By Yelin Gemma Lee An SFU professor is being recognized by the university for his groundbreaking contributions to drug policy and public health.

Donald MacPherson, executive director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition in the faculty of health sciences, has been awarded the Nora and Ted Sterling Prize in Support of Controversy for his work in driving unconventional policy solutions to address drug problems, especially in BC.

The controversy prize was started in 1993 and each year is awarded annually to recognize “work that provokes and contributes to the understanding of controversy,” according to the university website.

“Controversy is academically important because all views must be considered, including alternative and not-politically acceptable solutions to the problem,” MacPherson told 

MacPherson authored the four pillars drug strategy adopted by the City of Vancouver which focuses on harm reduction and appropriate substance regulation.

With Vancouver expecting to have a sharp increase in overdose numbers this year, the decisions that will be made in terms of drug policy will be ones of high impact. Donald MacPherson and his team at the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition work to challenge the provincial and federal government to consider radical and progressive change so that in the future we can avoid another episode of spiking drug overdoses.

“It is a needless and preventable disaster. We need to learn from the past — leaving the substances in the hands of organized crime doesn’t work,” said MacPherson. “The criminalization of the substances equals to criminalization of the users. This stigma pushes people away from getting the help they need.”

“Students are part of a broad movement to reform Canada’s drug policies. They are a very important voice,” said MacPherson, who calls for students to be advocates for harm reduction and overdose prevention strategies, especially for events like music festivals and pub nights. He hopes that students will get involved in the cause through Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

Drug policy reformer wins SFU’s controversy prize

On 5 September, the recently elected government of the Republic of Macedonia ordered the Ministry of Health to allocate 103 million Macedonian denars (approximately € 1,674,000) within the National HIV Program for 2018 to (a) ensure continuous access to antiretroviral (ARV) treatment for HIV-positive people; and (b) support the implementation of HIV prevention programs among key affected populations (KAPs) such as men who have sex with men (MSM), persons who inject drugs (PWID) and sex workers (SW). This amount is nearly four times bigger than the amount that had been budgeted for 2018 by the previous government. Local activists consider this development to be a very important step in ensuring the sustainability of HIV services in Macedonia.

According to Arben Fetai, Senior E.U. Policy Advisor for Stop AIDS Alliance, one of the key factors contributing to this achievement was the personal commitment of the new Minister of Health, Arben Taravari, who has introduced multiple initiatives to restore citizen’s trust in the health system. Fetai said that the new government, which was elected on 3 June after a two-year-long political crisis, is resolutely pro-European and reformist, a total break with the previous government which ran the country for eleven years amid corruption scandals and under-investment in social sectors.

Fetai said that the Minister took this decision in his third week in office, during his first meeting with civil society representatives – “a great example of budget advocacy at work.” Unfortunately, he added, Taravari has been requested by his party to run for Mayor of his hometown in local elections scheduled for 22 October. Taravari has communicated that he won’t come back to the Ministry whether he wins the election or not.

New government in Macedonia budgets for ARVs and prevention services to KAPs, as Global Fund support comes to an end

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines boasted of its own Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to counter Iceland and 38 other countries that criticized the killings and the "climate of impunity" in President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) cited Ambassador Maria Teresa Almojuela, Philippine deputy permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva, in a statement Friday, September 29.

The DFA issued this comment after Iceland delivered a statement on behalf of 38 other countries at the UN against the "climate of impunity" in the Philippines. The Philippine government denounced these countries' statement "sweeping and politicized."

"Unlike some states that joined Iceland, Ambassador Almojuela said the Philippines actually has a functioning and independent Commission on Human Rights that is also fully compliant with the Paris Principles," the DFA said.

Almojuela explained, "There is no culture of impunity in the Philippines. We have internal mechanisms to investigate all law enforcement operations that lead to deaths."

This comes as Duterte blasts the CHR for supposedly meddling in his anti-drug campaign, and as Duterte's allies at the House of Representatives practically want the CHR abolished. (READ: 'Demonizing' human rights in the first year of Duterte).

Thumbnail: 2017 Global Day of Action - Philippines

Philippines boasts of Commission on Human Rights to counter Iceland, 38 countries on killings

A Canberra music festival will become the first in Australia to provide pill testing in a move health advocates say will save lives.

ACT health minister Meegan Fitzharris on Friday revealed the government had given permission for a trial program testing illicit drugs at the November 25 Spilt Milk festival "to keep people safe".

