Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say fatal drug overdoses nationwide have surged roughly 20% during the pandemic, killing more than 83,000 people in 2020.

While the CDC doesn't track overdose deaths by race, a growing body of research suggests Black Americans have suffered the heaviest toll. "It wasn't until we started looking at the level of race and ethnicity that we realized Black and brown communities are being disproportionately affected," said Dr. Utsha Khatri, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania.

Khatri's team analyzed drug overdose data collected in Philadelphia during the pandemic. They found overdose deaths surged more than 50% among the city's Black residents. Among whites, by contrast, drug overdose fatalities remained flat and in some months even declined.

For whites and those who are financially well-off, substance use disorder is often treated as a chronic but survivable illness. That means long-term health care and life-saving medications. By contrast, people of color and poor Americans who experience addiction regularly face arrest and incarceration, while rarely gaining access to high-quality healthcare.

US: Drug overdose deaths surge among black Americans during pandemic

Today, the HIV Legal Network welcomes some of the amendments in Bill C-22, 

An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act

. Bill C-22 repeals mandatory minimum sentences for all drug offences, increases the availability of conditional sentences, and provides alternatives to criminal charges for people in possession of drugs for personal use. These are all positive.

 But the bill falls short by failing to simply repeal the criminal prohibition on personal drug possession,

even while it acknowledges that drug use is a health issue and that criminalization causes harm and contributes to stigma.

For more than two decades, the HIV Legal Network (formerly the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network) has called on federal policymakers to treat drug use as a health issue, not a law enforcement one. 

We have consistently called for the repeal of mandatory minimum sentences for drug offences as harmful on fiscal, public health, and human rights grounds. 

Mandating minimum prison terms guarantees unfair and harsh sentences in the case of drug offences — disproportionately affecting Black and Indigenous communities, people living in poverty, and people who are dependent on drugs. As we argued in the cases of 

, mandatory minimum sentences for drug offences is also unconstitutional.

Canada: Bill C-22 introduces welcome drug policy amendments but falls short, advocates say

Currently, there is no central or local government funding earmarked for HIV prevention services for key populations including for people who inject drugs and no funding mechanism in place for non-governmental organisations in Romania.

As a consequence, ARAS - the main provider in this field since 2001 with an annual coverage of around 3,500 people who use drugs - publicly announced in early February the closure of its mobile unit service (as of 31 December 2020) due to the lack of funds.

Despite existing evidence on an HIV concentrated epidemic among for people who inject drugs (PWID) in Bucharest, Romania, since the end of the Global Fund Programmes on HIV in 2010, very little resources were allocated to sustain HIV prevention services for PWID and no formal mechanism was developed for subcontracting the harm reduction services performed by civil society organizations.

Additionally, the drop-in centre for vulnerable populations run by the same organisation has also significantly reduced its harm reduction activities for the same reason.

Romania: No funding for needle exchange

Morocco plans to allow the farming, export and domestic sale of cannabis for medical and industrial use, the government said on Thursday, a move it hopes will help impoverished farmers in the Rif mountains amid a growing legal global market for the drug.

Past attempts to legalise cannabis farming in Morocco have failed, but the co-ruling PJD party, the largest in parliament, dropped its opposition after the U.N. drug agency removed the plant from its list of most tightly controlled narcotic drugs.

The bill, which the cabinet is expected to approve next week, aims to improve farmers’ incomes, protect them from drug traffickers who now control the trade in cannabis and gain access to the booming legal international market for the drug.

Cannabis is mostly grown in the northern Rif mountains, which in recent years have seen protests over economic inequality.

Morocco set to legalise cannabis production for medical use

A citizens’ initiative in Finland aiming to decriminalise cannabis gathered the required 50,000 signatures at the end of 2019.

The initiative, if accepted by the Finnish parliament, would make adult use, possession, and small scale growing of cannabis (up to 4 plants) no longer a criminal offense. The campaign for the initiative was implemented by the Finnish Cannabis Association.

The same week that the government of Norway presented their plan to decriminalise all drugs, there was an expert hearing at the Finnish parliamentary law committee on 17th of February 2021. The public hearing was supposed be broadcast live, but failed due to an unexpected technical difficulty. Finnish Parliament later released a partial video recording of the hearing (done via Microsoft Teams), which did not include the first 30 minutes.

