By Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines,

This global virtual summit will bring together Indigenous leaders from throughout North, Central and South America as well as researchers, practitioners, community builders and other experts from around the world. We will discuss the potential benefits and harms of the globalization of psychedelic plant medicines and explore how we can offer reciprocity to honor the Indigenous cultures and traditions that these medicines come from. It is vital that members of the psychedelic community help support Indigenous groups and the traditional spiritual and ecological knowledge they preserve and practice. This gathering is a follow-up to our conference, Plantas Sagradas en las Américas, held in Mexico in 2018. Like our previous conferences, this event reflects the mission of Chacruna by applying a multidisciplinary approach for creating intercultural dialogues and building bridges between Indigenous traditions and mainstream psychedelic science and policy. Indigenous voices have often been marginalized in the contemporary psychedelic conversation, and this event seeks to spotlight these voices and the invaluable wisdom they carry. We will explore how psychoactive plants have been used throughout history and in different geographical areas, as well as their use and active compounds in multiple contexts; including scientific research, empirical experience, cultural manifestations and the ways in which the state has administered these practices. Presentations will address the traditional and modern uses of various psychoactive plants and include a diverse range of perspectives and fields of knowledge. In doing so, this conference invites us to rethink dichotomies such as sacred vs. profane, modern vs. traditional, legal vs. illegal, and natural vs. artificial, thus bringing much-needed complexity and nuance to the mainstream conversation.

In parallel with this event, Chacruna will launch its new Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative of the Americas, a comprehensive online resource that will allow people to connect with and donate to grassroots Indigenous nonprofits and community initiatives at the local level.

Sacred Plants in the Americas II

A global consultation on peer work with people who use drugs and sex workers, led by MDM and supported by INPUD, ICRSE, EuroNPUD and Coact, took place on 23 March 2021. Against the backdrop of this consultation, EuroNPUD is organising Peer Works! webinar series and showcasing three examples of meaningful peer work focusing on peer-led harm reduction and OST literacy and rights.

Global Peer Work Consultation Feedback webinar will include a summary from the focus groups with peer workers and presentations about research into peer work and the model of the Global Peer Work Consultations. The webinar will include a cartoon video recording of the ndings of the Global Peer Work Consultation.

 Judy Chang (Australia), Mat Southwell (UK), Ernst Wisse (Netherlands).

Peer Works! Global peer work consultation feedback

This webinar is for specialist doctors involved in the treatment of hepatitis C (hepatologists, infectious disease specialists, doctors, other specialties who are eligible to deal with the treatment of hepatitis C); medical specialists working with people who use drugs (narcologists, doctors of various specialties who work in the penitentiary system) from the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

The webinar is for clinicians treating patients with hepatitis C (eg hepatologists and infectious disease specialists) and clinicians working with people who inject drugs (eg addiction specialist, narcologists and prison doctors) on the situation with hepatitis C among people who inject drugs, including barriers in access to treatment and care in EECA;

, Specialist of infectious diseases and internal medicine. University Medical Centre Ljubljana and Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Member of EASL PPHC

, medical officer, regional focal point for hepatitis. World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe

, MD, PhD, Director of the Health Research Union, Georgia

, Director of the AGEP'C", Almaty. Kazakhstan.

, Executive Director of the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association


• provide up-to-date information on the hepatitis C situation among people who inject drugs, including barriers to access to treatment and care);
• present the latest WHO and EASL recommendations, including the EASL policy statement on drug use in the context of the global goal of eliminating hepatitis C;
• Share best practices for responding to hepatitis C among people who inject drugs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Language: English and Russian with simultaneous translation.

Elimination of hepatitis C among people who inject drugs

In conversation with Kasia Malinowska, director of the Open Society Global Drug Policy Program, Carl Hart, one of the world’s foremost experts on drugs, argues that the greatest damage from drugs flows from their being illegal.

Dr. Hart is open about the fact that he uses drugs himself, in a happy balance with the rest of his full and productive life as a colleague, husband, father, and friend. In 

 he draws on decades of research and his own personal experience to argue definitively that the criminalization and demonization of drug use—not drugs themselves—have been a tremendous scourge on America, not least in reinforcing enduring structural racism.

This conversation is the first in a series of ongoing panel discussions and events Open Society Foundations will host to spotlight the 50th anniversary of the unjust and racist “war on drugs,” initiated by President Richard Nixon. The United States has spent billions of dollars on expanding its criminal justice infrastructure to accommodate increasingly aggressive policing, encouraged other countries to adopt oppressive drug policies, and has devastated Black and brown communities, even as levels of drug dependence and overdose deaths have spiraled out of control. Join us in holding our leaders accountable and promoting drug policies guided by social justice, public health, and human rights.

Drug use for grown-ups: A conversation with Carl Hart

As the world grows older, drug use among people over 65 years of age has also grown. In order to successfully address drug use by older people, we must first acknowledge that use has no age limits.

In the recent “Hidden epidemic of drug use among older people highlighted by International Narcotics Control Board's Annual Report”, Mr Cornelis P. de Joncheere mentioned that the pandemic has caused great harm to the health and the well-being of older people. However, there is also a hidden epidemic of drug use affecting this population group. Drug use and drug-related deaths among older people have been on the rise, as has the number of older people in treatment for drug use problems.

This Global Cafe takes place at 07:00 am (Eastern Standard Time) on Friday 16 April 2021 (additional time zones below):

Geneva, Switzerland: 12:00
Lagos, Nigeria: 12:00
New Delhi, India: 16:30
Perth, Australia: 19:00

This Global Cafe will be recorded and streamed live on Facebook. Should you be unable to participate, a recording will be available on the IFA Facebook page

IFA global cafe: In conversation with Mr Cornelis P. de Joncheere "The hidden epidemic of drug use among older people"

Secondary NSP and Safer Injecting webinar will introduce the new EuroNPUD Safer Injecting course. There will be presentations about peer-led NSP pilots in the UK, Portugal and Spain. The peer needle patrol from Denmark will be described.

 Aura Roig Forteza (Spain), Mat Southwell (UK), Emilia Piermartini (Italy), Tom Linnert Jensen (Denmark).

Peer Works! Secondary needle and syringe programmes

The dates for the Sixty-fourth session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Vienna are: 12 - 16 April 2020. The 64th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs is expected to follow a hybrid format (online / offline).

The Vienna NGO Committee (VNGOC) has drafted a Guide for NGOs participating in the CND, available here. VNGOC has also compiled a list of recommendations aimed at protecting the role of civil society engagement in the CND, available here. Finally, the Committee organises a civil society briefing this Friday, at 14:00 (CET). You can register for it here.

The CND Blog will also provide near real-time updates on the plenary session, Committee of the Whole and selected side events. You can also follow IDPC twitter which will provide live updates on key events, or follow the hashtags #CND64.

Survey on civil society participation in the 64th CND

The CND App aims to facilitate navigating and engaging with the debates at the CND. This mobile application will help you track, in real time, what is happening and where, receive notifications on key events, resolutions and speakers, and access CND resolutions as well as UN-agreed language on specific drug policy issues. This will be all the more important for this virtual session.

For an optimal experience, please download the app from the Apple or Android store. Alternatively, you can access most of the app's functionalities with your browser online. The CND App was developed by IDPC, as part of the Global Partnership on Drug Policies and Development (GPDPD) project.

The CND 64: Key issues and opportunities webinar series sheds light on the key issues that are likely to structure the debates, tabled resolutions and opportunities for engagement, and showcases the experience of IDPC network members in navigating and leveraging this forum for political advocacy. This multilingual webinar series is available in English, Spanish and French.

A video introduction to the Commission's functioning and mechanisms of engagement is also available.

110 side events are taking place during the 64th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs.

Over 20 of these events are organised by IDPC members and allies, check them out in the document below.

