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Massive criticism of the Hedy d'Ancona report on drugs

What was the Hedy d'Ancona report all about?

"The d’Ancona report proposes a reactionary drug policy"

Dutch mother travelled to Strasbourg to oppose the...

Victory Outreach Rotterdam

Massive criticism of the d’Ancon report split the EP Socialist...

The report was returned to the Committee

Volume V Number 34 March 6, 1998

MASSIVE CRITICISM OF THE HEDY D’ANCONA REPORT ON DRUGS

Several anti-drug organisations gathered in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France at the beginning of January to make it perfectly clear that supporting the so-called Hedy d’Ancona-report, advocating legalization of cannabis and prescription of heroin, just to mention two of the devastating proposals in the report, is to completely denounce political responsibility and contributes to harm production, thereby risking the lives and future of tens of thousands of young Europeans.

What was the Hedy d’Ancona report all about?

At the sitting of 11 November 1996, the President of the European Parliament announced that he had referred the proposal for a recommendation to the Council by Mrs Aglietta and 60 other Members on the harmonization of the EU Members States’ laws on drugs to the Committee on Civil Liberties and Internal Affairs as the committee responsible and the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection for its opinion.

At its meeting of December 3, 1996 the committee considered the proposal for a recommendation and decided to draw up a report and at its meeting of December 3, 1996, the Committee on Civil Liberties and Internal Affairs appointed Mrs Hedy d’Ancona rapporteur.

At its meetings of 21 May, 30 June, 15 September, 9 October and 3 November 1996, the committee considered the draft report and adopted the proposal for a recommendation at the last meeting by 17 votes to 11, with 4 abstentions.
The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection decided on December 17, 1996 not to deliver an opinion.

The report is the most drug-liberal report ever presented to the European Parliament. Apart from Recommendation 12, which contains the poorly hidden legalization recommendation, the other recommendations contain various proposals which, if accepted, could in the long run make all drugs legal.

The following is the final wording of Recommendation 12:

(The European Parliament puts to the Council the following recommendations:...)

Opening up the doors for mass distribution of heroin might have been the result of Recommendation 9:

A Corrigendum - ‘Proposal for a Recommendation’ (B4-1238/96) paragraph E5 shows the complete naïveté of the authors of the report, who state that the following actions should be taken "in order to make the fight against organized crime and drugs trafficking much more effective". The proposed measures are

The report contains a total of 13 Recommendations. There were 36 proposals for amendments.

Representatives of European anti-drug organizations were present in the Parliament in order to talk to MEPs about the consequences, if the contents of the ill-founded, ignorant Hedy d’Ancona report on drugs were to be implemented. People had travelled from Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Italy to talk to politicians and to deliver written material.

"The d’Ancona report proposes a reactionary drug policy"

In a letter delivered to all Members of the European Parliament, the founder of the Swedish Hassela Movement, Mr. KA Westerberg and the Executive Director of the Hassela Educational Center, Mrs. A. Ravid stated that, "knowing what drug addiction is all about and knowing about the enormous harm drugs do to the individual drug user, families, other relatives and society, we dissociate ourselves completely from the contents of the ill-founded, ignorant Hedy d’Ancona report on drugs, which proposes a reactionary drug policy reminiscent of the slavery during the Middle Ages. By promoting decriminalization of consumption of illegal drugs and legalization of cannabis products, the measures proposed in the report are completely contrary to the basic contents of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1990), which states that "we shall take all appropriate measures including legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect children from illicit use of narcotic drugs".
The proposals in the Hedy d’Ancona report will have the opposite effect by producing harm and risking the lives and future of tens of thousands of young Europeans. For any Member of the European Parliament opposing modern slavery and promoting real freedom, the only option when it comes to voting on the Hedy d’Ancona report, is to VOTE NO to the report".

