Hello,

here are the remarks of:- Dr. Jean Blanquart,guestprofessor VUB (department of Agogics)Brussels- vzw DEBED, League for an emancipatory drugpolicy,intrestgroup of drugusers in Belgiumand lobby for an emancipatory drugpolicyBrussels-LimburgWe've written the remarks and other suggestions in the original text below.Best Regards and goo dluck on monday,Jean Blanquart Antwoord-separator

Onderwerp: On Lobby document for European ParliamentAuteur: icn-drugs-request@worldcom.nl in INTERNET-MailDatum: 12-10-99 16:53Antwerpen, 12 October 1999Dear friends:Hoping that you are very well, I herewith send you the draft version of alobby document that I wish to present on Monday 18of October, that is next Monday, to the members of the Committee onCitizens' Freedoms of the European Parliament, before they start to discussthe Action Plan of the European Union.I know that not all of the concerns of the members of the Coalition areincluded in this draft version. Therefore, I am grateful if you could, inthe next couple of days, send your suggestions to modify or to add thetext. Thanks for respecting the deadline of Monday 18 October, 9.00 hours.

Kind regards,

Joep

FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COALITION OF NGOS FOR A JUST AND EFFECTIVE DRUGS POLICYTO THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON CITIZENS' FREEDOMS AND RIGHTS, JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS

CONCERNING THE EUROPEAN UNION ACTION PLAN TO COMBAT DRUGS (2000 - 2004), REPORT BY MRS. GIANNAKOU-KOUTSIKOU (PPE)

Brussels, 18 October 1999

As members of an International Coalition that consists of approx. 100 NGO_s and citizens_ associations from 25 countries across the world, we are dedicated to find sustainable solutions to problems related with drugs production, trafficking and consumption. Our Coalition came into being in order to denounce the negative impact of current international drug policies and propose alternatives at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs held in New York in June 1998, where some of us participated.In the past months, we have been analysing the Communication from the European Commission on a European Action Plan to Combat Drugs (COM 1999, 239 final). On the basis of this common analysis, we wish to bring the following concerns under your attention.We hope you will take these concerns into account when discussing the Plan on your meeting today. If you wish any further information on these concerns or discuss them, we invite you to contact the secretariat of the European NGO Council on Drugs and

Development, att. Joep Oomen (Tel: 03 - 226 4511, E-mail: encod@glo.be) .When mentioning pages in the Action Plan, we refer to the English version.1. Role of UNDCPOften, drugs policies are designed and evaluated on the basis of biased or non-objective sources of information. Our fear is that this might be the case in some parts of the Action Plan. For instance, it has drawn our attention that the United Nations International Drugs Control Programme (UNDCP) is repeatedly mentioned as the most important partner of the EU in international drugs policy, and as a _centre of excellence and a valuable focal point for knowledge about drugs related issues_.Very good statement; it's true that as long as drug production, trade and consumption is illegal, the figures are completely unreliable. In fact it's impossible to state how many drugusers there are in a given country. This is a good example of 'darknumber' figures ! But the policymakers don't seem to bother: they (and the media) goe on and on spreading figures abo

ut the amount ofdrugusers. That's unscientifical and unethical too: they are lying to the public !However, we have reasons to believe that this is not always the case. A good example is found in the Action Plan itself, on page 5, where it is mentioned that "substantial reduction in illicit coca and opium cultivation is being achieved". This conclusion cannot have proceeded from the 1998 Annual Report from EMCDDA, where it is stated that _drug supply continues to increase_. It might have proceeded from UNDCP, whose executive director Pino Arlacchi issued declarations of this nature in June 1999, in an interview with the New York Times.However, all independent experts know that there is no such substantial reduction, and that probably, the contrary is true. Even UNDCP_s own figures (published in its report on Global Illicit Drug Trends of June 1999) do not justify this conclusion. According to these figures, global cultivation of illicit opium ascended to 237.873 has. in 1998 (251.848 has. in 1997). Thefigures

for coca leaves were 180.000 and 187.698 has. respectively.There are several examples of supply reduction programmes administered or supervised by UNDCP, that have become failures, with severe consequences for the local population involved in these programmes. This fact is recognised not only by the beneficiaries, but also by independent and EU-evaluators.We therefore question the prominent role of the UNDCP in this issue and would advise the European Parliament to request the Commission to at least envisage also other partners, such as Non-Governmental Organisations with experience on the ground, in its activities on the level of international cooperation. 2. Evaluation of drugs controlWe agree with the statement in the Plan (page 7) that _Evaluation must be an integral part of the EU approach fighting illicit drugs._ We also agree with the Commission that (page 7) _up to now, the issue of evaluation has not been tackled as a priority issue_. We regret the fact that since its creation in 1993, the European

Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) has not been able to provide comparable indicators that could be the basis for evaluation, nor has it defined a common strategy to identify these indicators.Both from the point of view of the tax payers and the supposed beneficiaries of drugs policy, it is unacceptable that some of the current strategies continue while there is an increasing evidence that they have counterproductive results (both concerning drugs supply and demand). At thesame time, some countries/regions could benefit from an inventarisation of experiences carried out in other countries, which have been affected by certain problems longer or more severely.We therefore advise the Parliament to remind both the Council and the Commission that more attention should be given to the aspect of evaluation, and again, that other actors should be involved in the collection of data, such as Non Governmental Organisations with direct access to the reality of drugs related problems on the ground.

Also, we would like to underline thatthe legal framework created by the UN Conventions on Drugs Control should also be subject to evaluation, as there is an increasing belief in civil society that this framework is no longer capable of tackling the current problems.See above: in an illegal setting, there is no way to evaluate the evolution of supply and demand. In fact, the demand does not exist, as no-one demands the products that are sold: the drugusers demand pure drugs, not the thousand varieties that are sold under the same names (for example: drugusers want opium,, or morphine, heroine and some want codeine; but that's all; they don'twant the thousand of varieties sold on the strets under the name 'heroin'... So a legalisation will reduce the numbe rof varieties; prohibition means an explosive evolution of dangerous trashed and adulterated products !!!)3. The role of civil society in supporting EU's drugs control objectives.We believe civil society has a crucial role in achieving any of EU_s objectives

, not only those with regards to drugs control. Recently the new Commission has strongly expressed its commitment to this issue. However, in the Action Plan, no concrete examples are found of how the Commission thinks this commitment can be put in practice.At the demand side, there are several examples of the participation of drug users in prevention/treatment/demand reduction efforts. Sometimes, these efforts are carried out in the framework of official drugs control projects but this is not always necessary. When they are recognised as solid partners in the search for more effective drugs control strategies, drug users can make an important contribution. To involve them in the design and elaboration of drugs policy would be coherent with the intention of the Commission to _put greater emphasis on instruments to combat social exclusion, in order to prevent drug abuse and to help with there-integration of former drug users_ (page 15).The reduction of drugdemand is a non-existing surrealistic subject; there i

s no demand as druguse is a fundamental part of human beings, like religion/philosophy, love/affection/sex/intimacy, labour etc. So, if you want to reduce drugdemand, you have to eliminate mankind (and animals too).No, what should be reduced, is the ABUSE of drugs: these factors which stimulates abuse and addiction have to be prevented, not druguse as such (that's surrealistic). if you want to reduce demand, you have to eliminate drugusers and that's the same policy as Hitler and cy did during WOrld War II.At the supply side, the participation of people involved in drugs production plays a crucial role in ensuring the respect for human rights in control policies, which is stated as a basic principle, not only of EU_s policy, but also of the Political Declaration by UNGASS in New York, June1998 (page 28 of the EU Plan).Currently, the policy of the European Union regarding the illicit cultivation of crops in developing countries has been directed at substituting it, reducing it without violence. This approach

is coherent with the general objectives of the development policy of the EuropeanUnion, which are sustainable development, the gradual integration of developing countries in global economy and the respect of human rights.It is important to strengthen this approach, especially in a situation where drug control strategies of other actors than the European Union result in major human rights violations and violent confrontations between local authorities and the population. We believe that erradication programmes that do not count with the support and participation of the local population will in the end undermine any development or drugs control effort whatsoever.

EUROPEAN NGO COUNCIL ON DRUGS & DEVELOPMENT

Lange Nieuwstraat 1452000 Antwerpen, Belgium

Telephone: +32 (3) 226 4511Telefax: +32 (3) 226 3476

E-mail: encod@glo.be

Visit us at http://www.tni.org/drugs/

Visit the Youth Parliaments on Drugs and Development at

http://www.youthparliament.com