The testing will be conducted and funded by a Safety Testing Advisory Service at Festivals and Events (STA-SAFE) consortium and offered for free to festival goers.

The move comes after a similar proposal for Groovin The Moo was denied earlier this year.

"We need to find the right balance between letting young people know it's illegal to take drugs, they can be very harmful, but also being realistic because we've seen deaths at festivals, five in 2015 alone, so if that helps to keep people safe, it's worth doing," Ms Fitzharris said.

The program is supported and developed in consultation with ACT Policing, but the opposition claims the move will enable people to "peddle drugs to our kids".

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.

Pill testing gets green light for Canberra festival Spilt Milk

The United Nations (UN) human rights chief on Tuesday expressed grave concern over the spate of killings in the Philippines.

In his opening speech before the 36th Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zei Ra’ad Al Hussein cited there is a lack of respect for due process in the country.

“In the Philippines, I continue to be gravely concerned by the President's open support for a shoot-to-kill policy regarding suspects, as well as by the apparent absence of credible investigations into reports of thousands of extrajudicial killings, and the failure to prosecute any perpetrator,” Al Hussein said.

He also took note of the August 16 killing of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos, which Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre considered an “isolated case”.

“I am also shocked by President Duterte's threat to bomb schools for indigenous children in the southern Philippines, which he said were teaching children to rebel against the government,” he added.

Last July, President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to bomb Lumad-run community schools in the provinces, claiming they were teaching students to rebel against the government.

UN rights commissioner ‘gravely concerned’ over PH killings

and Health Foundation present online course on community based participatory research – CBPR education and 

In the seven modules of the CBPR Education course (available in English and Russian) you will gain insight into, and understanding about the key principles of community based participatory research.

: module on writing a conference abstract. This module presents information on the general requirements and considerations regarding abstract writing and the criteria used in the selection process.

Module on writing a conference abstract announced

Are you passionate about global drug policy? IDPC is looking for a dynamic and motivated new volunteer to support our communications work!

The selected candidate will help us enhance IDPC’s visibility by helping our communications work, and providing some research and administrative support to our small team of advocates. Ideally, the volunteer would commit to work at IDPC for a minimum period of three months (either part- or full-time, depending on the person's availability). For more information about the position, have a look at the full description below.

If you are interested in volunteering for us, please 

 (Deadline extended!) to Marie Nougier at mnougier@idpc.net. Please note that we can only welcome volunteers who have the right to live and work in the UK.

IDPC does not currently have the capacity to pay its volunteers. However, we will reimburse travel costs and lunch expenses incurred during the volunteer’s working days.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.

IDPC is searching for a new communications volunteer

Every day there is a new headline highlighting the devastating effects of the current opioid crisis on individuals and their communities – from record overdoses to widespread transmission of hepatitis C. This has started a dialogue, urging public officials to treat drug use as a medical issue rather than a criminal one. States across the U.S. are responding to this as a public health matter – passing 911 Good Samaritan and naloxone access laws, opening of syringe exchanges, and increasing access to Medication-Assisted Treatment. It seems that, now more than ever, we are amidst a shift in how society deals with problematic drug use.

So then why, in the midst of a public health crisis, are police around the United States confiscating clean syringes and naloxone from the most vulnerable drug users – the homeless? This may sound absurd, but across the United States there have been reports of law enforcement seizing clean syringes and naloxone from homeless drug users that were lawfully obtained at health service providers.

Imagine being a homeless intravenous drug user who’s trying their best to prevent the contraction of HIV or Hepatitis C. To get to the needle exchange, you first have to make arrangements so your possessions aren’t stolen, then you take public transit, make sure you get to the exchange on time, wait in line for services, and then trek back to your camp. You put in the effort to keep yourself healthy, only to have these same supplies confiscated by police a few hours later. Confiscation of your consumption equipment forces you to resort to sharing syringes and other hazardous consumption practices. The end result is increased risk of fatal overdose, HIV and hepatitis C transmission – all thanks to law enforcement improperly enforcing laws designed to protect drug users, not hurt them. It’s easy for people to blame drug users for their health issues, but it’s becoming even clearer that, like most of the enforcement of the failed drug war, often it is the police fueling these adverse consequences of drug use.

Police are fueling increased overdoses, transmission of HIV and viral hepatitis

The Narcotic Crops Survey and Monitoring Institute is now studying how many kratom trees families should be allowed to grow.