Gateway theory in Finland: From cannabis decriminalisation to legalising all drugs

In 1942, the American political scientist Quincy Wright published a lengthy book about how to organise the world beyond endless wars. A Study of War cemented Wright’s reputation as an influential liberal thinker of the early 20th century. But Wright would help bring about a new type of endless war in his time. He was one of the first major voices to call for what would later be known as the “war on drugs”. As early as 1924, Wright argued that the use of drugs “for purposes other than medicinal or scientific” is an “evil”. While working as an adviser to the state department, Wright advocated for the US to lead a global assault against drugs.

Almost a century later, the “war on drugs” may need a new leader. Amid the chaos surrounding last November’s US presidential contest, drug policy reform quietly took a quantum leap forward. Voters from across the political spectrum chose to legalise recreational cannabis, opening the door for places such as Arizona and New Jersey to recreate the lucrative cannabis industries already found in California, Colorado and other states.

Policies are also being introduced to try to bring an end to the system of mass incarceration, and to redress the racial and economic inequalities fuelled by the “war on drugs” that became an enduring touchstone of US federal policy after Richard Nixon declared drugs “public enemy number one” in 1971. But the most dramatic change came in Oregon, which legalised cannabis in 2014 and has now become the first US state to decriminalise all drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamines and heroin.

Enlightened drug reforms are sweeping the US. Why is Britain so far behind?

The collectives – #STOP1921 and SMART on Drugs – want a review of the scope and effectiveness of the 1921 law, “which has not been done since 1998, when a parliamentary working group was set up,” they said. “This work (…) is unavoidable, as this law is so out of step with contemporary society”.

Several arguments in favour of an evolution of the law are put forward. Indeed, for citizens’ movements, the criminalisation and repression of drug use is harmful in terms of public health and crime. “The stronger the repression, the more violence increases,” they said.

Furthermore, “the total lack of quality control of products in circulation is responsible for a substantial part of their dangerousness.” #STOP1921 and SMART on Drugs also cite the police and judicial cost of repression, which in 2015 was close to €175 million.

‘Unhappy Birthday’: Belgian collectives ask review of 100-year-old drug law

How much does the general public actually know about psychoactive substances and how these are used in their own communities? To check it out for themselves, NoBox went to two known universities in the Philippines and asked young university students questions about drugs and the people involved with them.

NoBox Philippines is a non-profit organization committed to harm reduction, working towards changing national drug policy to one that is based on sound evidence and reflective of educated, rational, humane approaches. In the Philippines, drug use is a largely moralized issue, considered as something not only illegal but also evil and unconscionable. This way of thinking is reflected in our country’s drug policies and how society (mal)treats people involved with drugs. Because this popular perception has become normalized at a national level, it is not uncommon to find people largely misinformed around drugs and drug use.

Fortunately, there are a growing number of individuals becoming interested and eager to learn more about psychoactive drugs when given the chance. NoBox went to universities and asked students about specific drugs, how they work, what their effects are, and other questions related to psychoactive drug use and the people who use them.

Shifting narratives of drugs and drug use in the Philippines - KnowBox Series

On February 10 the deputies of the Russian parliament adopted, in the third and final reading, a bill to increase the sentence for “inciting use of drugs” on the Internet to 15 years. Earlier, the deputies adopted a bill on administrative fines of up to 1.5 million rubles ($20,000) for “drug propaganda” on the Internet. The moves follow an order made by President Vladimir Putin, who instructed lawmakers to take additional measures to counter drug trafficking in 2019.

The share of such convicts has continued to grow over the past decade. Moreover, the average sentence for drug-related crimes is also increasing. This creates a huge burden on the country’s budget, leads to overcrowding of places of detention, and deterioration of conditions in them. In addition, this leads to the withdrawal of a large number of able-bodied people from the country’s economy. Finally, and most importantly, people serving sentences for drug trafficking in prisons are most likely to not only not be “reformed and aware of their guilt,” but, on the contrary, are even more stigmatised and more likely to commit a crime later. This raises the question of the need to reform the system of criminal prosecution for crimes related to drug trafficking.

