14 September 2007

		Regional consultation in Kiev EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA
"BEYOND 2008" REGIONAL CONSULTATIONS AND A GLOBAL NGO FORUM ON THE REVIEW OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY Special Session on illicit drugs 1998/2008 The BEYOND 2008 Programme Committee has appointed three organisations in each of the six regions to lead the regional consultation process. ECAD is one of Regional Lead Organisations (RLOs) that managed and hosted the Beyond 2008 regional consultation in Kiev. Kiev was the first sub-regional consultation and was held on the 12 - 14 of September, 2007 in the Hotel Bratislava, Kiev. To identify possible participants the RLOs in charge have developed an application form. It was widely distributed using the networks of the RLOs as well as lists of organisations provided by UNODC HQ and its country offices. Read more about the status of the Regional Consultations and see the pictures from the regional consultation in KIEV here !     24 July 2007 Planning the Reykjavik Forum Youth in Europe - THE REYKJAVIK FORUM Linking research, policy and practice October 18th and 19th The objective of the Forum is to start the motivation process of the Youth in Europe project, based on the research findings, made public in Istanbul in May. The meeting is held to establish cooperation between researchers, policy makers and practitioners in the field of substance use prevention. The programme of the meeting will consist of presentations, for example on the Icelandic model, on the findings of the surveys and the work in each city, as well as discussion and planning on how to work with lowering risk and strengthening protective factors in each city, based on the results of the surveys. There will be a mixture of lectures, workshops and mini-seminars. Practitioners:  Partners in the Youth in Europe project and members in ECAD who are interested in learning about the Icelandic model. You can have a look at the AGENDA of the Forum .     15 June 2007 ECAD seminar in Yurmala, Latvia Juris Grikis, Yurmala City Council`s vice Director (far right) opened the seminar Arija Lodzina, a specialist at Riga Addiction Prevention Centre reported on the first results of the prevention programme "Youth in Europe"   "Young people under the spell of addiction - actualities and prevention perspectives" - was the name of the latest ECAD seminar held in Yurmala, Latvia. The seminar was organised by the Welfare department of Yurmala City Council, Riga Addiction Prevention Centre and ECAD. Representatives of local NGOs, police, social workers, teachers and local authorities comprised the audience. The seminar was very much inspired by the results of the first part of Youth in Europe prevention programme completed this spring. 2800 questionnaires distributed in Riga collected data on 16-17-year-olds and their families, leisure activities, personal situation and drug and alcohol experiences of young people, all in compliance with the prevention project. With the preliminary results generally outlined, present prevention specialists shared their opinions on drug abuse tendencies among young people in Riga and Yurmala.     14 May 2007 ECAD Annual Conference - A success story John P. Walters, ONDCP   Conference participants: representatives of 60 European cities New members of ECAD, from left: Smiljko Kostic, Nis; Ljubica Bogosavljevic, Arilje; Letizia Moratti, Milan; Raimonds Munkevics, Jurmala   On May 10-11 Istanbul hosted the 14th ECAD Mayors' Conference, which turned out to be a success story. Almost 350 delegates from some 60 cities in more than 20 European countries were represented at the conference, where Milan, Jurmala, Arilje and Nis became new signatories to the Stockholm Resolution and, consequently, the latest cities to become a member of the European Cities Against Drugs. Prominent speakers included Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the Vienna-based UNODC (United Nations office on Drugs and Crime). In his speech on Thursday 10 May Mr Costa called for the introduction of drug testing to curb substance abuse on the road and in hazardous occupations. "Road testing works for alcohol; it will work for drugs" he told the Mayors' Conference. "Public opinion is waking up to the fact that some people are driving cars, public transport, operating heavy machinery or even flying airplanes while on drugs," he said, lauding efforts by the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and some EU countries to introduce such measures. Mr Costa also urged countries to improve their drug treatment and rehabilitation services and encouraged European cities to "twin" with cities in other parts of the world to share their drugs expertise. He said drug control was a community-wide responsibility and substance addiction was treatable. But prevention and treatment, the keys to drug control, were inadequate in many cities, which fuelled the spread of HIV/AIDS, and drug-related crime was also turning some inner cities in Europe into no-go areas. "One of the biggest challenges for mankind is to prevent drugs and crime from destroying our cities," Mr Costa said. He urged the mayors to build upon TREATNET, an international network of 20 drug treatment and rehabilitation resource centres developed by UNODC. "I want to see 100 times more centres in this network, starting with one in every European city represented here," said Mr. Costa. "Think of the cost of drug addiction - human and financial. Studies suggest that treatment is actually cost effective, both in terms of enriching society and improving productivity." Mr. Costa encouraged European cities to establish twinning and mentoring projects to help cities in developing countries tackle drugs and suggested that ECAD could be expanded into a new World Cities against Drugs organization. "We all have a shared responsibility to fight drugs and protect those who are vulnerable to them." The full text of Mr Costa’s speech is available at www.unodc.org/unodc/speech_2007_05_10.html Find out more about TREATNET at www.unodc.org/treatment/index.html Presentations and further information from the Istanbul conference will be available at the ECAD web site shortly.     