News Alerts
We send out a monthly Alert with news items, updates on the latest publications in our library and upcoming drug policy events. These Alerts are distributed by email and reach more than 10,000 policymakers, academics and practitioners in over 100 countries. The previous Alerts can be downloaded from our site in both English and Spanish through the 'Archived Alerts' box on the left.
News items regarding IDPC or our members are listed below and can be accessed by relevant month on the top left of this page.
Subscribe to our Alert to stay up-to-date with our activities and information about international drug policy.
A 28 year old psychologist and AIDS activist has been sentenced to 7 years imprisonment in Uzbekistan. Authorities had been angered by the publishing of a pamphlet written by Popov called “The Healthy Way of Life: a Manual for Teachers of the 21st Century.”
12 March 2010
As per last year, IHRA and IDPC will once again be blogging live from the CND. Reporting on CNDblog is uploaded as the debates themselves are taking place, making CNDblog the fastest and most complete record of what is happening at CND.
3 March 2010
The UN's International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) annual report released today pointedly criticizes Argentina, Brazil and Mexico for moving to decriminalize the possession of drugs for personal consumption, cautioning that such moves may "send the wrong message." The INCB report expresses concern over "the growing movement to decriminalize the possession of controlled drugs" and calls for this movement to be "resolutely countered" by the governments of Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and the United States. According to the Transnational Institute (TNI) and the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), the criticisms leveled today clearly overstep the INCB's mandate and constitute unwarranted intrusions into these countries' sovereign decision-making.
24 February 2010
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.
24 February 2010
On 23 February 2010, the first patients in Kabul, Afghanistan received methadone within the Médecins du Monde Harm Reduction Programme. More than two years after the National Consensus Conference on OST was held with the participation of the Afghan Ministry of Public Health, a comprehensive range of harm reduction services has now been made available in Afghanistan.
24 February 2010
The International HIV/AIDS Alliance and the International Council of AIDS Services Organizations (ICASO) are conducting an online consultation for civil society and other interested parties to input into the draft community systems strengthening framework (CSS for short). Please feed into this consultation through the online survey by no later than 5th March 2010. It is crucial to get the views from harm reduction and drug user organisations.
24 February 2010
The President of the Romanian Deputy Chamber has launched an invitation to civil society representatives to participate in the first debate on changing the Romanian law on drugs. The Deputy Chamber is proposing discussions on differentiating penalties for illicit possession of drugs for personal use; a periodic review of drug classification lists; and a review of legislation regarding drug policy coordination.
23 February 2010
Each year, the NGO Delegation to the UNAIDS governing body (called the Programme Coordinating Board or PCB) submits a report to the Board. This is an important opportunity to present the unique perspectives of civil society on the developments and issues around the AIDS pandemic. Broad input from civil society informs the NGO report, particularly regarding key issues on the agenda, but also regarding persistent or emerging issues “on the ground.” The NGO Delegation would like to get your input as it writes this report. Please take a few minutes to complete this anonymous questionnaire, available at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YVMZN62
23 February 2010
From November 12-14, over 1,000 participants came together at the 2009 International Drug Policy Reform Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was the Reform Conference’s strongest, most diverse gathering of people, issues, co-hosts, and partner organizations yet. The conference focused on the rapidly changing political climate and forward-thinking issues, such as systems for marijuana regulation, supervised injection sites in the U.S., and shifting drug use from a criminal justice to a health issue. The conference reflected the diversity of our growing movement, with the largest contingent ever from outside the U.S. - more than 150 international participants representing 33 countries.
Mark your calendar! The next Reform Conference will be at the Westing Bonaventure in downtown Los Angeles from November 2 to 5 2011.
23 February 2010
The Staying Alive Foundation is pleased to announce its first call for proposals for 2010. The Foundation aims to empower young people who want to make a difference in their communities and is looking for youth-led organisations that can raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and have received little or no previous funding. The Foundation's grants are a maximum of US$12,000. The deadline to apply for the first stage is 12 March, and grants will be announced on 1 June.
23 February 2010
