Subject: DRUG - BALTIMORA CONFERENCE
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SPEECH DELIVERED BY EMMA BONINO, Transnational Radical Party secretary,
member of the Chamber of Deputies, at "INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF CITIES
CONFERENCE"
(Harbor Court Hotel, BALTIMORE MD, November 16-17 1993)
Honorable Mayors and representatives of the cities endorsing the Frankfurt
resolution,
First of all I would like to thank the Mayor of Baltimore, Mr Schmoke, who,
by organizing this meeting, opens wider prospects of linking the cities of
the world that intend to apply a "harm-reduction" policy. These days'
debate is underscoring the extent and gravity of the urgent concerns that
have brought you here in your capacity as town administrators. These
include public health issues, or the ever-serious effects of uncontrolled,
unrestricted and illegal drug consumption on the array of treacherous,
violent, but above all desperate, crimes that are making it increasingly
dangerous for citizens.
I am here to contribute my experience as Secretary of a party that
professes to be the heir of a European classical liberal tradition. We
promote a policy of a clear and intelligible legislation in a world where
the rule of law seems to have weakened or disappeared altogether, and where
the return of barbarity seems to be prevailing. This party, and I
personally, are concerned first and foremost with promoting a state-citizen
relationship based on clear and applicable laws, as required by theory and
by the historical aspirations of States run by the rule of law. In this
respect, the Transnational Radical Party has long believed that the most
rigorous and coherent choice which may be offered to the urban community
and to drug users themselves is promoting and enforcing in the various
countries the key principle that there is no crime without a victim, and
that this is where the line limiting state intervention must be drawn. This
principle, almost universally acknowledged to be the foundation of any
legislation, must be upheld also in the struggle against drug abuse. In
fighting drugs and in confronting drug users, the state cannot and should
not have the faculty of interfering in individuals' private lives in cases
where their behaviour does not offend others but affects only their
personal destiny. On the other hand the state unquestionably has the right
and the duty to inform, since the public sphere is the most appropriate to
guarantee accurate and unbiased information.
While exchanging experiences, problems and preoccupations, which is the
purpose at this conference, is important, it may not be sufficient to
achieving the objectives you are quite rightly concerned about. That is why
I would like to illustrate an initiative that could unite us, with our
differences but also with our common striving for effective action. We
believe the only way to come closer to, and ultimately attain our common
goal, that is "decriminalizing" or "medicalizing" drug abuse, is to
immediately and decisively challenge the juridical and institutional
instruments underlying the prohibitionist choice: the Vienna Convention of
1961/1972, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances and the 1988
Convention on Drug Trade. Herein lies the essence of the problem. This is
the easiest way today to also effectively confront the question of drug
traffic, by starting a harm-reduction policy which today's prohibitionist
policy has mostly paid lip service to. We believe there are two possible
approaches: the first is to organize a campaign to "refute" the current
conventions, under articles 46 and 30 respectively; the second is a
proposal to amend the conventions. With a new proposal governments could
start a process to revise the conventions, leading to a new UN negotiation
and a major UN conference to discuss other possible policies. The two
strategies are complementary, not alternative.
The Transnational Radical Party is in a position to advocate the soundness
of this initiative, based on the strength of the results obtained so far
in Italy where we are most deeply rooted: first and foremost, the victory
last April in the popular referendum we had called to decide on the
depenalization of personal consumption. The purpose of the referendum was
also to reduce the overcrowding of Italian prisons, where a huge number of
inmates are simple consumers, at times even of soft drugs only. Italian
voters responded with astonishing results: 55 percent of the population
endorsed our proposal, which has thus become a state law, with a numerical
margin of about 3,5 million votes compared to the conservative choice. This
proves that people are perfectly capable of understanding and adopting a
liberal line as well as a "repressive" one. Our success affected the
conduct of the government, which in June officially adopted the
harm-reduction strategy. Moreover, a federate organ of the radical party,
CORA, is gathering signatures for a petition to introduce two draft bills
into Parliament: one to reform the current drug law by introducing the
principles of "harm-reduction policy"; the other to legalize soft drugs
with a clear distinction between these and hard drugs. If these bills were
passed, it would finally be possible in Italy to issue a regulation laying
down the questions relative to the production, sale and consumption of
these substances. The Transnational Radical Party's helps and promotes LIA,
which is the International Antiprohibitionist League, as well as in the
last years promoted and supported in several elections, electoral lists
directly called "ANTIPROHIBITIONIST LISTS" whose members have been
elected to the European Parliament, to the Italian parliament and many
local governments on the antiprohibitionist ticket.
We of the Transnational Radical Party, thus act as a mobilizing and
cementing force for parliamentarians of all parties and parliaments on
issues such as the UN tribunal for war crimes in ex-Yugoslavia or the
abolition of the death penalty by 2000. We need you to achieve our
objective regarding drug policy, which we consider a priority. We are bound
to fail without your support and commitment, without your resources and
material possibilities. With the same frankness allow me to say that you
too are in need: not of us, but of a policy that allows you, with specific
and coordinated actions, to overcome daily the inadequate conditions you
are in now. By supporting our initiative you could overcome your
difficulties and concentrate the actual possibilities of mobilization and
awareness-raising on an objective which is tremendously important for
everyone. I believe, insofar as it was possible, that I have usefully
contributed to your work. And that is why I will set aside any inferiority
complex or misplaced reticence to ask you to join the transnational radical
party now. The party will not force you to leave or betray your political
affiliation but rather enhance and enrich it. It will never compete in any
elections you will participate in. We are anti-ideological Libertarians,
held together not by a discipline handed down by bureaucrats or apparatus,
but by the free adhesion of single members. Our existence is ensured solely
by the financial contribution of members. Nonetheless, it is - and intends
to remain - a party, not a random assembly of anarchists without any formal
framework and coordination. That is why joining the party is the condition
which anyone must fulfil in order to contribute to the success of its
campaigns. Needless to say, the contribution in terms of commitment and
attention by people like you, who are charged with delicate and unique
responsibilities, could prove of incalculable importance.
