Lebanon's parliament is set to vote on a law that would legalise the cultivation of cannabis for medical and industrial use in an effort to boost its crippled economy and curb illicit production of the psychoactive plant.

The draft law, which has been endorsed by parliamentary committees and is now headed for a final vote, would only affect cannabis that contains less than one percent of the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabidinol, or THC.

THC gives cannabis the recreational effects that have made it the most widely used illicit substance across the globe. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 147 million people, or 2.5 percent of the world population, consume cannabis.

Lebanon has cultivated the plant for at least 100 years and produces large amounts of hashish, a sticky, sweet-smelling derivative of the cannabis plant that looks like chocolate. Though illegal to produce, sell or use, it is widely available locally and is also illegally exported.

Lebanese hashish can be found in European capitals, and formerly made up about 80 percent of the world's supply during the country's civil war years (1975-90) when cultivation was at its peak.

Instead of dealing with that market, this bill would seek to create a new one involving types of cannabis plants that have not traditionally been cultivated in Lebanon.

Lebanon set to legalise medical, industrial cannabis cultivation

Access to harm reduction services has been steadily declining in Hungary since 2010, when Viktor Orban won a landslide victory at the parliamentary elections and started to dismantle the rule of law. His government rejected the national drug strategy adopted by the parliament in 2009, a document created with the support of civil society and based on the principles of balanced drug policy. It adopted a new drug strategy in 2013 that aimed to create a drug-free Hungary by 2020. The country embraced a new repressive approach with harsher penalties, scare-tactics in prevention, and political attacks against civil society. The two largest harm reduction programs were shut down in Budapest in 2014, pushing thousands of injecting drug users into hiding, with no access to any services.

In the same year that the Hungarian national drug strategy was passed by parliament, the EU adopted its own drugs strategy (2013-20). Its second Action Plan (2017-20) was praised by civil society as one of the most progressive documents to date, with a strong focus on harm reduction, allowing space for innovation and introducing clear indicators to monitor progress. We are now in the year when this Action Plan expires and the European Commission is evaluating its implementation. What we see is more than disappointing.

According to the EU Action Plan, harm reduction should be scaled up in member states, and at least 200 sterile needles should be provided per injecting drug users per year. In Hungary harm reduction has been scaled down, with the annual number of clean needles distributed per injecting drug user closer to 30. Hepatitis C, a blood-born infection that had been more-or-less contained before 2010, spread rapidly among drug users and its prevalence tripled between 2011 and 2014.

Reflections for a new EU drugs strategy

In its judgment of 25 February 2020 in the case of Y.I. v. Russia, the European Court of Human Rights found, unanimously, that there had been a violation of Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The case concerned the applicant’s complaint about being deprived of her parental authority in respect of her three children because she had addiction problems. Drug addiction is a ground for removing parental authority under the Russian Family Code, and its application entailed her losing all contact rights.

The Court found in particular that the national courts had not sufficiently justified taking such a drastic measure while there were less radical solutions available under domestic law. Nor had they taken into consideration that she had no history of neglecting her children, had started rehabilitation and had not apparently been given any support for her drug problems.

European Court of Human Rights says depriving mother with drug addiction of her parental rights was disproportionate

Lawmakers in the former Soviet Union are seeking to impose harsher criminal penalties for drug-related “propaganda,” especially online. Their efforts are ostensibly supposed to keep people from promoting drug use. But local advocates fear that this approach will persecute those doing harm reduction work for people using drugs or living with HIV/AIDS.

On March 3, the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) published a review of legislative efforts in Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan targeting drug-related “propaganda.” In Russia, President Vladimir Putin has urged lawmakers to adopt new anti-drug propaganda measures. In October, he demanded that they “Introduce amendments to the Russian Federation law to establish criminal liability for inducing others [to use], or for promoting … narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances or their analogs using the Internet.”

In response, state lawmakers introduced a measure that would punish drug-related “propaganda” with a fine of between RUB100,000-500,000 ($1,500-7,500); or a fine equal to the defendant’s income for three years; or a sentence of between 2-5 years in prison. For propaganda spread through the internet or digitally, fines and sentences increase dramatically.

EHRA explains why these proposed laws may be problematic: “The ‘rubber’ definition of the prohibited drug propaganda may be applied to any opioid substitution therapy advocacy: ‘It is prohibited to promote any benefits of using particular narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their analogs or precursors, as well as new potentially harmful psychoactive substances, and plants used as a source of drugs, that suppress a person’s will and can become detrimental to a person’s mental or physical health.’”

