there will always be a supply. Also in Malaysia, drug use has continued to rise in spite of the death penalty. The people who are occasionally caught by authorities do not have major responsibilities in this business. Killing them will not scare the drug gangs away. On the contrary: thanks to these punishments, the leaders in the drug business can continue to justify extraordinary high prices for their goods

Legitimized by the United Nations, drug prohibition continues to drive repressive policies and legislation including death sentence. These policies are typically rooted in moral in stead of rational arguments, and impede the development of progressive and effective responses to any problems that the use of drugs may cause.

If you are unsure, check with me first at office@encod.org

EUROPEAN COALITION FOR JUST AND EFFECTIVE DRUG POLICIES

Lange Lozanastraat 14 – 2018 Antwerpen - Belgium

Tel. + 32 (0)3 293 0886 / Mob. + 32 (0)495 122644

http://www.encod.org

Demand a proper cost-benefit analysis of the drug war

TRANSFORM - has thrown a challenge to everyone who supports drug law reform,

If we are so sure that prohibition is an expensive failure, then we should be willing to accept a proper cost benefit analysis for all the options of drug control.

Please write to your MP or the Home Office to demand a full cost benefit analysis of the present drugs policy.   

Write to House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA