Attached are two recently-released reports that summarize the proceedings of meetings of international drug policy experts who gathered in Amsterdam in December 2009.

One was the seventh in a series  of International Drug Policy Dialogues that invites government officials and international NGO representatives to discuss developments in drug policies in Europe and the rest of the world (for more info, check out: http://www.tni.org/article/informal-drug-policy-dialogue).

The other was a special meeting convened  to discuss the history and rationale behind the scheduling systems of the international drug control regime, providing an instructive grounding in the terminology and the legal and scientific issues which underlie the classification of controlled substances.

The meetings were hosted by the Transnational Institute, an international NGO based in the Netherlands, and the Andreas G. Papandreou Foundation, an NGO based in Greece.

<<Expert Seminar on Drug Scheduling Final Report - December 2009.pdf>> <<Amsterdam Drug Policy Dialogue Report - Dec 2009.pdf>>

Subject: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/norm-stamper/the-muzzling-of-a-cop_b_484231.html

 

 

 

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From: Gillian Maxwell [mailto:gillianmaxwell@telus.net]
Sent: 04 March, 2010 12:15 AM
Subject: jerry paradis - memorial service Saturday 6th March 2010

As you probably know, Jerry died on February 16^th.  See below the obituary and details of his memorial service.  I am leaving town early that morning and will not be able to attend.  I am sorry about that.  We will miss him.  GILLIAN

 

http://www.legacy.com/can-vancouver/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=139878029

 

Harm-reduction advocates say need-exchange efforts have lost ground
By Louise Dickson
Times Colonist
March 3, 2010

Guernsey could outlaw 'legal high' mephedrone
By Danny Shaw
BBC News
March 4, 2010

L.A. marijuana dispensary law challenged in court
By Steve Gorman
Reuters Health
March 3, 2010

Active duty police officer David Bratzer was planning to accept an invitation to speak about drug policy and harm reduction at an official city government-sponsored event...until his police department's leadership stepped in and ordered him not to show up.

Bratzer, a vocal "drug war" critic active with Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), has served the Victoria Police Department in British Columbia, Canada for four years, and he has spoken up publicly about drug policy on many occasions, including in front of a Canadian Senate committee. He is always clear in saying that his views do not represent the department's, and he only practices his activism while he is off-duty.

Even though Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms strongly protects citizens' rights to free speech and political advocacy (just as the First Amendment gives all Americans the right to criticize government policies they disagree with), Bratzer's supervisors at the police department ordered him not to speak out at the city forum.

If you think such censorship is unfair, please add your name to this petition to show your support for cops like David who speak out against unjust and ineffective drug polices even while they risk their lives enforcing them.

http://www.leap.cc/freespeech

For those folks interested in attending this interesting discussion - attached are two of Ted Goldberg's articles.

See attached poster

Sweden – From harm reduction to prohibition and back?

Presentation and discussion by Ted Goldberg

When: March 22^nd 2010: 1:00 – 4:00 PM

Where: Pacific Spirit Community Health Centre – 2110 W 43^rd Ave. (at West Boulevard); Room 104

Cost: Free

Registration: No registration is required – but come early as seating is limited.

In 1922 Sweden held one of the few national referendums in its history to decide if the country should follow in the footsteps of the U.S. and forbid alcohol. Prohibition was rejected by a very slight majority of the voters. The country decided that we could live with alcohol, but that policies must be devised to minimize harm. Some of the primary measures decided upon and the principles upon which they are based will be presented. To what extent are these principles relevant for drug policy in modern industrial societies?

In the 1960’s when problematic use of illicit substances rapidly increased in marginalized segments of the population, and recreational use became commonplace among middle class youth, most western societies grappled with the problem of devising measures to deal with these new contingencies. As opposed to alcohol, Sweden decided that it couldn’t live with these drugs and zero-tolerance became the basis of policy. Why did the country now choose Prohibition?

For decades Sweden was one of the staunchest defenders of Prohibition in Europe. Upon joining the European Union in 1995 Sweden took every opportunity to promote “the Swedish model”. However, without officially proclaiming a reorientation of illicit drug policy, a number of harm reduction measures have been instituted since the turn of the millennium. And in 2009, when Sweden held the chairmanship of the European Union, and therefore had a major opportunity to set the agenda, illicit drug policy was hardly mentioned. What might this imply concerning future drug policy?

After presenting these themes there will be an opportunity to discuss the extent to which Swedish experiences are relevant for Canada and Vancouver today.