The IDPC Secretariat co-organises a number of them that we warmly invite you to register to:

Legal Regulation of Drugs through a development Lens

 | Flyer | 13:10-14:00 | Health Poverty Action, Instituto RIA, IDPC

Shifting the needle: The impact of global drug policy on women

 | Flyer | 14:10-15:00 | PRI, CELS, Dejusticia, IDPC, TIJ, WOLA

Protecting civil society space at times of COVID-19: Lessons learned for advocacy

 | Flyer | 10:00-10:50 | Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, YODA, CDPE, Frontline AIDS, IDPC

Promoting evidence-based drug policies and interventions enshrined in human rights in Europe

 | Flyer | 9:00-9:50 | Association Proyecto Hombre, Portugal, Spain, Council of Europe, European Union, European Union Civil Society Forum on Drugs

Addressing the harms of criminalisation and policing with criminal justice and drug policy reform

 | Flyer | 10:00-10:50 | Norway, Norwegian Association for Humane Drug Policies, DPA, IDPC, NoBox Philippines, Release





Celebrating the five-year anniversary of the UNGASS: Progress made, ongoing challenges

 | Flyer | 13:10-14:00 | Portugal, European Union, UNAIDS, WHO, IDPC

A series of informal dialogues between high-level UN representatives and civil society are scheduled to take place during the 64th Session.

As in previous years, the VNGOC has organised several informal NGO dialogues with representatives from UN bodies:

A declaration and four resolutions have been tabled and will be negotiated by Member States. The drafts are available here. 

Given the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the VNGOC will hold its 

as two online events (on 8 April and 15 April 2021). To find out more about how to pay your VNGOC membership fees, attend the AGM, please check this page.

The Committee is also holding 

. Only members who have paid their fees can vote. To learn more about the candidates and voting procedure, please check this page.

64th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND)

This webinar will review EuroNPUD’s Technical Briefing on P2PN and introduce EuroNPUD’s new Naloxone Saves Lives Course toolkit. Presentations will cover the peer championing of P2PN in the UK, a Slovenian guerrilla P2PN project, and Naloxone in a peer-led drug consumption room in Spain.

 Rui Coimbra (Portugal), George Charlton (UK), Janko Belin (Slovenia), Aura Roig Forteza (Spain) Guest appearance from Naloxone Man.

Peer Works! Naloxone and peer-to-peer naloxone

This webinar is part of a multilingual series, available in Spanish and French here.

Tuesday, 6 April 2020 (12:00 - 13:00 | London time)

 on the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) focuses on its 64th Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), which will take place in Vienna from 12-16 April 2021.

The webinar series will shed light on the key issues that are likely to structure the debates, discuss tabled resolutions and opportunities for engagement (especially considering this year's hybrid format), and showcase the experience of IDPC network members in navigating and leveraging this forum for political advocacy.

A separate video introduction to the Commission's functioning and mechanisms of engagement is also available.

 (International Drug Policy Consortium - IDPC);

 (International Network of People Who Use Drugs - INPUD); and,

(Students for Sensible Drug Policy - SSDP).

CND 64: Key issues and opportunities

OST Literacy and Rights webinar will include an overview of the project and introduction to the OST Client Guide, followed by different stakeholders from the pilot countries discussing their work on the project.

 Christos Anastasiou (Greece), Mat Southwell (UK), Lee Collingham (UK), Dirk Schäffer (Germany), Roberto Sandero (Sweden) Rapporteur: Dr Christos Kouimtsidis (Greece).