How former Soviet countries are suppressing harm reduction “propaganda”

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a global challenge whose ramifications are serious and difficult to accurately predict. Communities targeted by the "war on drugs", living in situations of vulnerability, experiencing exclusion, stigmatisation and criminalisation, will bear a differentiated and disproportionate burden of the negative consequences associated with the pandemic. Below, you will find a thematic list of information and guidance resources that we will continue to update in the coming weeks as a means to promote resilience and solidarity.

Versions of this page are also available in Spanish and French.

Rolling updates and guidance on coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
World Health Organisation

How to self isolate / How to self monitor symptoms
Public Health Ontario

COVID-19 Stories of Substance archive
IDPC

COVID-19 harm reduction for people who use drugs
International Network of People who Use Drugs, in collaboration with TalkingDrugs | The Canadian Association of People who Use Drugs has shared this poster-infographic by COVID-for-PWUD with the recommendations.

COVID 19: Advice for People who Use Drugs leaflet
European Network of People who Use Drugs (EuroNPUD) | Available in many languages

Safer drug use during the COVID-19 outbreak
Harm Reduction Coalition

Statement by the UN expert on the right to health* on the protection of people who use drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic
UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mentalhealth

COVID-19 - HIV prevention, treatment, care and support for people who use drugs and people in prison
UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

The implications of COVID-19 for people who use drugs (PWUD) and drug service providers
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)

Coronavirus harm reduction advice
Metzineres

Contingency planning for people who use drugs and COVID-19
Scottish Drugs Forum

Party and drugs in times of coronavirus
Energy Control

COVID-19 disease - A message for Young People Who Use Drugs
Youth RISE

Message from the President of the INCB on the COVID-19 pandemic
INCB

In the time of COVID-19: Civil Society Statement on COVID-19 and People who use Drugs
INPUD

COVID-19 and people who use drugs
Pompidou Group

COVID-19 Guidance for people who use drugs and harm reduction programs
Harm Reduction Coalition

How harm reducers cope with COVID-19
Rights Reporter Foundation

Harm reduction must go on: Position of European harm reduction networks on COVID-19
Correlation - European Harm Reduction Network, Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) and Rights Reporter Foundation.

Harm reduction responses to COVID-19 in Europe
Rights Reporter Foundation

Syringe services and harm reduction provider operations during COVID-19
Harm Reduction Coalition

Coronavirus and drug harm reduction
Transform

Guidance on Managing Heroin Dependence during COVID-19 & Lockdowns
TBHIV Care

Practicing harm reduction in the COVID-19 outbreak
Vital Strategies

COVID-19 and human rights
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights | The piece highlights important statements made by UN Special Procedures with regard to a range of issues, including racism and xenophobia, housing and disabilities.

Rights in the time of COVID-19: Lessons from HIV for an effective, community-led response
UNAIDS

Practical guide to inclusive rights-focused responses to COVID-19 in the Americas
Organization of American States (OAS)

Human rights dimensions of COVID-19 response
Human Rights Watch

COVID-19: Governments must promote and protect access to and free flow of information during pandemic – International experts
Statement by UN human rights monitors, the IACHR and the Representative on Freedom of the Media of the OSCE

COVID-19: States should not abuse emergency measures to suppress human rights – UN experts
Statement by UN human rights experts

No exceptions with COVID-19: “Everyone has the right to life-saving interventions” – UN experts say
Statement by UN human rights experts

Press Statement: UNAIDS condemns misuse and abuse of emergency powers to target marginalized and vulnerable populations
UNAIDS

Prison settings and people deprived of liberty

Coronavirus: Healthcare and human rights of people in prisons
Penal Reform International

Position Paper: COVID-19 preparedness and responses in prisons
UNODC

Interim Guidance - COVID-19: Focus on Persons Deprived of Their Liberty
Inter-Agency Standing Committee, OHCHR & WHO

UNODC, WHO, UNAIDS, OHCHR joint statement on COVID-19 in prisons and other closed settings
UNODC, WHO, UNAIDS, OHCHR

COVID-19: Prisons and detention in Southeast Asia
International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC)

AFEW International asks international organisations to take immediate action
AFEW International

Urgent action needed to prevent COVID-19 “rampaging through places of detention” – Bachelet
OHCHR

IACHR urges States to guarantee the health and integrity of persons deprived of liberty and their families in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)

COVID-19 and persons deprived of liberty information hub
Association for Prevention of Torture

Prevention of arbitrary deprivation of liberty in the context of public health emergencies
UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

COVID-19, Prisons and Drug Policy: Global Scan March-June 2020
Harm Reduction International

Guidance for hostel or daycare providers of services for people experiencing rough sleeping
Public Health England

Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for substance misuse and homelessness services
Welsh Government

