The Moroccan government ratified the draft law pertaining to the legalization and framing of cannabis production in the country this Thursday, on its weekly government council.

Government spokesperson Mustapha Baitas made the announcement in a press conference today, saying “the government ratified numerous provisions relating to the implementation of the law, ” first introduced nearly a year ago.

The legislation falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Interior and lists the regions in which it is permissible to license the cultivation and production of cannabis and the establishment and exploitation of its cultivation and storage facilities have been identified.

The law lists the provinces of Al Hoceima, Chefchaouen, and Taounate, but the spokesperson specified the possibility of adding other regions according to the demand of national and international investors for activities related to the production chain of cannabis in possible.

It also provides for the creation of an advisory committee to study licensing applications and express its opinion thereon, to be chaired by the Agency’s Director-General or his representative, and composed of representatives of the concerned sectors.

Moroccan government ratifies cannabis bill for medical and industrial purposes

United Nations Secretary-General
President of the United Nations Human Rights Council
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

President of the European Commission
European Commissioner for Crisis Management
High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety

Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

We, the undersigned organisations, call on the United Nations, the European Union, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to jointly support and set up, as a matter of urgency, an uninterrupted supply chain of humanitarian assistance to the affected populations within the country, and to establish safe humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from Ukraine.

On 24 February 2022, the Russian Federation launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, targeting several large cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Meriupol and Zhitomir, and bombing neighbourhoods within those areas, inevitably resulting in countless civilian deaths. The escalating war actions are causing tremendous humanitarian crises affecting millions of people. Those staying in cities and villages in Ukraine are in urgent need of warm shelter, food, water, basic medicine and other essential supplies. Additionally, more than 100,000 people have been internally displaced since the invasion began, and the number of displaced people will continue to grow. At the moment, meeting the essential needs of internally displaced people is extremely difficult in Ukraine due to martial law, curfews and threats to the lives of volunteers.

UNHCR estimates that due to the war, up to five million people will flee Ukraine. As of 3 March 2022, one million refugees were estimated to have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries —including Moldova, Poland, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia. As the situation worsens, an estimated four million people may flee Ukraine in the coming weeks and months. We highly appreciate the efforts thus far of governments, international institutions and millions of citizens in European countries — especially those in Moldova, Poland, Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary and Lithuania — in organising comprehensive support for all refugees from Ukraine.

What is now urgently needed is the provision of basic, essential health supplies and medication for people in Ukraine, including those internally displaced, by means of revised importation rules and distribution networks. People who belong to vulnerable and discriminated groups — such as people who use drugs, people in prison, gay and other men who have sex with other men, sex workers and trans people — must not be overlooked in these efforts. Notably, Ukraine has the second largest population of people living with HIV, people with tuberculosis and drug-resistant tuberculosis and opioid dependency in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and the country has developed successful and progressive harm reduction and treatment programmes, supported by the global community. To sustain those achievements and preserve human life, we ask you to ensure essential provisions including opioid agonist therapy, ARV therapy, and tuberculosis diagnostics and treatments.

Ukraine urgently needs humanitarian corridors supported by intergovernmental and multilateral organisations. On 1 March, the UN General Assembly adopted with overwhelming support (including by the European Union) a resolution demanding “all parties to allow safe and unfettered passage to destinations outside of Ukraine and to facilitate the rapid, safe and unhindered access to humanitarian assistance for those in need in Ukraine, to protect civilians, including humanitarian personnel (...) and to respect human rights.”

Following negotiations between the two sides on 3 March, Ukraine and Russia have agreed tentatively to create humanitarian corridors7 in the worst-affected areas of Ukraine, where civilians are most at risk from the war. But in reality, there is no clarity on how these passages could be implemented.

In line with this, we call on your organisations to:

Urgently establish safe, open and uninterrupted corridors for humanitarian workers and supplies, including essential food and medicine, to reach people in need throughout Ukraine (particularly in cities in eastern, southern and central Ukraine currently under attack).

Create a coordinated and agile system for assessing needs and tracking available services and supplies’ shortages and organising coordinated international response to address it.

Urgently support the establishment of inter-agency safe corridors for the evacuation of all people wishing to leave Ukraine, regardless of nationality, to neighbouring countries.

Organise transport of lifesaving cargo both for internally displaced people in Ukraine and refugees outside the country.