10 May 2007 14th ECAD Mayors' Conference   10-11 May 2007 representatives of the ECAD member cities gather in Istanbul to discuss new and old strategies to tackle drug problem – from different angles. Among speakers: Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director, UNODC and John Walters, Director ONDCP. Detailed information, press releases,speeches and photo gallery will soon be available on this website. While the discussions in Istanbul are still developing, read the new issue of the ECAD newsletter, go to "Newsletter" in the menu to the left!     10 April 2007 ECAD Newsletter volume 3 No 99 is now available! In this Issue: CND Anniversary Session: "We have to able to walk and chew gum at the same time", Antonio Maria Costa about aiming resources at both prevention, supply reduction and treatment We do not share goals with the harm reduction movement: "We do not share the same goals and that is why any discussion about methods is worthless", Tomas Hallberg, ECAD British newspaper regrets campaign for decriminalisation of cannabis: "If only we had known then what we can reveal today..." the leading article admits & other articles! Go to “Newsletter” in the menu to the left to read! NB! We hope that you have already filled in the registration forms in order to participate at the ECAD Annual Mayors' Conference in Istanbul May 10-11, 2007! Please visit "Conferences" in the menu to the left for more information!     28-29 March 2007 Swedish Fair on Drug Policies - a success in Örebro Representatives of politically opposed parties, Carina Dahl and Rasmus Persson opened the conference Maria Larsson, Swedish Minister for Elderly Care and Public Health was one of the participants. Mrs. Larsson was clear and eloquent when she promised not to give up on one single drug addict. Swedish customs officers brought with them three breeds of trained dogs for demonstration and some drug examples. Here is Mantra, who was exceptionally quick at spotting the "stuff". Conference hall Conventum was full of interested people.   One of the most active ECAD cities in Sweden - Örebro- hosted the 8th Swedish Congress for drug policies this year. More than 1300 registered delegates assembled on 28-29 March, representing Swedish government (including Swedish Minister of Justice, Minister of Elderly Care and Public Health, Prosecutor General, National Police Commissioner, General Director Customs), NGOs, social workers, students and simply interested. This is a unique opportunity for representatives of governmental bodies, social workers, NGOs and business enterprises to meet together to discuss the drug problems. Also representatives of politically opposed parties joined their forces during the conference to add to the gravity of the issue and demonstrate their political consensus in support for the restrictive drug policies. Sweden has been recently praised for its successful drug control policies by the UN drugs chief Antonio Maria Costa.     12-16 March 2007, Vienna UNGASS 2008 “We have to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time” Antonio Maria Costa, UNODC Executive Director at the 50th Anniversary Session of CND Antonio Maria Costa addressing the delegates Antonio Maria Costa and Hans Lundborg with the Anniversary cake   The 50th Anniversary Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs took place in Vienna on 12-16 March 2007. Government representatives from about 150 countries went through a voluminous programme. The Chairman Hans Lundborg, the Swedish ambassador, who has strong support from the majority of the delegations, had a heavy work load during that week. The Commission decides on such matters as: what narcotic drugs need to be included into the UN schedules and how they should be classified, how to regulate the trade in precursors or what regulations are needed for travel across countries’ borders with the narcotic drugs from a controlled schedule prescribed by a physician. The UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs is the governing body of the UNDCP (United Nations International Drug Control Programme) which in turn is part of UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) headed by Antonio Maria Costa. All these organisations are located in Vienna. Besides the governmental delegations from different countries, many other institutes and organisations used the opportunity to have their say during this week. Vienna NGO Committee is one of them. VNGOC is an association of non-governmental organisations that work with narcotic drugs issues. VNGOC met for a separate conference during the 50th Session and had a pleasure of Antonio Maria Costa addressing its delegates. Mr Costa criticised those NGOs that are of the opinion that the resources instead of being aimed at prevention and supply reduction need to be directed to reducing the harm of drugs. -Why so, Mr Costa exclaimed, shouldn’t we be able to walk and chew gum at the same time? There is no reason for us not to be capable of both working with prevention, supply reduction and at the same time offer functioning treatment options to those who got stuck in the drug abuse, Mr Costa said. UNGASS 2008 and What comes after... Delegates of the 50th Session of CND   During the 50th Anniversary Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs that took place in Vienna on 12-16 March 2007 representatives of NGOs from around the world met in order to prepare a conference in connection to UNGASS 2008. UNGASS stands for The United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Narcotic Drugs that takes place every tenth year. UNGASS will evaluate whether the goals set up 10 years ago, in 1998 in New York, were reached and decide about the direction of work for the next period. With support of EU and UN, the Vienna NGO Committee will arrange a series of regional conferences around the world. These conferences will provide an opportunity for NGOs to make their own evaluation of what has been done during the last 10 years within the field of drug combat. They will also give their view on how cooperation between the authorities and NGOs is functioning and come up with proposals for the future drug policies. As a member of the Programme Committee, ECAD is co-responsible for the organising of the regional conference for NGOs from Eastern Europe and Central Asia. These conferences for about 25-30 persons will preliminary take place in the middle of September 2007 in Kiev, Ukraine and in the middle of October 2007 in Belgrade, Serbia. Representatives for both harm reduction approach to drug policies and more restrictive line will be invited to share their views at these conferences. Please visit "Chronicle" in the menu to the left to read more!     22-24 February 2007 Wintry Warsaw welcomed ECAD Advisory Board Warsaw   Warsaw, the newest member at the ECAD Advisory Board, hosted this year's first meeting of the Board. Beside customary budget proposals and scheduling of activities for 2007, the decision to launch a new Balkan office in Bourgas this year was approved. Preparations for opening the office started already in 2006, after the IV Balkan Conference in Bourgas. The office will be supported by the municipality of Bourgas in much the same way Stockholm supports ECAD Head office. Planning of the Mayors` Conference in Istanbul on May 10-12 has reached its final stages. Already now it is clear that the speakers will be on the highest level. President of Iceland has announced his participation, as have the UN`s highest anti-drug combatant Antonio Maria Costa and the US "Drug Tsar" John P. Walters. We are expecting some 400 delegates, and advise our members to book as soon as the registration forms appear on www.ecad.net. ECAD’s biggest project Youth in Europe will gather its researchers, coordinators and all interested on the day before the Mayors` Conference, namely on 9 May. Results of the first completed questionnaires will be accounted for by nine cities; discussions on how the cities will work with mobilizing societies will follow. Warsaw authorities invited the Board to visit two day-care centres for the young with substance abuse problems. The city has a well-functioning network of outpatient care centres. The growing number of substance abusers together with low street prices on drugs make Polish authorities to view the issue most seriously. There are around 1.7 million inhabitants in Warsaw, over 100,000 of them smoke cannabis from time to time, 8% of 15-16 year-olds have smoked cannabis during the last month. One gram cannabis costs as much as a Big Mac, and one ecstasy tablet is as expensive as a cheeseburger. The number of HIV-positive addicts is relatively low compared to other countries. Only 40 to 50 cases of HIV get recorded in Poland during one year. It is exactly this kind of meetings that were among the reasons for Warsaw joining ECAD, remarked city's vice Mayor Wlodzimierz Paszynski. Possibility of comparing working methods for treating addicts and different kinds of prevention measures, as well as opportunities to take part in international cooperation projects were the grounds to Warsaw's signing the Stockholm resolution in 1994.   ECAD opens Regional Office in Bourgas Dr Ivailo Dimitrov   In October last year ECAD held IV Balkan Conference in Bourgas, where the idea of launching ECAD Balkan Office was evaluated by several cities. The idea came initially from Bourgas, and on 1 March the new office will open its doors to the public. Earlier this year ECAD Director Tomas Hallberg (TH) met the new ECAD Balkan Office Director Dr. Ivailo Dimitrov (ID) for an interview. TH: Dr Dimitrov, what are your plans for the new office that is to open on 1 March? ID: My first intention is to go on a training course at the Head Office in Stockholm, and then visit ECAD Russian Office in S:t Petersburg to see how the work is structured. It will be interesting for me to meet representatives from other NGOs and local authorities that work with drug policies, both in Russia and in Sweden. We are planning to create our own ECAD homepage in Bulgarian, so there is a great deal for me to learn about how other webpages function. To spare the time we have already started with some practical aspects in Bourgas. Our next regional conference will take place in Sarajevo this autumn. There are also some local seminars on our agenda in Bourgas and we will continue working to extend the number of Balkan cities in the Network. The first ECAD Newsletter in Bulgarian will be brought out soon. TH: You are a psychiatrist and you have been working with drug issues for a long time, what do you expect from your new position? ID: There are various ways to deal with drug issues, experiences of solving drug problems are profuse in today's Europe. I will try to choose the best methods in my professional opinion, and spread them further in my own region. At the same time my goal is to bring forth the knowledge of how we work with drug policies in Bourgas to other countries. It will also be fascinating to cooperate with other Balkan countries on such an important issue.     