COVID-19 & the Health Care for the Homeless Community: Needed Policy Responses for a High-Risk Group
National Health Care for the Homeless Council

Protecting people experiencing homelessness from the coronavirus
St Mungo’s

What people living with HIV need to know about HIV and COVID-19
UNAIDS

Coronavirus information for people with blood-borne viruses
Penington Institute

Surveys and other data-collection instruments

Survey on COVID-19 - In English, Spanish and French

Global Drug Survey special edition on COVID-19
Global Drug Survey

Impact of Coronavirus on Drug Purchases Survey
Release

Black LGBTQ Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact Survey
Global Black Gay Men Connect (GBGMC)

COVID-19 Impact Survey
Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP)

COVID-19: Survey for networks of people living with HIV, women living with HIV, & young people living with HIV
GNP+, ICY and Y+

A Global Survey on Public Sector Capabilities and Responses to the Pandemic
Transnational Institute

#TELODICOIO consumi e cambiamento covid 19 (in Italian)
ItaNPUD, Itardd, HRI

Impact of COVID-19 on patterns of drug use, harms and drug services in the European Union
European Web Survey on Drugs (EWSD)

Measuring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on trans health & trans health care
Trans Care

Community-led responses in the time of COVID – UNAIDS global survey
UNAIDS

EMCDDA: Impact of COVID-19 on people who use drugs and drug services in the European Prisons
EMCDDA

Resource hubs by IDPC members, allies and public authorities

Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (Canada)
Penington Institute (Australia)
Vital Strategies (USA)
Correlation Network (Europe)
Scottish Drugs Forum (Europe)

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Resources and information

The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) has decided to delay until December a vote due to take place this week on the potential global rescheduling of cannabis. The CND—which is meeting in Vienna, Austria from March 2-6—was due to vote on a set of recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) to loosen restrictions on cannabis and related substances like CBD and THC.

This is the second time the CND has refused to vote on the recommendations, which the WHO first presented in January 2019.

The CND is the UN’s central drug policy-making body, comprising 53 member states representing each continent and region. Like the Drug Enforcement Agency in the US, the CND classifies or schedules drugs—per the 1961, 1971 and 1988 global drug control conventions. Following review, it can de-schedule or reclassify drugs, thereby influencing how countries around the world control them.

The WHO recommendations include the following:

Remove cannabis flower and resin from Schedule 4 of the 1961 drug convention, the most restrictive category—for drugs deemed to be most liable for problematic use and to have no therapeutic effects. Cannabis would be transferred to the slightly less restrictive Schedule 1, and would still be strictly controlled. But it would then become easier for governments to allow medical and scientific research on cannabis, which the WHO says shows good evidence for having therapeutic uses. Schedule 1 drugs can be made available for patients on prescription.

Remove THC in all its forms from the 1971 drug convention and place it with cannabis in Schedule 1 of the 1961 convention. The WHO effectively thinks that classifying THC and cannabis together would be more consistent and less confusing.

Remove extracts and tinctures of cannabis from Schedule 1 of the 1961 convention, declassifying them entirely, because such preparations may have varying levels of THC, have no psychoactivity and be therapeutic.

Place pharmaceutical preparations of 9-THC (such as Marinol, Syndros, or Sativex) in Schedule 3 of the 1961 convention, which includes drugs with no deemed likelihood of problematic use or ill effects.

Completely remove pure CBD and low-THC CBD products from all drug conventions.

Member states variously reacted to the new delay with frustration or relief. “We do regret that the CND was unable to take action on the WHO cannabis recommendations this week, given that Member States have been working hard since February 2019 to engage in an in-depth consultative process on the legal, administrative, social and economic impacts of the recommendations,” said James Walsh, leader of the US delegation to the CND.

It may seem surprising that Walsh—an Obama-era appointee who now serves under President Trump—is pushing for a CND vote, though he’s not necessarily saying he supports the recommendations. But the US delegation’s focus is on what it considers more pressing drug control issues.

UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs once again postpones key cannabis vote

The Human Rights Council, in its resolution 42/22, requested "the Working Group to prepare, as suggested by the Working Group in its report submitted to the Human Rights Council at its thirtieth session, in close consultation with Member States, civil society, relevant international and regional organizations, United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, particularly the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, in full respect of the mandates of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and of the Working Group, and with the support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 

a study on arbitrary detention relating to drug policies

 to ensure that upholding the prohibition thereon is included as part of an effective criminal justice response to drug-related crimes, in accordance with international law, and that such a response also encompasses legal guarantees and due process safeguards, in accordance with the recommendation on this issue contained in the outcome document adopted by the General Assembly on 19 April 2016 at its special session, and to submit a report thereon to the Council at its forty-seventh session, and to bring the report to the attention of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs as the policymaking body of the United Nations with prime responsibility for drug-control matters" (paragraph 14).

