IDPC

Publications

Results 3457 to 3468 of 3809
23 February 2010

TNI Briefing - Countering illicit and unregulated money flows

In this issue of Crime & Globalisation, Tom Blickman tracks the history of the international anti-money laundering (AML) regime. Since its origin in 1989 there has been a growing awareness that the AML regime is not working as well as intended. After two decades of failed efforts, experts still ponder how to implement one that does work. The paper concludes that current initiatives have reached their sale-by date and that a bolder approach is required at the UN level, moving from recommendations to obligations, and fully engaging developing nations, at present left out in the current 'club'-oriented process.
23 February 2010

Human Rights Watch: UN should review role in Cambodian drug detention centres

Human Rights Watch issued a 93-page report, "Skin on the Cable," on January 25, 2010, with reports of widespread beatings, whippings, and electric shock to detainees, including children and individuals with mental disabilities, in seven Cambodian drug detention centers. In response, several United Nations agencies, including the joint UN program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO), have spoken out about the abuses. But the two UN agencies that work most closely with the government in detention centers and on drug policy, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), have been less vocal.
23 February 2010

UNODC Report - Afghanistan opium survey 2010, winter rapid assessment

In a report issued on 10 February 2010, UNODC projects stable cultivation of opium poppy in Afghanistan this year (measured hectares), with a possible decrease in production (number of tons). "There is a good chance that Afghanistan will produce less opium this year," said UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa. Afghan opium is the raw material for the world's deadliest drug - heroin - and a major source of revenue for anti-government forces in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries. Mr. Costa underlined the need for development assistance, good governance and highlighted the strong correlation between insurgency and cultivation in Afghanistan. "The message is clear: in order to further reduce the biggest source of the world's deadliest drug, there must be better security, development and governance in Afghanistan," said the head of UNODC. "The Afghan authorities must lead and own their drug control strategy: the rest of the world has a vested interest in its success," said Mr. Costa.
23 February 2010

UNODC - Legal and policy concerns related to IDU harm reduction in SAARC countries

In the last two decades, countries belonging to the SAARC region have seen a dramatic increase in the prevalence of HIV and injecting drug use. As a result, public authorities have implemented harm reduction measures including condom promotion and needle syringe exchange. In view of the positive international experience and some success in countries in South Asia, a need was felt to replicate and expand harm reduction measures. However, questions have arisen as to whether these measures were within the bounds of national laws or whether the national laws hinder them and, if so, what can be done about them. This is the broad focus of this document.
12 February 2010

Under the Skin: Draws on affidavits and testimonies from people across Canada with experience using drugs or sharing needles inside a federal prison

The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network’s most recent publication, Under the Skin, brings a new dimension to prison-based needle and syringe programs (PNSPs). Drawing on affidavits and testimonies from people with experience using drugs inside a federal prison, Under the Skin paints a portrait of suffering and discrimination that challenges both international guidelines and Canada’s own Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
1 February 2010

The High Point drug market initiative

The High Point Police Department in High Point, North Carolina has gained attention from the U.S. Department of Justice and police departments, prosecutors, and local governmental officials through a strategic problem solving intervention that has come to be known as the High Point Drug Market Intervention Program (DMI).
27 January 2010

It's lack of balance that makes skunk cannabis do harm

This article argues that the chemical imbalance in street cannabis (skunk) makes it more harmful. If the recreational cannabis market was regulated to ensure a balanced chemical structure in cannabis it would be safer for users.
25 January 2010

Beckley Briefing paper - Drug use: Knowledge, Culture and Context

This paper contributes to recent debates surrounding the improvement of the UN drug control system’s methods of gathering and analyzing data. It critically examines the current predominance of quantitative evidence, arguing for a greater emphasis on the cultural understanding of drug use and more attention to the taken-for-granted assumptions underpinning policies.
25 January 2010

Beckley Briefing paper - What can we learn from Sweden’s drug policy experience?

Sweden’s drug policies have recently attained symbolic status in international policy debates. This paper examines the country’s policies, their effectiveness or otherwise and the historical and cultural context that underpins them. It considers whether these policies should or could be applied in other countries.
25 January 2010

Penalisation of drug possession – institutional action and costs: Poland

This paper is based on the findings of an economic research estimating the financial costs of the penalization of drug possession for personal use in Poland. The research and the report presenting its outcomes (published in December 2009) were done by the Institute for Public Affairs in Poland. The results are very interesting and in times of economic crisis are becoming a powerful tool in the drug policy debate.