Ted Goldberg, Ph.D., is Professor of Sociology at the Univ. of Gävle, and Associate Professor of Social Work at Stockholm Univ. He has been doing research on people who use illicit substances and on drug policy for more than 40 years and is the author of numerous books and articles on these subjects. Over a period of 4½ years he did participant observation research on the major drug scene in Stockholm. He has developed a labeling theory model to explain both how people become problematic users and why it is so difficult to get off drugs. Ted Goldberg is also an active participant in the drug debate in Sweden.

The video on this one is must-watch.

T

http://www.atv.ca/victoria/4994_72084.aspx

VicPD Officer Ordered to Stay Quiet

[Embedded Video]

VICTORIA - The BC Civil Liberties Association has filed a complaint against the Victoria Police Department for muzzling one of its officers.

Constable David Bratzer was scheduled to speak at a harm reduction meeting in Victoria tomorrow representing the group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

He is one of more than 16 thousand police officers, jail guards and former judges who believe governments should regulate the selling and distribution of drugs and not organized crime.

Bratzer says the war on drugs is not winnable and is doing more harm than good.

He has testified at a Senate Committee in Ottawa and has given many public speeches and interviews.

But the Chief of the Victoria Police Department doesn't want him to share those views at home.

Every time Bratzer speaks it's on his own time, out of uniform and he makes it clear; these are his opinions.

The department says it people would be confused if Bratzer was to speak on an issue of public policy. VicPD believes people would not be able to distinguish between Bratzer's opinions and those of the department.

VicPD does not explain why those same people would not be confused by Bratzer's appearances on You Tube videos and his comments in newspaper interviews.

--
Tom Angell, Media Relations Director
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
http://www.CopsSayLegalizeDrugs.com
Washington, D.C.
phone: (202) 557-4979 // e-mail: tom@leap.cc
AIM: ThisIsTomAngell // GChat: tomangell

Videos of LEAP cops: http://YouTube.com/CopsSayLegalizeDrugs
LEAP on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CopsSayLegalize
LEAP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CopsSayLegalizeDrugs

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Attachment: http://drugsense.org/temp/Fp6s8YBGOXJ6.html

The New York Times
March 2, 2010

Editorial
Bad Science and Bad Policy

The federal law that mandates harsher prison terms for people arrested with crack cocaine than for those caught with cocaine powder is scientifically and morally indefensible. Bills to end the disparity are pending in both the House and Senate. Democrats who worry about being pegged as "soft on crime" will have to find their backbones and push the legislation through.

Congress passed the law during the crack hysteria of the 1980s when it was widely and wrongly believed that crack - cocaine cooked in baking soda - was more addictive and led to more drug violence than the chemically identical powdered form. These myths were soon disproved. But by then, Congress had locked the courts into a policy under which minority drug addicts arrested with small amounts of crack were being sent to prison for far longer terms than white drug users caught with a satchel full of powder.

The United States Sentencing Commission, which sets guidelines for the federal courts, found several years ago that more than 80 percent of those imprisoned for crack offenses were black.

The tough sentencing guidelines also drive drug policy in the wrong direction - imprisoning addicts for years when they could be more cheaply and effectively treated in community-based programs. An analysis by Senator Richard Durbin, a Democrat of Illinois, estimates that ending the sentencing disparity could save the country more than a half-a-billion dollars in prison costs over the next 15 years.

In the House, a bill that ends the disparity has been voted out of committee but has yet to go to the floor. The Senate bill is having trouble attracting support, including from Democrats. It is time to finally put aside crack myths and hysteria. This isn't a question of being soft on crime. It is an issue of fairness and sound public policy.

--
Drugs & Democracy Programme
Transnational Institute (TNI)
De Wittenstraat 25 | 1052 AK Amsterdam (The Netherlands) Tel +31-20-6626608 | Fax +31-20-6757176 Email drugs@tni.org http://www.tni.org/drugs/ _______________________________________________
Dd-world mailing list
https://lists.tni.org/mailman/listinfo/dd-world

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 2, 2010

CONTACT: Tom Angell, LEAP – (202) 557-4979 or media@leap.cc

B.C. Police Officer Ordered Not to Discuss Drug Policy and Harm Reduction; Civil Liberties Advocates File Complaint With Victoria Police Board