7 February 2007 ECAD Newsletter volume 1 No 97 is now available! Go to “Newsletter” in the menu to the left to read! NB! Preparations for the ECAD Annual Mayors' Conference in Istanbul May 10-11, 2007 are in full swing. Please visit "Conferences" in the menu to the left for more information!     17 January 2007 Electronic newsletter on drug policies and events worldwide   ECAD offers its members and other interested a new service – a weekly electronic newsletter. E-newsletter will give you an in-depth view on major drug-related events and policies worldwide. To subscribe, please send an e-mail to ecad@ecad.net Click here to read the introductory issue of the ECAD_e_Newsletter: "Drugs - a threat to any democratic society"     12 January 2007 ECAD Newsletter volume 10 No 96 in English and Russian is now available! Go to “Newsletter” in the menu to the left to read!     10 January 2007 "Youth in Europe"- news A good news for the ECAD programme "Youth in Europe": Istanbul has overcome its difficulties and is now actively preparing for the implementation of the programme. Let us remind you that "Youth in Europe" is a drug prevention programme, which is based on using social research to build best prevention practices. Read more in the menu to the left!     11-16 December 2006 Study visit Meeting at ECAD with Slim Linden, organisation SMART (drug prevention among school children) From left: Valeri Krasilnikov (Police), Maxim Mukhin (a night club owner), Ludmila Kudrjashova (the Russian State Drug Control Agency), Rasia Sadykova (Drug coordinator, Kazan municipality), Slim Linden and Miliausha Galeeva (drug prevention unit, Kazan municipality)   11-16 December 2006, a group from Kazan visited ECAD and the city of Stockholm to learn about Swedish approach to tackle drug problems. Our colleagues from Kazan municipality were particularly interested in a project carried out by the city of Stockholm named “Stad” (“City”). The project is aimed at reducing drug and alcohol problems at restaurants and night clubs. That is why the group of the city officials was joined by a night club owner Maxim Mukhin. Besides the “Stad” project, the intense study visit program included meetings at a rehabilitation centre, Swedish government’s drug coordinator office “Mobilisation against drugs”, an NGO and the city police office.     4 December 2006 ECAD Newsletter volume 9 No 95 in Swedish is now available! Go to “Newsletter” in the menu to the left to read!     30 November-1 December 2006 ECAD conference in Estonia: ”Drugs and their victims. How do we avoid a growing number of addicts?” Conference participants at the Mayor's office   ”Drugs and their victims. How do we avoid a growing number of addicts?” This was the theme of an international conference held in Kohtla-Järve, Estonia at the end of November 2006. The conference was supported by ECAD. The conference dealt with the victims of drug abuse and the concept of codependence. Addiction tendencies and the impact of the spread of drugs on the society are often analysed at various conferences and scientific seminars, while the actual victims of drug abuse are rarely focused on. How many are they, how much damage do they cause, and how can we limit the number victims of drug addiction – these were the items on the conference agenda in Kohtla-Järve, to be discussed by specialists from Russia, Latvia, Estonia and Sweden. The Mayor of Kohtla-Järve, Eugene Solovyov described how the work with heavy drug addicts takes the double amount of the municipal resources compared to prevention and treatment facilities for risk groups and active drug abusers. That is why it pays off to invest resources in preventive work with risk groups. That is also why Kohtla-Järve built a lowthreshold centre for drug addicts, easily accessible for everyone and with no queue system. This centre is the first of its kind in Estonia. During its 1,5 years of existence, its medical staff has attended to more than 2500 drug addicts, never turning down anyone who is in need of help. Estonia has a national programme for tackling drug addiction. However, the society should put a great deal more effort into implementing the programme. Chairman of the municipal council in Kohtla-Järve, Valery Korb, pointed out that Estonia was not prepared for the wave of drugs that poured into the country. However, Estonians are working hard to improve the present situation, and the conference proved that municipal authorities have put the issue high on their list of priorities. Among the conference participants were Peters Laasins from Estonian Social Ministry, Estonian chief police inspector Rista Kasemaae, Concordia University professor William Barns and ECAD director Tomas Hallberg. Various reports on injection rooms and methadone programmes which