Dutch mother travelled to Strasbourg to oppose the Hedy d’Ancona report

Mrs Nel Beentjes v.d. Werf, a Dutch mother had travelled to Strasbourg to oppose the d’Ancona report on drugs. Mrs. v.d. Werf said, "I and my husband have been married for 30 years and we have survived 17 years of fear, hope, sadness and a feeling of not being able to do anything due to the heavy addiction of our son, who is now 29 years old. He was only 12 years old when he started with so-called ‘soft drugs’.
At the end of 1996, the Dutch Salvation Army found him completely exhausted in a street. He was diagnosed with AIDS.
I was furious and in despair. Hundreds of times I had asked the social services to help my son, to get him into treatment, into a hospital. Just anything that would help him. I had asked law enforcement officers, social workers, even the mayor, but everywhere I got the same reply - ‘Your son has to make his own choice’. But what kind of choice did he have? He was a complete wreck. He couldn´t think any more. He couldn´t make any choices. He needed help.
After an operation and a long fight for his life, he is happy now - in his own way. Perhaps it is too late for my son. Because of what he had to go through in the Netherlands, I want to warn and help other children and parents in my country and in Europe. That is the reason why I am here in Strasbourg. When I hear about the proposals to liberalize the drugs policy I want to let every member of the European Parliament know that these proposals should NEVER be carried out. We have to give the right signals to young people. MY SON´S ADDICTION STARTED WITH CANNABIS. In the Netherlands, the sale of cannabis in so-called coffee shops is tolerated, and that is to give the wrong signal to young people. I am not alone in this fight against the liberal drug policy.
Recently, a Dutch bishop regarded our tolerant policy as completely unacceptable and a director of the ‘De Hoop’ treatment center in the Netherlands told about the ‘gigantic’ increase of cannabis users due to the tolerant policy and the existence of coffee shops.
Now the Dutch government plans to start experimentation with distribution of heroin as treatment for heroin addicts. It´s completely unacceptable. Drug abusers should get real help, not more drugs. There should be early intervention, if necessary compulsory treatment for heavily addicted people.
Social workers in my country admit that a large number of drug abusers and parents are in the same situation as we are in our family. The situation in the Netherlands is very problematic and it is time for politicians to listen to parents.
At the moment I am in the midst of a fierce fight in my home town against the introduction of a coffee shop. Our municipal council has agreed to the opening of the coffee shop, but we´ll continue to fight it and do anything we can to stop it. It has been a tough fight to mobilize Dutch parents. But I am now cooperating with other parents who also started their fight against coffee shops on their own. Thus I am building a network with other people to try to achieve real freedom for our children - freedom from drugs, not freedom to drugs. I sincerely hope that Members of the European Parliament realize their political responsibility and support us to achieve real freedom for our children".

Victory Outreach Rotterdam

Representatives of the Victory Outreach Rotterdam had travelled to Strasbourg to discuss the report.
Representatives of the Victory Outreach Rotterdam said in Strasbourg that the Dutch experiment to provide free heroin to addicts is a violation of human rights, a shame for the Netherlands and an absolute atrocity of social legislation. Such an experiment would contribute to the diminution of hope and disappareance of every respect for life itself.

"The excuse of the supporters of free heroin is a disbelief in the possibility of complete recovery of the addicts. The denial leads to a depreciation of the addicted person and is a serious attack on addicts in need of appropriate treatment. Is it right to treat people with the substance that made them ill? Should an alcohol-dependent person be treated with alcohol?", the Victory Outreach representative asked.
The Dutch representative concluded asking, "How can we expect young people in Europe to abstain from drugs when the Dutch government is promoting, instead of preventing, drug use by spreading posters all over the country saying that cannabis isn´t dangerous?"

Massive criticism of the d’Ancon report split the EP Socialist group

There was no consensus on the d’Ancona report among the Socialists in the European Parliament. On the contrary, there was mounting criticism from members of Mrs. d’Anconas´s own political group and at the group meeting of the Socialist group on January 13, it was decided that the report should be referred back to the Committee.

Commenting the decision, the Director of the European Cities Against Drugs, Torgny Peterson, said, "This shows what we already knew and that is the complete split within the Socialist group regarding the report by Mrs. d’Ancona. However, the most important thing is that more and more members of the European Parliament realize that the measures proposed in the report, if carried out, would produce harm instead of reduce harm."

The report was returned to the Committee

On January 15, the European Parliament decided to return the Hedy d’Ancona report concerning a proposal for a European Parliament redommnedation to the Council on the harmonization of the Member States’ laws on drugs to the Committe on Civil Liberties and Internal Affairs.

To save the political image of Mrs d’Ancona and try to conceal the factual split on the issue within the Socialist group, returning the report was more or less the only possible way to handle the situation.

It remains to be seen if, when, how and where a revised report will turn up.

ECAD, in cooperation with other organisations, political parties and individuals, will help coordinate intensified efforts to educate parliamentarians and others on the drug issue and prepare all those concerned well ahead of a new debate and vote in the European Parliament.

As for now, there will be

NO decriminalization of the consumption of illegal drugs,

NO regulation of trade in cannabis and its derivatives.

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