Imprisonment for up to 15 years in Russia for using the word “drug” on the Internet

The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC), a global not-for-profit organisation registered in the UK and the Netherlands, with offices in Ghana and Thailand, is seeking to appoint a new member to our Board of Directors, to take up the position by July 2021.

The new Director will join the organisation at an exciting time following the launch of our new Strategic Plan for 2021 to 2023. This is an unpaid, volunteer, non-executive position. The ability to communicate and work in English is 

 (as this is the working language of the Board) as is the ability to participate in discussions and meetings online.

For the current vacancy, the following skills/experience, at a 

 Senior level will be broadly indicated by having worked professionally or at senior management level in business, the public sector or the third sector:

 (especially for international development and/or policy advocacy work). Relevant experience would include either successful fundraising for an international NGO and/or strong experience or contacts with grant-making bodies such as a donor agency or philanthropic foundation.

 for the post holder to also have one or more of the following areas of skill/experience:

Change/project management to support the organisation as IDPC seeks to strengthen operations within the EU via the newly set up foundation in the Netherlands.

Experience of working with international organisations and/or international civil society networks.

Experience and/or demonstrable understanding of policy advocacy work as it relates to drug policy reform and ensuring respect for human rights.

Experience as a member of a management committee or a governing body (for example, as a charity trustee, a company director, or a member of a public sector board); or helping to run a voluntary organisation.

For the current vacancy, IDPC strongly encourages applications from the Global South, and from communities impacted by the 

 Applications are welcome from existing IDPC members and individuals from outside of the network.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate the following:

A commitment to IDPC’s Policy Principles.

Skill or experience in strategic planning, setting targets, and monitoring and evaluating performance.

Good organisational and communication (oral and written) skills in English.

Board meetings are generally held four times a year (every quarter) with meetings taking place via video call. If budget permits, there is usually one face-to-face meeting that takes place in July each year.

The term of appointment for a Director is three years. All Directors are eligible for reappointment for one further three-year term of office.

Applicants must satisfy the criteria as per the statement of eligibility attached.

Interested individuals should send a CV and a short cover letter outlining why they are interested in joining the Board of IDPC, and highlighting their relevant skills and experience for the Board position.

These expressions of interest must be sent to IDPC Team Assistant, Daisy Bowdery (dbowdery@idpc.net) by no later than Friday, 20 April 2021 (23:55 London time).

Call for expressions of interest for new members for IDPC’s Board of Directors

The issue of bail is critically important for Thailand and is especially relevant to the gap between the rich and the poor. It is also emblematic of the chasm between power derived from the coup d'etat and the aspirations of a democratic and just society.

A typical situation is that many accused persons who are poor are not able to afford the sum demanded for bail and land up in jail unjustly and unnecessarily, pending trial. This results in the paradox that it is the poor, not the rich who are in prison. It gives the impression that justice is for the rich and not the poor. It has become all the more sensitive today with the spread of multiple trials facing people who express themselves and or assemble allegedly in breach of national laws.

Prisons in the country are overflowing. The country has the distinction of having the highest number of detainees in Asean (with an estimate of over 300,000 persons incarcerated). ... The country should target more non-custodial measures and a general reform of the criminal justice system, including in regard to excessive incarceration for drug-related offences. Progressively, this would help to ensure "human dignity", a synonym for human rights, as espoused by the Thai constitution.

Thailand's bail system -- is it made for the rich?

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

The selected candidate will help us enhance IDPC’s visibility online and provide some research support to our small Secretariat team. Volunteers are also invited to suggest areas of expertise that they would be interested in honing during the volunteering period (ex. design, research, blogging, etc.)

The volunteer's time commitment will be up to them, depending on availability and capacity. That said, we do suggest considering an experience of at least three months to fully familiarise with the work and make space for induction, training, feedback, and progress. For more information about the position, have a look at the full description below.

If you are interested in volunteering with us, please send your CV and 1-2 paragraphs outlining why this experience is of interest to you by 19 March 2021

. Please note that, given the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a very high likelihood that this volunteering experience will take place remotely. Please, do get in touch if you have any questions about this volunteering experience.

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