have been tested in Estonia for some time caused lively debates. The general view on the programs among the participants of this conference was mostly critical. Some of them claimed in fact, that methadone treatment is more likely to facilitate drug abuse than to cure it. By Andrejs Vilks, ECAD, Riga     November 22, 2006 UN drugs chief warns European mayors about risk of overdoses from bumper Afghan opium crop UNODC director Antonio Maria Costa met ECAD director Tomas Hallberg   VIENNA, 22 November 2006 (UNODC) - Europe’s cities face the risk of a significant increase in the number of deaths from heroin overdoses because of the record opium crop in Afghanistan this year, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Antonio Maria Costa, said on Wednesday. In a letter to 63 mayors of European cities, he repeated the warning he has made to the world’s national health authorities that a sharp rise in the supply of heroin tended in the past to lead to an increase in the purity of the end product rather than lower street prices. "I strongly encourage the mayors of Europe’s cities and the community drug treatment centres in your country to take every possible measure in the period ahead and to alert practitioners to the possible risk increase," Mr Costa said in the letter. At a meeting on Wednesday with Tomas Hallberg, Director of European Cities Against Drugs (ECAD), the UNODC chief discussed efforts by cities and municipalities to combat drug abuse more effectively. “I welcome ECAD’s efforts to get European cities united around the goal of reducing drug addiction,” Mr Costa said. “Some cities take the problem more seriously than others. Illicit drugs are a serious threat to our young people and the very future of our societies. We need a robust and consistent response.” Mr Hallberg urged European politicians “to take responsibility for what is happening in their own backyards.” “They cannot simply sit back and wait in the hope that their drug problem will disappear by itself or be solved by others,” he said. The two men agreed that rising cocaine use in Europe, especially in Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, was a cause for serious concern. ECAD is the leading organization for promoting a drug-free Europe. Representing millions of European citizens, ECAD member cities work to develop initiatives against drug abuse and in support of the United Nations conventions to strengthen the international drug control system. Download UNODC Press-Release as pdf-document     November 2006 Sweden’s Successful Drug Policy: A Review of the Evidence   The Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Antonio Maria Costa said in connection to the release of a new UN report that Sweden's successful drug control policies were a model which other countries could learn much from. Launching a UNODC report entitled Sweden's Successful Drug Policy: A Review of the Evidence, he said that drug use in Sweden was just a third of the European average while spending on drug control was three times the EU average. "Societies have the drug problem that they deserve," Mr. Costa said. "In Sweden's case, the commitment to prevention, law enforcement, demand reduction and treatment over the past thirty years has made a significant difference." Mr. Costa said those who doubted the effectiveness of drug control should look at Sweden's experience, which was useful not only for showing that drug control is possible, but how and why. The report shows that amphetamine use in Sweden was high in the 1950s when such stimulants were readily available. Overall drug use rose in the second half of the 1960s during a period of rather liberal drug policies but declined strongly in the 1970s and the 1980s due to progressively tightening drug control. Drug use rose again in the 1990s due to budget cuts, unemployment and growing drug supplies but has followed a clear downward trend since 2001 as a result of a National Action Plan, the establishment of a National Drug Coordinator and improved funding. Mr. Costa praised the culture of drug abuse prevention and treatment in Sweden. "Long-term and cohesive policies, backed up by sufficient funding and the support of civil society, have proven vital for success," he said. He stressed the strong correlation between the Swedish Government's special efforts to target cannabis and amphetamine-type stimulants and an overall reduction in drug use. "The lessons of Sweden's drug control history should be learned by others," said Mr. Costa. The UNODC Executive Director praised Sweden's efforts to promote international drug control and thanked the country for its support for UNODC. "When it comes to drug control, Sweden practices what it preaches. It is a driving force in ensuring implementation of international drug control targets. Download the report here Download the statistical annex here     30 October 2006 Study visit: Minsk, Belarus from left: Alexey Vershel, Larisa Vinizhanova (ECAD and C.R.I.S. contact person in Minsk) & Aliaksandr Vysotski   On October 30, 2006 two representatives of the Ministry of Interior of Belarus, Division on international drugs trafficking counteractions, visited ECAD: Head of the Division, Aliaksandr Vysotski and Alexey Vershel. During their study visit to Stockholm the Belarusian police will meet with their Swedish colleagues. A special part of the program includes learning of methods for drug rehabilitation used by the Swedish NGO “C.R.I.S.” (Criminals’ Return Into Society).     