Rue Belliard 97
c/o European Parliament
Rem 5.08
1040 BRUSSELS
Tel:+32-2-230.41.21 - 646.26.31
Fax:+32-2-230.36.70
E-mail: cora.belgique@agora.stm.it
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*CORAnet http://www.agora.stm.it/coranet (in Italian)
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>>> NEWS FROM CORA
THE EUROPEAN ANTIPROHIBITIONIST ORGANIZATION IS CONSTITUTED IN BRUSSELS.
The organization of European Antiprohibitionists was organized this past weekend at the European Parliament in Brussels, with the support of: Ilya Prigogyne (Nobel Laureate in Physics), Emma Bonino (European Commissioner), Hedy d'Ancona (former Dutch Minister of Health), Marco Pannella (Radical Leader), Carlos Alberto Montaner (International Liberal Vice President), Ambros Uchtenagen (Director of the Istitut fur Suchforsung of Zurich), and numerous members of the European Parliament and national parliaments of Europe.
The congressionalists, at the closure of their work, demonstrated outside the French embassy in Brussels in order to protest the domestic and foreign drug policy of the French government.
CORA'S PROJECTS FOR 1997, THE GENERAL POLITICAL MOTION APPROVED BY THE VIII CONGRESS.
The VIII Congress of CORA (Radical Antiprohibitionist Coordination), at which citizens of Belgium, Italy, France, England, Holland, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Croatia, and the Czech Republic participated, was reunited in Brussels at the European Parliament from Dec. 5-7,
THANKS Marco Pannella, who spoke the day before the first of his three trials for civil disobedience against prohibitionist laws;
THANKS the national and European deputies who spoke, who represented political parties of every stripe (with the exception of the extreme right), exponents of the scientific, academic, and professional world,
European Commissioner Emma Bonino, Vice President of the Liberal International Alberto Montaner and European Socialist Deputy and former Dutch Minister of Health Hedy d'Ancona, Prof. Uchtenaghen of the University of Zurich and Prof. Nadelmann of Princeton University for the added force they contributed to the construction of a European plan for a political antiprohibitionist organization;
AFFIRMS that this prospective can find concrete actualization departing from the experience of CORA that, since 1988, has organized in and from Italy political initiatives dedicated to the overcoming of prohibitionist legislation on the national and international level;
AFFIRMS that it is essential that CORA place its model and patrimony of struggle and initiative at the disposition of those who wish to contribute to the reform of European drug policies, and also
APPROVES the following constitutional act:
1. CORA is a political organization - transnational, militant, and nonviolent - of the Antiprohibitionists of Europe and is federated to the Transnational Radical Party.
2. CORA is an self-financed organization, its revenue derives from its subscription fees and contributions.
3. Any person may subscribe to CORA so long as they pay the fee and share its political beliefs.
4. The minimum annual subscription fee is established at 50 ECU; the secretary and treasurer have the right to adapt that fee to the countries that are not members of the European Union according to the fluctuations of the PIL (Gross National Product) index.
5. The subscribed may exercise their active and passive right to vote in Congress.
6. The responsibilities of actualizing the Motions of Congress and preparing a Statutory proposal to submit for Congressional approval, to be done within the maximum limit of 18 months from the approval of this motion, are hereby delegated to the following parties. Until that date, the powers of Congress are to be executed by CORA according to the following:
- the SECRETARY is politically responsible for CORA and, along with the Treasurer, convokes the Congress and is responsible for the realization of initiatives established by the Motion;
- the TREASURER has legal and financial responsibility for CORA;
- the POLITICAL DIRECTIVE is composed of 5 members and works to define and realize the initiatives made for the achieving of objectives posted by the Congress;
7. The Secretary and Treasurer are elected by Congress;
8. The Directive is nominated by the Secretary and Treasurer and is subject to ratification by the Congress;
9. The appointments are not salaried.
The VIII CORA Congress:
- DENOUNCES the disastrous results that prohibitionist politics on drugs have had upon Europe and the entire world, spilling upon societies and their citizens incalculable human, social, and physical costs, and exposing the economy and legal institutions to the risk of being overrun by the power of criminal organizations.
- REPEATS the necessity and urgency of substituting the illegal drug trade with forms of distribution, sale, and administration that are legal. To this end it holds that it is essential that soft drugs be legalized, and opiates be distributed under supervision, and, that in addition, proposals for the regulation of synthetic drugs be defined.
