The current upheavals in the global drug system have made Geneva an international forum for policy dialogue on psychoactive substances. In this context, GREA and the University of Geneva are launching a platform for exchanges on health and human rights, which aims to strengthen links in the global ecosystem but also to stimulate synergies with local resources.

This event will take place on June 26th at 17.30 at the Biotech Campus in Geneva as part of the international campaign "Support Don't Punish".

After an official party with representatives of the UN, the Global Commission, the IDPC and the Geneva addiction network, a film will be screened: "A day in the life" on drug use in the world. "A day in the life" will be broadcast in Geneva. Produced by the Drug Reporter team, a foundation that promotes risk reduction and drug policy reform, the documentary portrays eight users in their everyday lives. Destigmatising and touching, it shows their difficulties on a daily basis, the setting in which they evolve and against which they collide, the eyes of others. The film disintegrates myths and prejudices that one may have of people who consume while privileging the humanist approach. It can be ordered from GREA (celestine.perissinotto@grea.ch) for any distribution desired in the French-speaking institutions (subtitled in French).

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.

A new chapter for International Geneva: Drug policy

The University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE–IUL) and the EMCDDA are happy to announce the sixth European drugs summer school (EDSS) on ‘Illicit drugs in Europe: demand, supply and public policies’, which will take place from the 26 June to the 7 July 2017.

This year the registration opens very early to allow foreign students to apply well in advance for VISA. You can register from today, 17 October. Candidates who enrol in the first phase (before 3 February) get a reduction of 100 EUR (total fee 700 EUR). The registration phase will then continue until the 2 June. The programme fee includes tuition, canteen vouchers and a welcome reception. Scholarships are available for eligible students.

The EDSS will take place in Lisbon. During the two-week programme, renowned keynote speakers, EMCDDA scientific experts, university professors and policymakers will give participants the information they need in order to meet the complex policy challenges occurring in this field.

6th European Drugs Summer School - Illicit drugs in Europe: demand, supply and public policies

Following the success of ICPP1 (Grenoble 2013) and ICPP2 (Milan 2015), the International Public Policy Association (IPPA) is pleased to invite you to the 3rd International Conference on Public Policy which will take place at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (NUS), Singapore from Wednesday 28th June to Friday 30th June 2017. This conference is organised in conjunction with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.

As a part of the conference, a panel is being organised on drug policy analysis.

Panel: Drug policy analysis: definition, concepts, and methodology

 Luis Rivera-Velez - luis.riveravelez@sciencespo.fr

 Anne Philibert - anne.philibert@unige.ch

This panel aims to review the conceptualization of drug policy with a more systematic understanding of its analysis. We are looking for papers based on case studies that develop concepts and measuring tools that increase the operability of drug policy analysis.

The main themes of the panel are the following:

1. Drug policy definition. With the increasing diversity of drug policies, we are interested in studying the continuity or change of paradigms and ideas towards drugs inside the policies. As some countries have introduced a new approach to drug policy weakening the sanctions for drug policy offenders, others are reinforcing the old paradigm of strong repression. The current divergence calls into question the idea of a monolithic drug policy, and researchers ability to make meaningful comparisons.

2. Drug policies and the state. With the diversification of actors and levels of governance, we want to explore the role of consultants, think-tanks, interest groups, civil society, etc., in the production of knowledge for drug policy, the circulation of ideas, policy transfers and the multiplication of policy management. Although international organizations still have a nominal supremacy given by the conventions, authority over drug policymaking and outcomes is increasingly distributed among different organizations and actors.

3. Drug policy evaluation. Being a politicized issue, there are meaningful questions about the accuracy of existing measures of drug use, drug trafficking and drug policies. We encourage papers that question the metrics used to date, and which develop new ways to evaluate drug related issues, whether intended to supply input when developing policies or measure policy outcomes.

These themes are not mutually exclusive and we encourage papers that present a comparative perspective and that take into account approaches from other disciplines. The panel seeks to enhance the understanding and study of drug policy so originality is strongly encouraged.

To submit a paper, please log-in to your account (or create one if you haven’t done so previously), click on "Submit a paper" and complete the online form with the following information

1. The email(s) of any other co-authors (all co-authors must also have an account in the system),

) explaining your paper project, your research question, your methodology and how it fits with the panel topic chosen.

The selection of the papers for each panel will occur after the end of the call for papers (15th January) and notice will be sent to you after 

If your proposal is selected, full papers are to be uploaded to the conference website no later than 1st June.

3rd International conference on public policy

Theorising the Drug War: Unpacking the ideologies that generated and continue to sustain the ‘war on drugs, 

will be held at the University of Essex on the 29th and 30th of June (2017). The conference brings together activists and researchers specialised in the area of drug policy, critical theory, and human rights. By bringing together these different fields of expertise, the aim of this event is to expand the scope of research into drug policy by viewing drug prohibition as a contemporary example of the role that ideology continues to play in questions of the law. Speakers include:

, Senior Director at Drug Policy Alliance and author of 

, Professor of Media and Culture, University of Lincoln, author of 

Culture On Drugs: Narco-cultural Studies of High Modernity

 (Manchester University Press, 2006), among others.

Executive Director, Release. Niamh, also a barrister, has co-authored Release’s two most recent policy papers ‘The Numbers in Black And White: Ethnic Disparities In The Policing And Prosecution Of Drug Offences In England And Wales’ and has also co-authored and edited a number of Release’s advice booklets including ‘Drugs and the Law’ and ‘Sex Workers and the Law’.

 Executive Director, Harm Reduction International and member of the Strategic Advisory Group to the UN on Injecting Drug Use and HIV and of the Global Fund Human Rights Reference Group; co-author of 

Drug Control and Human Rights in International Law 

, Reader in Law, Birkbeck College, University of London, author of various publications, including 

Being Against the World: Rebellion and Constitution

 Thursday 29 – Friday 30 June 2017 | Day 1: 09:00 – 17:00, Day 2: 10:00 – 17:00 | EBS.2.2 (Essex Business School) Organised by 

 (Lecturer, Kent Law School) and the International Centre on Human Rights and Drug Policy, with support from the Open Society Foundations Global Drug Policy Programme. Please note, the conference is free to attend, and spaces are limited. Tickets are reserved on a first come, first served basis. 


Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.

Events

A new chapter for International Geneva: Drug policy

6th European Drugs Summer School - Illicit drugs in Europe: demand, supply and public policies

3rd International conference on public policy

Conference: Theorising the drug war