All stakeholders are invited to transmit relevant information, including that pursuant to the questionnaire, by 

All submissions (word format) should be sent electronically in English, French or Spanish to wgad@ohchr.org using the email title: "Submission for WGAD study arbitrary detention relating to drug policies".

Arbitrary detention and drug policies - Call for input by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

The West Africa Drug Policy Network (WADPN) is a coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) from 16 West African countries that promote evidence-based advocacy for public health and human rights-oriented drug policy reform in West Africa. WADPN supports its members by providing capacity building and resources to lead evidence-based advocacy for drug policy reform. The Network’s Secretariat is located in Accra, Ghana with National Chapters all 16 countries coordinated by a national focal person.

The WADPN is a re-granter of small grants from Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) and Open Society Foundations (OSF) to WADPN members. Grants are managed by WADPN and benefits from the strategic guidance and expertise of a five-member Board of Directors.

The Call for Proposals seeks to re-grant funds to support:

· CSOs, who are registered WADPN members and that are registered under the relevant Laws of the country in West Africa where it operates and, in the country, where it will be implementing the proposed project; (To register as a WADPN member fill this form)

· CSOs working in the area of Drug Policy Reform, Criminal Justice Systems Reform, Harm Reduction and HIV Prevention, Treatment, Care and Support among people who inject drugs are encouraged to apply;

· CSOs that are directly responsible for the preparation and management of the project, i.e. not acting as an intermediary;

· CSOs that take the appropriate measures to prevent discrimination and stigmatization of people who use drugs as well as sexual exploitation and abuse of project staff and beneficiaries.

Call for proposals to promote drug policy reform in West Africa

By King-oua Laohong, Onnucha Hutasingh, and Kornchanok Raksaseri / Bangkok Post

With only half a square metre of space to accommodate each inmate crammed in a cell, many end up sleeping sitting up.

Overcrowding has become a new "punishment" for thousands of convicts in 143 prisons countrywide, as they outnumber the limited sleeping areas available to them.

Although the Department of Corrections stipulates that each male should have a 1.2m² area and each female a 1.1m² space, in practice these standards exist only on paper.

Thailand has roughly 360,000 inmates nationwide but a prison capacity of technically only 250,000. While some prisons have been able to expand and build new facilities, albeit under budget constraints, many have simply had to make do and reduce the amount of space each inmate has.

Even Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin, when told about the problem at Ubon Ratchathani prison, found it hard to believe each inmate is given such little space to sleep in. He has since told all prison chiefs to check whether this is true.

Thailand: Prisons buckle under overcrowding

By Aubrey Whelan and Anna Orso / The Philadelphia Inquirer

After intense opposition, the backers of a supervised injection site in South Philadelphia have placed their plans on hold, a decision announced a short while before the medical center set to rent them space said it would no longer allow the site to open in its building.

Officials at Safehouse, the nonprofit formed to open the site, said that a federal judge’s ruling grants them the legal authority to open but that they wanted to hold more community meetings before doing so. The nonprofit’s landlords at Constitution Health Plaza also cited community concerns in their decision to cancel Safehouse’s tenancy.

Supervised injection site in South Philadelphia will not open — at least for now

The drugs trade has “never caused greater harm to society” than it does today, a landmark review has found, with police efforts not only failing to stem supply but often fuelling increased violence in a market which now involves an “unprecedented” number of children.

Government cuts to services and a failure to contain the growing flow of higher purity drugs has allowed a “perfect storm” to develop, which can only be tackled by urgent government intervention, Dame Carol Black’s independent review indicated.

But reacting to the review commissioned by her predecessor, home secretary Priti Patel announced an additional £5m for law enforcement to tackle county lines, failing to provide any additional funding for “disappearing” drug treatment services.

While the illicit drugs market now costs the UK some £19bn a year – more than double its profits – only £600m is spent on treatment and prevention.

“The amount of un-met need is growing, some treatment services are disappearing, and the treatment workforce is declining in number and quality,” Dame Carol wrote.

Drugs trade in the UK causing unprecedented harm with policing often fuelling violence, landmark review finds

A group of organizations including Treatment Action Group issued this statement/declaration today, while attending INHSU 2020 Africa: the 1st Regional Conference on Hepatitis Care in Substance Users.

According to the statement, “In the African region and globally, we recognize that morbidity and mortality due to hepatitis C infection continue to rise. We acknowledge that people who use or inject drugs represent a priority population, given the high prevalence and incidence of hepatitis C infection. This is a failure of a commitment to harm reduction.”

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