- DECIDES to entrust to the parties who subscribe to CORA:
- the promotion of an extraordinary subscription campaign in all of the European nations, with particular attention to those of Eastern Europe;
- the initiative of condemning the acts of intimidation and interference by the French Government in the drug policies of other European nations;
- the organization of support for proposals of reform of the drug laws and politics, advanced before political institutions - even across the promotion of PAA ( Parliaments for Antiprohibitionist Action) - and on the occasion of referenda that have and are to be convoked;
- the organization of support campaigns for actions of civil disobedience - and those of Marco Pannella in particular - directed at the political denunciation of the criminal character of prohibitionist laws;
- the affirmation of the right to cures for drug addicts and the right to therapeutic liberty of doctors in all the territories of Europe;
- the actualization of a international campaign for the immediate liberation of European citizens imprisoned for indefinite time in the state of Maldives for the possession of minimal amounts of cannabis.
THE GOVERNING BODIES FOR 1997
Election and designation of the governing bodies anticipated by the constitution of the VIII CORA Congress.
SECRETARY: Eric PICARD, psychiatrist
TREASURER: Marco CAPPATO, economist
POLITICAL DIRECTIVE: Michel HANCISSE, Thierry MEYSSAN (Director of Reseau
Voltaire in France), Carmelo PALMA (Community Counsel of Turin), Jean Luc ROBERT (International Functionary), Fabrizio STARACE (Honorary Lecturer at the University of London).
DIRECTION OF THE OLD (Observatory of Laws on Drugs): Carla ROSSI.
The Congress has proposed that the honorary presidency go to Hedy d'ANCONA (European Parliamentarian, former Dutch Minister of Health), Pol BOEL (Belgian Liberal Senator), and Jean Francois HORY (President of the Transnational Radical Party, European Parliament).
>>> NEWS FROM THE WORLD
GREAT BRITAIN * Heroin is fashionable among adolescents, thanks to the great quantities that arrive from Asia and lower prices. Fifteen year old users are in treatment programs; the majority of users begin with Ecstasy and now smoke heroin, believing that it does not create addiction when taken in that form. The phenomenon is reaching towns and rural areas where previously it was unknown.
(THE TIMES 18/11)
TURKEY * An ex-police officer, a deputy of the coalition government, and a noted criminal all died in a car accident. A traditional area of heroin transit, Turkey has now also become a market for the white powder, the use of which has tripled in the past five years. The drug question is strongly connected with the conflict in Kurdistan, even though it seems the guerillas there benefit from the drug trade.
(L'EXPRESS 14/11)
U.S.A. * In the hills outside Los Angeles, and in the Angeles National Forest, cultivators have planted hundreds of acres of marijuana, which they grow with fertilizers and pesticides. It is a phenomenon that is drawing national and federal attention.
(NEWSWEEK 25/11)
WORLD * The World Health Organization has sounded the alarm on the growing use of amphetamines and stimulants, the use of which has surpassed that of heroin and cocaine in some nations. The WHO has convened specialists from 14 nations in Geneva in order to overcome this gap in knowledge that is the major obstacle to prevention, treatment, and political response to the problem. It urges an information campaign similar to that launched against smoking.
(EL PAIS 13/11)
SPAIN * An investigation was requested on Nov. 18th at the Congreso de los Deputados by Gonzalo Robles. Synthetic drugs, especially Ecstasy, are widespread. Heroin and cocaine use have diminished, and tobacco, alcohol, psychopharmaceuticals, and cannabis remain the most common drugs.
(EL PAIS 19/11)
GERMANY * The Minister of Social Affairs of Schlswig-Holstein, Heide Moser, has proposed the sale of cannabis in pharmacies, but is encountering many obstacles in her path. Even though the regional government approved an experiment in this direction, the practical details have been delayed. The question of whether sixteen year olds may purchase hashish in the pharmacies and who will supply the substance remains open. On the other hand, the project would be in accordance with a 1994 Constitutional Court Sentence in which politicians were invited to experiment " if in some way legalization of cannabis could favor changes in the drug market and act positively on the use of harder drugs." Another obstacle to the new regional norm derives from the possible veto by the Minister of health Hans Seehofer. In the meantime the resistance to the hard line policies of Bonn grows. There are regions asking for the use of cannabis to help treat cancer and AIDS; the controlled distribution of heroin for extreme cases; other
s espouse expanding methadone programs: all are pragmatic proposals for a more rational politics.
(FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG 19, 22/11; DIE PRESSE, 21/11; SEUDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG 21, 22/11, DIE ZEIT, 22/11; DER SPIEGEL, 25/11; EL PAIS 26/11)
FRANCE * From Professor Marc Gentilini's report on "Health in Prisons" (Gentilini is to serve as Minister of Health): * yes to the distribution of condoms in jails. * yes to methadone treatment programs. * No to the syringe distribution or exchange programs in penal institutions.
(LIBERATION 22/11)
BRAZIL * In Rio de Janeiro, the war for the control of the drug market continues to claim innocent victims. Since the beginning of the year 65 people have been injured and 19 people have been killed by stray bullets.
(DER SPIEGEL 25/11)
SWITZERLAND * 913 out of 30,000 drug addicts are taking part in controlled heroin distribution program. It is a two year experiment and the largest in Europe. It seems to be working. In Germany, an ample front of liberal politicians, economists, lawyers, and doctors have asked for an inversion of the current prohibitionist politics. For example, they request administration of heroin prescriptions in the most extreme cases.
(DER SPIEGEL 25/11)
ITALY * Seven million Italians confess to smoking pot occasionally. Of these, four million are adults between the ages of 40 and 60. A survey by "Io Donna," the female journal of Corsera, reveals this thanks to the discovery of the world of "normal addicts": professionals, business people, and doctors.
(CORSERA, 22/11)
ITALY * Two events have catalyzed the news on legalization and soft drugs. The Antiprohibitionist declarations of PDS secretary Massimo D'Alema, and the confirmation of the arrest of Marco Pannella and other leaders of his movement, who are accused of distributing cannabis cigarettes in 1994 in order to contest prohibitionist laws. The position of secretary D'Alema provoked reactions that were independent of political alignment, thereby forcing the matter to be discussed substantially instead of along party lines. Pannella pre-announced the beginning of another trial, on December 6th, for the same crime.
(ALL ITALIAN DAILY HEADLINES FROM 24/11-27/11, PANORAMA 28/11)
COLUMBIA * General Manuel Jose' Bonnett, inspector of the Colombian Armed Forces, has denounced the presence in Spain and Germany of Columbians who are paid by drug dealers to soil the image of the Columbian army, and who spread the rumor of a military coup to reestablish the order that was threatened by guerillas.
(EL PAIS, 27/11)
NICARAGUA * While the how and why of the CIA collection of funds for Nicaraguan Contras by selling crack in urban North American neighborhoods is being discussed (thanks to the revelations made by the Californian daily the San Jose Mercury News), the Contra leaders have claimed that they were in the dark concerning this type of assistance for their cause from the CIA.
(EL PAIS 28/11, 01/12)
BRAZIL * The President of Brazil, in a public speech during a ceremony, let it be known that he had intentions to use the armed forces against the drug dealers in Amazonia. The chiefs of the army, who invoked the contaminating force of the drug dealers, have been resistant to commit themselves to an operation that should be executed by the federal police.
(LE MONDE, 28/11)
U.S.A. * According to an ex director of the White House office of Drug Control Policy, Barry R. McCaffrey, the global production of opium has dramatically increased in recent years. From 1999 to the present the production of opium (which arrives for the most part from the 'golden triangle" of Birmania, Thailand, and Laos) has doubled and is of 4,000 tons per year. In order to produce one tone of heroin ten tons of opium are required. This massive production necessitates the creation of a market, thus explaining the aggressiveness of drug traffickers in spreading the consumption of heroin in Europe and the United States. Heroin addicts in the USA number 600,000, only two percent of the world's total, but an increase has been noted, especially among young people.
(INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE 29/11)
ENGLAND * A Sunday Times survey conducted on 45 of the most important judges revealed: 16 of them were in favor of the decriminalization of possession of soft drugs; motivation: soft drugs are not physically addictive; there is scarce evidence that they lead to the use of harder drugs, and that this is actually made easier because the two markets are remain illegal.
(THE TIMES 01/12)
SOUTH AFRICA * Five years ago heroin and cocaine were practically absent from South Africa. South Africans have consumed marijuana for centuries - locally known as dagga - that was cultivated and smoked in black rural areas. The plant that is smoked has a particularly high concentration of THC. But the problem now in the country is the high influx of cocaine and crack. Four years ago the police sequestered 11 tons every year, but this year they have already captured 220 tons, many of them in the form of crack. As a result, crime has also increased.
(TIME, 09/12)