Engage in a sustained and coordinated manner with local and national authorities of neighbouring countries, and of expected destination countries, to ensure:
+ Continued safe entry and passage of people fleeing Ukraine (without the need for visas or other burdensome administrative requirements).
+ Distribution of food, COVID-19 personal protective equipment and medicine, including antiretroviral therapy (ARV) and/or opioid agonist treatment, without discrimination.
+ Safe and uninterrupted circulation of essential food and medicines — including utilisation of the simplified control procedures for the export, transportation and provision of medicinal products containing controlled substances, as recommended by the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).

Help to ensure the parties to the conflict take the necessary measures to account for protected people, including prisoners of war and detainees.

Apply all efforts to negotiate this issue with both Russian and Ukrainian authorities through all possible channels, to ensure safe and effective humanitarian corridors are established as quickly as possible.

A humanitarian corridor for Ukraine - Joint open letter

The Jude Byrne Emerging Female Leader Award has been developed by INHSU and INPUD (The International Network of People Who Use Drugs) in remembrance of Jude Byrne, a globally recognised, powerful advocate who fought to advance the health and human rights of people who use drugs.

Jude served as an INHSU board member and made countless valuable contributions to our network and community.

We are proud to honour Jude’s memory via this new award, which aims to help foster expertise and resilience in the next generation of female leaders.

Introducing the Jude Byrne Emerging Female Leader Award

INPUD stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian Network of People who Use Drugs (PUD.UA/VOLNA), the Ukrainian Network of Women who Use Drugs (UNWUD/VONA) and all Ukrainian peers, colleagues, and friends against the invasion of their country by Russia. This senseless act of aggression has unnecessarily put countless lives at risk. As during all times of war and conflict, people who use drugs have found themselves particularly vulnerable.

Our statement above calls for the following actions to be taken by UN agencies, the Global Fund, multilateral and bilateral donors and other stakeholders:

Work to ensure the implementation of the directive from the Ministry of Health, Ukraine No 26-04/538/2-22 dated 25.02.2022 regarding harm reduction programmes, particularly the administration of at least 15 days take home OAT doses, making sure it is implemented across all regions of Ukraine. More recent directives now recommend 30-day take home doses.

Address the immediate risk of stockouts of drug treatment and overdose prevention by: creating a coordinating body to work on supply and procurement issues, including resolving blockages related to the purchase and receipt of drugs from state and non-state manufacturers; developing a regulatory framework for the purchase, provision and transport – including cross-border movements – of drugs (methadone, buprenorphine, tramadol) in the form of humanitarian aid and its delivery to treatment centres; re-distributing donor funds for setting up and expanding mobile clinics and community- and peer-led responses in delivering critical services such as needles and syringes, OAT and naloxone; and for the purchase and delivery of drugs to medical centres.

Facilitate ease of access and mobility for people who use drugs by ensuring services are low threshold by removing all barriers for those entering and continuing treatment. People who use drugs must be able to register and receive medications, including methadone and buprenorphine across different sites, including in pharmacies.

Donors must immediately make emergency funding available and ensure maximum flexibility to meet humanitarian needs, such as food, shelter, transport, protection from violence and medical supplies, including projecting their investment towards addressing post-crisis trauma and issues.

Coordinate with neighbouring countries (Poland, Romania, Moldova etc.) to deal effectively with an increase in refugees who require continuation of OAT, ARV, TB and viral Hepatitis treatment. This includes ensuring adequate supply of medication and commodities and removing barriers to entry and treatment continuation without discrimination.

Global call for solidarity with people who use drugs in Ukraine

A recent string of drug busts in Southeast Asia — 55 million methamphetamine pills and 1.5 tonnes of crystal meth in Laos in October, and this year at least a billion pills, 6 tonnes of heroin and 4.4 tonnes of crystal meth — have led some international agencies to conclude that the production of illicit narcotics in the region is booming. The reason, Jeremy Douglas from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Bangkok told Reuters as far back as Oct. 28, is “the breakdown” of “security and governance” in Myanmar’s Shan State following the coup a year ago. Then, on Dec. 12, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation quoted Douglas as saying that “right now, the [Myanmar] police are fighting an insurgency or dealing with ethnic unrest, so they have other issues on their mind, and there is free space for others [drug smugglers] to do their business.” More recently, on Feb. 1, Douglas told Reuters: “Meth production increased last year from already extreme levels in northern Myanmar and there is no sign it will slow down.”