VICTORIA, BC – An international group of cops, judges and prosecutors who oppose the “war on drugs” is criticizing a gag order from the Victoria Police Department that limits the freedom of expression of one of its officers. The officer, David Bratzer, who volunteers with the group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) while off-duty, has been ordered not to speak at an official City of Victoria-sponsored event on harm reduction scheduled for this Wednesday, March 3 at 7:00 P.M.Even though the event is scheduled outside of his regular work hours, management from the Victoria Police Department, without Bratzer’s knowledge, informed city staff that he was being withdrawn from speaking. Then on February 24, a senior officer at the department directly ordered Bratzer not to participate in the event.In response to these developments, Bratzer stated: "I will not be attending this event, but I would like to thank the City of Victoria for the invitation to be part of an honest and open discussion about harm reduction. I will try to find other venues to present my views about drug policy."Upon learning of the department’s order, the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association filed a complaint with the Victoria Police Board.Bratzer has always taken pains to state that his opinions are his own and do not reflect the views of his employer. He has participated in a number of credible venues related to drug policy during the past year, including delivering testimony to the Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs in Ottawa (video available from LEAP).“The voices of front-line officers who are charged with enforcing the drug laws are incredibly important to the public debate on drug policy issues,” said Jack Cole, a retired American undercover narcotics detective who serves as executive director for LEAP. “Preventing an officer from sharing his firsthand perspective about the harms of our current drug laws with policymakers is a disservice to the entire democratic process.”LEAP is hosting an online petition at http://www.CopsSayLegalizeDrugs.com/freespeech where people can speak up in support of law enforcers' rights to exercise their freedom of speech and criticize drug polices that they disagree with.As the above matter is now a sensitive labour issue, Bratzer will not be commenting further for the time being. Please contact LEAP for further information.Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) is an international non-profit organization of cops, prosecutors, correctional officers and other criminal justice professionals who believe the War on Drugs is a tremendous failure. Its members believe that a system of regulation and control would be more ethical and less harmful than drug prohibition. More info at www.CopsSayLegalizeDrugs.com.# # #
--
Tom Angell, Media Relations Director
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
http://www.CopsSayLegalizeDrugs.com
Washington, D.C.
phone: (202) 557-4979 // e-mail: tom@leap.cc
AIM: ThisIsTomAngell // GChat: tomangell

Videos of LEAP cops: http://YouTube.com/CopsSayLegalizeDrugs
LEAP on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CopsSayLegalize
LEAP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CopsSayLegalizeDrugs

 

Howard Markson
Communications Coordinator
City of Victoria
250.361.0264  cell: 250.216.9822

Bangkok Post (Thailand)
26 February 2010

PM Probes Drug War Killings

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will set up a committee to reinvestigate the extra-judicial killings of drug suspects during the Thaksin Shinawatra administration's war on drugs.

Mr Abhisit announced the formation of the panel yesterday after being questioned in parliament by Chalerm Yubamrung, chief of the Puea Thai Party MPs.

Mr Chalerm said that when Mr Abhisit was the leader of the opposition bloc, he accused Thaksin of committing crimes against humanity by ordering the extra-judicial killings of more than 2,500 people suspected of involvement in drug trafficking, during the war on drugs in 2003.

Mr Abhisit had wanted to bring the issue to the attention of international human rights organisations, Mr Chalerm told the House.
Since coming to government, however, Mr Abhisit had made no serious attempt to pursue the matter.

Mr Chalerm said he wanted to know how much progress a government inquiry into the allegations was making.

An independent committee investigating the extra-judicial killings had concluded the Thaksin administration had not ordered them. The panel was appointed by former prime minister Surayud Chulanont.

Thaksin deserved an apology, Mr Chalerm said.

Mr Abhisit said he was willing to take up the matter. He would set up a panel to reinvestigate the suspected extra-judicial killings.

However, Puea Thai MPs and Thaksin supporters should not see the move as a bid to bully Thaksin, Mr Abhisit said.

The Justice Ministry had looked into the extra-judicial killing allegations and found that many claims were true.

The panel appointed by the Surayud government did not reach any recommandations on who was responsible for the killings.

The panel's tenure expired before it could complete its findings and the People Power Party-led coalition government did not take it up.

--
Drugs & Democracy Programme
Transnational Institute (TNI)
De Wittenstraat 25 | 1052 AK Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
Tel +31-20-6626608 | Fax +31-20-6757176
Email drugs@tni.org
http://www.tni.org/drugs/
_______________________________________________
Dd-world mailing list
https://lists.tni.org/mailman/listinfo/dd-world