17 October 2006 Chronicle: Drug policy – there is always more than one alternative San Patrignano 2005: FEI Jumping Championship at the rehabilitation community for former drug addicts! In co-operation with ECAD: Read more here!   Tomas Hallberg, Director ECAD, puts “drug injection site” issue into a historical perspective and urges to see a drug abuse problem in its complexity Some time ago I got a phone call from a Canadian journalist who asked me about ECAD’s view on injection sites. We are categorically against them, I told him, and that is one of the very reasons ECAD was launched. But what is to be done then with all those drug addicts who are drifting about downtown and spreading infections and endangering their health? The question was put as if other alternatives didn’t exist. It is fascinating how we, in our globalized world, still have such a narrow view of the reality, that our own hometown practices always seem the best and the only possible ones. Furthermore there is an impressive number of those who keep inventing the wheel again and again. When the advocates of harm reduction tell us that we need to legalize illegal drugs and open municipal injection sites, it is simply a repetition of what went on in many places in the 19th and in the beginning of the 20th century. At that time, those places were called opium dens, where millions of addicts smoked their lives away. ... Read the Chronicle here!     9 October 2006 Study visit: Students of Master program in conflict studies, St. Petersburg State University; ECAD member city of Veliky Novgorod Students: Maria Zazulina, Artem Sunami, Maria Fedunova and Inna Pik   On October 9, 2006 ECAD had a pleasure to meet a group of students from the St. Petersburg State University, Russia. ECAD is one of the major sponsors of their educational program, Master level in conflict studies with anti-drug management as specialization. This two-year Master program, carried out by ECAD in co-operation with the St. Petersburg State University, is unique for Russia. A study visit to Sweden is part of the schedule. During the one week long visit in Stockholm the students met a number of organizations and authorities working in the field of drug combat, treatment and prevention: from a meeting with the Swedish National Drug Coordinator to a drop in at a local police station. “Our visit to Stockholm can be looked upon as a separate course within the framework of our studies. It’s not a secret that our Master program is based on the Swedish experience in drug combat. That is why to get to know this experience in the country of its origin is an important part of understanding the anti-drug policy as such. …The main conclusion that I have drawn up for myself is that the efficiency of the Swedish drug policy is based upon the fact that the Swedish society as a whole strives at overcoming the drug problem. This helps to stand for the policy in spite of the pressure coming from different groups. We have learned how the main sections of the Swedish policy are being implemented. I am sure that this knowledge would be of help for us learning to comprehend the drug issue and to find ways of solving these problems home in Russia.” From the report of one of the students From left: Georgy Arabidze, Olga Vasiljeva and Vladimir Streltsov   In that part of the study visit that concerned treatment options in Stockholm, the group of students was joined by a delegation from the ECAD member city of Veliky Novgorod, Russia. V. Novgorod was represented by Olga Vasiljeva, ECAD contact person, Georgy Arabidze, Chief of Veliky Novgorod Health Care Committee, and Vladimir Streltsov, Chief of clinic for drug abusers "Katarsis". The group from Novgorod has also enjoyed an intense program with a stress on drug treatment and rehabilitation methods used in Stockholm county.     5-6 October 2006 ECAD Conference in Bourgas Jim Corr, Chairman ECAD, Dr.Atanas Boshev Conference participants at the Compass Hall Colleagues from Montenegro Tomas Hallberg, Director ECAD, Dr.Atanas Boshev & Dr. Joan Kostadinov, Bourgas Mayor   ECAD IV Balkan Network Conference in Bourgas, Bulgaria, has attracted more than 75 specialists from 12 countries (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iceland, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, Montenegro and Macedonia). Two conference days, 5 and 6 of October, were filled with interesting reports about prevention practices in different countries, national programs, work of the mass media and many others. The conference was started with a press briefing at Bourgas City Hall. Journalists from local and national newspapers and TV channels gathered to listen to what ECAD director, Tomas Hallberg and Bourgas vice mayor, Dr. Atanas Boshev had to say about ECAD policy, Bourgas prevention practices and common cooperation in the Balkans. Balkan cities have traditionally been active in ECAD network and this time they demonstrated their commitment again. Besides overwhelmingly interesting reports, enthusiastic atmosphere at the Compass Hall propelled a decision to launch a new ECAD office in the Balkans. It was said many times during the conference that Balkans is a very special place, a place where East and West meet. These crossroads is also a vital focal point for ECAD work, which is why ECAD needs a firmer stance for its restrictive policies there. Several Balkan cities, in Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro, have been evaluating the possibility to host ECAD representation office. However, this idea had initially