Critics, however, see the problem in a completely different light. Apart from being disconcerted by Douglas’ offensive choice of words — “other issues on their mind” can only be interpreted as a reference to the police gunning down peaceful demonstrators — they are pointing out that there can be many reasons for the increase in drug busts, and that it does not necessarily mean that production is skyrocketing. The Transnational Institute (TNI), a Netherlands-based research and advocacy organization, stated in a report published in December: “Sweeping assertions that Myanmar has become one of the world’s largest ATS [Amphetamine-Type Stimulants] producers — if not the largest — and reports about sudden huge increases in production should…be treated with great caution. It is important to note that increases in seizures could be because of other reasons, and these do not automatically mean that there is an increased equivalent in production.”

UN contributing to Myanmar’s drug problem

By Gaea Katreena Cabico, Philstar Global

— The European Parliament has approved a fresh resolution condemning "drug war" killings and the red-tagging of activists and journalists in the Philippines as it warned of possible trade sanctions if calls remain unheeded.

The resolution called on the Philippine government to immediately end violence and human rights violations targeting suspected drug offenders and to stop labeling human rights and environmental defenders, journalists and trade union activists as supporters and allies of communist rebels.

"In this regard, [the European Parliament] calls for the abolition of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in charge of carrying out red-tagging," the resolution read, which also urged the government to amend the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act and its implementing rules and regulations.

Red-tagged rights alliance Karapatan welcomed the adoption of the resolution, and thanked the members of the European Parliament who voted pass it.

"We also laud the European Parliament, which categorically stated through the said resolution its position for the abolition of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, as it denounced the practice of red-tagging by government officials against activists, journalists and critics, exposing them to potential harm," the group also said.

European Parliament calls for end to red-tagging, killings in Philippines

UNAIDS urges protection and continuity of health and HIV services for people living with and affected by HIV in Ukraine

GENEVA, 25 February 2022—Amidst the ongoing military offensive against Ukraine, UNAIDS is calling for the protection of health workers and uninterrupted continuation of HIV and health services for all people, including people living with and affected by HIV. Ukraine has the second largest AIDS epidemic in the region. It is estimated that there are 250 000 people living with HIV in Ukraine, 156 000 of whom are on antiretroviral therapy, medication that needs to be taken daily for people to remain alive and well.

“People living with HIV in Ukraine only have a few weeks of antiretroviral therapy remaining with them, and without continuous access their lives are at risk,” said Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director. “The hundreds of thousands of people living with and affected by HIV in Ukraine must have unbroken access to life-saving HIV services, including HIV prevention, testing and treatment.”

To date, the Government of Ukraine, together with civil society and international organizations, has implemented one of the largest and most effective HIV responses in eastern Europe and central Asia. However, with the ongoing military offensive, the efforts and gains made in responding to HIV are in serious risk of being reversed, putting even more lives in danger.

The right to health and access to HIV services must always be protected, and health workers, representatives of civil society and their clients must never be targets in a conflict. The ongoing military conflict has affected everyone in Ukraine but is likely to be particularly hard for people living with HIV and key populations, including people who use drugs, sex workers, gay men and other men who have sex with men and transgender people.

As highlighted by the United Nations Secretary-General, the United Nations is committed to support people in Ukraine, who have already suffered from “so much death, destruction and displacement” from the military offensive, in their time of need.

With the support of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and UNAIDS, the Government of Ukraine and civil society partners have delivered HIV prevention and treatment services for people living with HIV and key populations across Ukraine for many years and stand ready to give further support during the ongoing crisis.

UNAIDS staff remain on the ground in Ukraine, working to ensure that people living with HIV and key populations in Ukraine have continued access to life-saving services, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable civilians. UNAIDS will continue to support HIV prevention, testing, treatment, care and support for people across Ukraine affected by the crisis.

By Caitlin Fitzsimmons, Sydney Morning Herald

Rebecca has seen and lived the dark side of drug addiction. She grew up in a violent home with a stepmother who was a heavy cannabis user.

By the age of eight, Rebecca was smoking cigarettes. By 12, she was living on the streets and using alcohol and cannabis. By her late 20s, she was addicted to methamphetamine, also known as ice, and that’s when life became “really unmanageable”.

“It went on for about two years and I ended up homeless, lost my children, and fleeing a domestic violence relationship, all the chaos of deep addiction,” she says.

Rebecca, who lives in the inner west of Sydney and works in community services, got help to quit and has been clean for eight years. She requested her last name be withheld.

Rebecca is convinced, both from her personal and professional experience, that drug addiction should be treated as a health issue.