Peer Works! Opioid Substitution Therapy literacy and rights

In 1961, the Member States of the United Nations set themselves a goal to eliminate illegal opium production by 1979 and that of cannabis and coca by 1989. In 1998, they proclaimed to be ready to achieve a world without drugs within 10 years. Meanwhile, the use of illicit substances has increased at twice the rate of the world population, and today production and trafficking of drugs are completely out of control. Sixty years of prohibitionist policies and the War on Drugs have caused more damages than those caused by the substances themselves in sanitary, social, criminal, environmental and economic terms. The webinar will address the historical background of the UN Conventions on narcotics and will look at the future of drug policy with experts and activists from around the world. Register for the event
https://www.fuoriluogo.it/epicfail

 Chairman: Marco Perduca, Science for Democracy 5 min
6 pm CET International Conventions and the global drug control system
- Grazia Zuffa Chair of la Società della Ragione 10 min
- Martin Jelsma Programme Director Drugs & Democracy Transnational Institute – TNI - 15 min
6:30 pm CET The impact of global drug policies
- Looking back at the past 5 years of UNGASS implementation: What have we achieved Marie Nougier Head of Research and Communications International Drug Policy Consortium - IDPC
- Science, research, access to drugs - 10 minutes Prof. Francisco Thoumi former Member of the International Narcotics Control Board
- Drug Policies and Human Rights - 10 minutes Rebecca Schleifer, JD, MPH, international human rights consultant - 10 minutes
- Drug policies and Law Enforcement Neil Woods Board Member at Law Enforcement Action Partnership - LEAP - 10 minutes

Drugs: 60 years of an EPIC FAIL?

In the last decade, the negative consequences of the international drug control regime based on repression and coercion have increasingly become visible barriers to sustainable development. Despite important reforms and paradigm changes in certain countries and regions, drug policies still pose serious challenges to the international development objectives.

These consequences range from negative outcomes in control of infectious diseases, in access to controlled pain relief, in over incarceration and disproportionality of sentencing targeting certain populations, to breaches in the rule of law as drug laws are not complied with. These consequences are visible and dire at all levels of governance, and affect the most marginalized populations first.

 (@JuanManSantos) is the former President of the Republic of Colombia, serving two terms, from 2010 to 2018. He was Colombia’s first Foreign Trade Minister, has been Minister of Finance and before being elected President, was Minister for National Defence. Prior to entering politics, President Santos was deputy director of El Tiempo newspaper, and wrote a weekly opinion column. He was awarded the King of Spain International Journalism Award and named president of the Freedom of Expression Commission for the Inter American Press Association (IAPA). In 2016 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He is a member of The Elders, a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy and a Honorary Graduate of LSE. President Santos studied for a Master of Science in the Department of Economics at LSE in 1975.

 (@HelenClarkNZ) is a global leader on sustainable development, gender equality and international co-operation. She served three successive terms as Prime Minister of New Zealand between 1999 and 2008. She then became the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator for two terms from 2009 to 2017, the first woman to lead the organisation. She was also the Chair of the United Nations Development Group, a committee consisting of the Heads of all UN funds, programmes and departments working on development issues. In 2019 Helen Clark became patron of The Helen Clark Foundation. In 2020, she was elected chair of the Global Commission on Drug Policy.

 was elected Federal Councillor in 1993 by the Federal Assembly, and was re-elected twice. From 1993 to her resignation in 2002, she was Head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs, in charge of public health and social insurance. During the year 1999, Ruth Dreifuss was President of the Swiss Confederation. After her retirement from government, she chaired the commission mandated by WHO that reported on public health, innovation and intellectual property rights, and co-chaired the High Level Panel on Access to Medicines, mandated by the United Nations Secretary-General. Ruth Dreifuss is member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, which she chaired from 2016 to 2020. She also serves as a member of the International Commission against the Death Penalty.

 was elected President of the Republic of South Africa by the Parliament in September 2008, a position he held until 9 May 2009. He was appointed by President Jacob Zuma to serve as the Deputy President. He served in that position from 11 May 2009 until 24 May 2014. Motlanthe also served two five-year terms as Secretary General of the ANC from December 1997 to December 2007, and was the Deputy President of the African National Congress from December 2007 to December 2012. He now heads the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation that was established when he left office of government and is a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy.

 (@AndresVelasco) is the Dean of the LSE School of Public Policy. He was the Minister of Finance in Chile between 2006 and 2010 and has held professorial roles at the Harvard Kennedy School and Columbia University´s School of International and Public Affairs.

Past Events