“We have assigned the institute to conduct the study as the Public Health Ministry has recommended that Thais should be able to grow kratom (Mitragyna speciose) for personal use in line with their culture,” Narcotics Control Board’s secretary general Sirinya Sittichai said on Friday.

He said it might be okay to let a household grow one or two kratom trees.

“But I don’t think people will be allowed to carry kratom out of their home,” he said.

Sirinya also disclosed that a subcommittee on legal control of methamphetamine had already agreed to let people use kratom for their local way of life.

“The decision will be forwarded to the justice minister, to the Public Health Ministry, and then the Cabinet,” he said

Families allowed to grow kratom trees for cultural reasons

Iranian lawmakers have amended the country's strict laws on narcotics, making it harder to put people to death for drug-related crimes. The law could affect hundreds of inmates on death row in the conservative country.

Under the new bill, Iranian judges will be able to sentence a suspect to death if the crime involves two kilos (4.41 pounds) or more of hard drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, or amphetamines. This marks a significant change compared to the old legislation, where the legal limit was only 30 grams.

Parliament passed the new legislation on Sunday after months of debate. It is expected to be approved by the conservative Guardian Council and signed into law by the president.

Lawmakers also raised the levels for drugs such as opium and marijuana - from five to 50 kilos.

However, the new law would keep the death penalty for leaders of drug gangs, people who carry firearms or exploit minors while committing drug-related crimes, and - in some cases - repeated offenders.

Iran eases death penalty laws for drug traffickers

Strict and arbitrary punishments for drug offences in Malta have continued to take place – and may have even intensified – since the introduction of legislation that aimed to reduce the criminalisation of drug use.

In April 2015, the Maltese Government passed introduced the Drug Dependence Act, nicknamed the "Treatment Not Imprisonment Act", into law. The Act removed the possibility of criminal prosecution for someone found in possession of “small quantities of prohibited drugs for personal use”, and 

 that they receive a fine instead. The legislation also states that "a person found guilty of cultivating ... one [cannabis] plant ... shall not be liable to a mandatory term of imprisonment".

While the Act appeared to signify a progressive move in the Mediterranean nation’s drug policy, the consequences of its implementation suggest otherwise.

Prior to the introduction of the Act, people found in possession of a personal quantity of drugs would not necessarily have to pay a fine - rather, they would often face a probation order. While a conviction and a probation order are not conducive to health-oriented drug policy, a fine can lead to a host of new problems for people with problematic drug use, particularly if they are already financially insecure. Financial punishments may exacerbate health and welfare issues of the country's estimated 1,708 "high-risk opioid users”.

In addition, the Act’s change to the Maltese approach to cannabis cultivation poses an inherent problem. Although the legislation removes criminal penalties for the cultivation of one plant, cultivating two or more currently results in a 

 six-month prison sentence. Franco Debono, the Prime Minister’s consultant on justice reform, warned that this has created an unjust approach based on an arbitrary measurement.

Draconian and unjust punishments continue under Malta’s “treatment not imprisonment” drug law

The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS have released a joint statement on HIV testing services that reinforces two key principles that ensure a human rights-based and public health approach to HIV testing.

The statement says that HIV testing, no matter how it is delivered, must always respect personal choice and adhere to ethical and human rights principles. It makes it clear that WHO and UNAIDS do not recommend mandatory, compulsory or coerced HIV testing of individuals on public health grounds.

The statement also explains that in order to minimize the risk of HIV misdiagnosis, all providers of HIV testing services must use HIV test kits and testing procedures that meet WHO quality standards or other equivalent national or regional quality standards. Testing procedures must be validated in each setting, depending on the population HIV prevalence. Regular external quality assurance should also be in place in order to rapidly detect potential causes of HIV misdiagnosis.

The position of WHO and UNAIDS is that no one should be given an HIV-positive diagnosis on the basis of a single positive HIV test result. National HIV testing procedures should be followed to confirm an HIV-positive test result and everyone should be re-tested before starting on lifelong antiretroviral therapy.

Ending AIDS: progress towards the 90–90–90 targets

 estimates that only 70% of people living with HIV are aware of their HIV status. This is the first of the 90–90–90 targets, whereby, by 2020, 90% of people living with HIV know their status, 90% of people living with HIV who know their status are receiving antiretroviral treatment and 90% of people on treatment have suppressed viral loads.

News