‘The stigma holds you back’: Public mood shifts on illegal drugs in Australia

ROME, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Italy's Constitutional Court on Wednesday rejected a request to hold a referendum on legalising the cultivation of cannabis, provoking the ire of promoters who called the decision a blow to democracy.

The referendum proposal sought to legalise the growing of weed for personal use and ease sanctions on other cannabis-related crimes, with offenders no longer risking prison sentences for selling small amounts of the drug.

Giuliano Amato, the Constitutional Court president, said the referendum included other narcotics considered to be hard drugs, which could not be liberalised.

"This is enough to make us violate multiple international obligations," Amato, a former prime minister, told a news conference.

Lawmaker Riccardo Magi, one of the referendum's leading advocates, told Reuters the court's decision was "a terrible blow to democracy," after hundreds of thousands of people had signed up to the proposal.

Italy's Constitutional Court vetoes referendum to liberalise cannabis

Edited by Istvan Gabor Takacs / Reporter: Peter Sarosi

We are glad to present our new movie on why is it important to involve civil society in drug policy decision making, featuring the members of the EU’s Civil Society Forum on Drugs!

The Civil Society Forum on Drugs (CSFD) is an expert group to the European Commission. Its membership comprises 45 civil society organisations coming from across Europe and representing a variety of fields of drug policy, and a variety of stances within those fields. We produced this video by interviewing its members about the valuable contribution civil society is doing in the field of drug policies in Europe. The movie was produced with the support of the EC JUST Drug Policy Grant.

The right to sit at the table – The Civil Society Forum on Drugs

By Colette Fogarty and Matvej Dubianskij, Master's students at the Graduate Institute Geneva

For decades, the global approach to the drugs-war nexus has been defined by heavily securitised policies, encompassing everything from forced crop eradication to militarised confrontations with drug cultivators and traffickers. In this podcast, Colette and Matvej seek to address the question of whether counter-narcotic policies, under the mantle of the War on Drugs, have been conducive to sustainable and inclusive peace-building efforts and processes in conflict contexts, specifically in the cases of Afghanistan, Colombia and Myanmar.

Colette Fogarty & Matvej Dubianskij · “The Cure Has Been Worse Than the Disease”: Punitive Drug Policies and Peacebuilding

'The cure has been worse than the disease': Punitive drug policies and peacebuilding

The Charitable Fund Humanitarian Action in Saint Petersburg is fighting back against the crackdown on harm reduction organisations: a court recently annulled the government decision to include them in the infamous foreign agent list. We interviewed Alexei Lahov, Director of Development of the NGO.

Your organisation was created more than 20 years ago to support people living with HIV, people who use drugs, and sex workers. How many clients do you have and what kind of services do you provide to them?

Alexei Lahov: Every year, we have more than 5,000 clients. We provide them with the whole HIV prevention package approved by World Health Organisation (apart from opiate substitution treatment (OST), of course, as it’s prohibited in Russia) – needle and syringes distribution, access to ART, viral hepatitis, Tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases (STI) prevention, rapid testing for HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and syphilis, referral to drug treatment centres, overdose prevention with Naloxone, and even mobile X-ray for people who use drugs (PWUD).

What is the current situation with HIV infections and overdoses among people who use drugs in Russia? Is the situation getting any better?

According to the official data, in the year 2020, 18,013 people overdosed on illicit drugs and 7,366 died as a consequence. This is a 16.1 percent increase compared to 2019, so the overdose situation is getting worse. There are fewer people (381,505) who are officially registered as drug dependent, and the estimated number of people (165,184) who inject drugs has decreased as well. It seems that the number of people dependent on opioid drugs has decreased but stimulant use is on the rise. The prevalence of HIV among people who inject drugs is still very high but it continues to decrease, from 56.1 percent in 2012 to 31.1 percent in 2020.

Drugreporter produced an animated movie about one of your former clients, Kostya Proletarsky. How did you and your colleagues like the film?

Kostya was not only our client but our colleague too, he worked for the Fund. It’s a powerful movie that accurately depicts the state of drug treatment services and attitudes toward people who use drugs in the 2000s.

Is there any change in the situation in prisons compared to what we see in the film?

A lot has been done since that time, and though people who use drugs keep dying from HIV and TB in prisons the situation is not as dire as it used to be back then. At least in terms of the number of deaths. But disruptions in treatment still occur, as well as other problems related to medical help provision. To put it bluntly: quite a lot still needs to be done.

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