come from Bourgas and almost all municipalities in question consequently approved that this city would become the home base for ECAD Balkan office. ECAD Advisory Board meeting was held on Saturday, October 7. Besides usual agenda discussions, the Board members came up with plenty of ideas as to how ECAD work could be improved. Jim Corr, the Chairman of the Board, welcomed Mr. Pawel Wypych, director of Warsaw Social policy Department and Mr. Piotr Laszewicz, his colleague, as new members of the Board and political representatives of Warsaw, the city that is becoming more and more active in ECAD network. Stockholm City representative for the last four years, Margareta Olofsson, leaves ECAD Advisory Board. The Board thanks her for many working hours that were spent together for the sake of drug-free Europe. In connection with Swedish national elections, which took place at the end of September, the City of Stockholm will be represented by new politicians onwards. ECAD sends its warmest regards to the Mayor of Bourgas, Dr. Yoan Kostadinov, his deputy, Dr. Atanas Boshev and senior prevention specialist, Dr. Ivailo Dimitrov for their cordial welcome and flawless organization of the conference. Thanks to the work of such devoted partners ECAD has solid grounds for closer cooperation in the Balkans!     5-6 October 2006 Swedish expert on drug policies in the Balkans "We should work harder spreading our successful drug policies", says Sven Persson, an expert in drug prevention from the city of Gävle in Sweden. Sven Persson with a group of young people from Sofia’s Municipal Centre for Addiction   Sven has just returned from the Balkans after a field-study visit, a visit that was made in order to observe Bulgarian drug-fighting trends in the beginning of October and subsidized by ECAD. -Thanks to the established contacts through ECAD project “Youth in Europe", I had already had an approximate picture of the drug situation before I ventured this journey, tells Sven. -Bulgaria has a few million less inhabitants than Sweden and roughly 30 000 heroin addicts, while Sweden has about 27 000 hard drug abusers - that is to draw some parallels. That is taking into account all narcotic substances, not only heroin. -Bulgaria's exposed position, with the Balkan route crossing the country, is bound to have an impact on the drug situation, deliberates Sven. - That is why it sounded so frustrating that the whole Bourgas region of over 400 000 inhabitants had only 6 police workers. Last year they have documented barely 121 drug-related crimes. The drug legislation was tightened up in 2004, and the number of drug offences is increasing, although from a previously low level. -Similar to other Eastern European countries, harm-reduction movement has been very active here(*). Harm reduction groups, with support from the Open Society financed by George Soros, and from the Netherlands, Belgium and other countries, have launched a number of NGOs within the drug field. - I have asked people I met at a meeting, how they would describe Sweden in this context, and they said that Sweden was a country with conservative drug policies and a strict infectious disease control legislation, which discriminates drug-addicts. They got this picture from the mass media and from their European co-operation partners. An interesting discussion on drug issues followed, which hopefully corrected the disinformation about Swedish drug policies to some extent. - What was most impressive about your Bulgarian visit? - A visit to Sofia’s Municipal Centre for Addiction has influenced me a lot. The staff there consists of 16 (plenty!) people working with prevention at schools and out-patients. There are 16 similar centers all over Bulgaria. - It was also very inspiring to see the willingness to solve drug problems and people’s boosting energy to tackle these issues. That was also very obvious during ECAD Balkan conference in Bourgas, which pinnacled the whole week of my study visits. To launch ECAD office in Bourgas, in order to coordinate Balkan activities is an important decision that can become an instrument in moulding the public opinion, which I think I have already started, concludes Sven. (*)In Sofia I saw one example of this, namely Initiative for Health, a harm-reduction programme supported by Soros, and with needle exchange as their main activity. Via two field-stations and three busses, the programme meets some 1000 drug addicts monthly without offering any treatment for their drug abuse.     27-29 September 2006 Swedish Örebro takes over after Västerås   The head of ECAD Sweden network, Mats Ericson, who has worked in this capacity for the last five years, is leaving politics and his post in ECAD Swedish network. His duties will be taken over by Carina Dahl, leading commissioner at Örebro Municipality. The decision was reached as ECAD Sweden concluded its two-days-conference in the city of Örebro. The conference, which is annual for the representatives of ECAD Sweden member cities, has been held at more than 700–years old castle of Örebro on 28-29 of September. About one hundred participants enjoyed an intensive programme, which included a report from Swedish National Drug Policy Coordinator. Swedish network discussed international perspective and local practical work that has already become a custom for such conferences. One of the questions that caused agitated debate was attitude of Swedish ECAD member cities to the practice of injection rooms in Oslo. The participants were also invited to make some study visits, one of those were to the penal institution in the city of Kumla. Surprisingly enough, visitors discovered that the problems of drug abuse there were minor, which is a rare peculiarity for the rest of the country’s penal institutions. Conference programme covered many preventions measures, ranging from the message of the Swedish Ombudsman of a child, prevention at schools, work of the police in drug abuse environment, drug-free provisions at school and introduction of coercive measures for critical drug addicts. - Given possibility to compare practical work tasks performed at the municipalities and putting this into the international perspective is of utmost importance for ECAD local network of Swedish cities, emphasizes Mats Ericson. - The main problem to solve for us is to respond to the challenge of drug liberals. We must not terminate our dispute about “harm reduction” with them so that all people would understand social and political implications of this idea. Clarity in this question is crucial, concludes Mats.     August - September 2006 UNGASS 2008   Preparations before the UN General Assembly might include five regional NGO Conferences. Since September 2006 ECAD works in the program committee on the threshold of the UNGASS 2008. The expression “UNGASS 2008” is used more and more often. It is time for all who is interested in drug issues to figure out for themselves what it implies. UNGASS is an abbreviation for the United Nations General Assembly. A Special Session of the Assembly meets once in ten years to discuss drug-related issues. Last meeting took place in New York in 1998. During those meetings the world community goes through what has been done during the past 10 years in the area of drug combat and makes a plan for the next 10 years. It is not yet decided when exactly and where the next meeting will take place. China has left a proposal that the meeting should be postponed one year and be organized in Shanghai in remembrance of the first international conference on drugs that took place just in that city in 1909. The Shanghai Conference laid a background to all international, interstate anti-drug cooperation. The significance of what non-governmental organizations (NGO) do and have already done in the fight against drugs is recognized more and more all over the world. For instance, EU Commission plans for a structural co-operation with the civil society and looks for advice on how this cooperation should look like. Another example, the recent report from UNODC called “ Sweden's Successful Drug Policy: A Review of the Evidence” emphasized the role of the Swedish NGOs for creating and developing of the Swedish restrictive drug policy. Before the UNGASS 2008 (let’s continue using this expression until the exact date is defined) a large NGO Forum is being planned. No less than five regional conferences respectively in Latin America, Africa, South Asia, Middle East and Eastern Europe are planned to be carried out as part of the preparation activities. Since September 2006 ECAD works in the program committee for this NGO Forum on the threshold of the UNGASS 2008.     24 August 2006 The Canadian Minister of Health visits ECAD Canadian Delegation at the ECAd Head Office in Stockholm   During his two-day stay in Scandinavia, Tony Clement, the Minister of Health in Canada, took time to visit the ECAD Head office in Stockholm to discuss drug policy. Mr. Clement arrived straight from the recently closed XVI International AIDS conference in Toronto. The focus of the 24,000-delegate conference was partly stolen by activists for the injection site in Vancouver. The global HIV/AIDS problem is a larger issue than a local project in Canada, and worth a different kind of attention. The background to the lobbyists’ action is the Canadian government’s hesitation to renew the exemption which makes it possible for Vancouver to run the injection site. HIV among drug addicts in Sweden is, and has historically been, a Stockholm problem, Tomas Hallberg told the Canadian delegation. It was in Stockholm the HIV epidemic among injecting drug addicts was discovered back in 1985, when, in only a few years, 250 persons were registered HIV-positive. During the last couple of years, only some 10 persons become HIV-infected in Sweden per year among the intravenous drug abusers, almost all of them in Stockholm. The methods chosen to curb the spread of HIV within this group have primarily been easy access to testing together with information. The Swedish drug addicts have also had good access to various forms of treatment. Mr. Clement was told about the work done in Sweden to combat both HIV and drug abuse at the same time. Sweden could be an example for Canada in this regard, Tomas Hallberg said. The percentage of young people who have experimented with drugs in Sweden, 7-8 per cent of 15-16 year olds, is a very low figure, he continued. Mr. Clement regretted the lack of national surveys of this kind in Canada, so local initiatives have to be relied upon. These show, however, 3-4 times higher figures compared to Sweden. ECAD Director Tomas Hallberg took this opportunity to express the organisation’s firm standpoint regarding the so called ”safe injection sites”. They all should of course be closed. Facilities of this kind are a breach against the UN Conventions on Drugs, and are one of the reasons why the international agreements on drug combat came about in the first place.                 [Articles June 2006- July 2005] [Articles July 2005- May 2002]