Date: Mon, 03 Oct 2005 13:17:56 +0200
To: eurodrug@...
From: encod <encod@...>
Subject: [Eurodrug] ENCOD BULLETIN

Dear friends,

Herewith I send you the ENCOD bulletin of October 2005. Please note that
you are wellcome to send this bulletin (that also is published in Dutch and
Spanish) to organisations or individuals who may be interested in becoming
a member. You are wellcome to translate it in your language and send it
back to me so i can put it on the encod website.


This month, we launch the "Freedom To Farm" campaign agreed upon at the
latest General Assembly in Berlin. During the next two months we hope to
reach many people with the www.encod.org/freedomtofarm.pdf flyer that will
be ready this week. Please let me know if you want to receive an amount
flyers to distribute in your country.

We will attend three hemp fairs in Barcelona and London, as well as the DPA
Conference in Long Beach in November. And we hope to receive the financial
support to start organising the Drug Policy Conference (for civil society,
regional/local authorities and Members of European parliament) in the
European Parliament.

Finally, the financial perspectives for the continuation of the ENCOD -
secretariat continue to be an issue of concern. In order to find out the
potential of ENCOD members to collect the necessary funding for next year,
I am sending out a survey to all members today. Please fill it out and send
it back to me as soon as possible.

Best wishes,

Joep





CLIMATE CHANGE

In less than 1000 days time a United Nations meeting will be held at which
crucial decisions will be taken on the future of global drug policies. In
the spring of 2008, governmental delegates will need to decide if they will
continue criminalising at least 200 million people in the world for being
involved in producing, distributing or consuming illicit drugs. It will be
ten years after the last UN Summit on Drugs in New York in 1998, where
commitments were made to reduce ‘significantly’ the supply and demand for
illicit drugs before 2008. After 1986 and 2000, it will be the third time
that a deadline, set by the UN in order to measure the progress of the war
on drugs, will pass without the slightest indication that such progress has
actually occurred.

Around the globe there are several networks or major actors aiming at this
purpose. One of them, REFORMA, from Latin America had its conference in
Buenos Aires early September. In Brazil and Argentina, the harm reduction
movement is strong and inventive, dealing with food provision and other
basics of survival among homeless users and of course drug user specific
problems, such as dealing with the consequences of blood borne diseases,
and the prevention of their transmission. Meanwhile in Chile, a new sister
magazine to the Spanish Cañamo is growing strong, thanks to volunteers and
in spite of a lot of resistance from distributing companies.

In Peru and Bolivia, militarization and eradication of coca have set in
motion a strong movement for coca leaf legalisation. It is one of the major
demands of an indigenous uprising that until now has been relatively
peaceful, but no less historic in its significance. Evo Morales, leader of
Bolivia’s coca growers, stands a very good chance of becoming president in
the December 2005 general elections. And last but not least, Jamaican Prime
Minister Patterson might very well legalise the ganja culture and economy
sometime this coming winter.

Similar proposals were made at the end of September by the Senlis Council,
a think tank on drug policy funded by a Swiss millionaire. In a conference
in the Afghan capital, Kabul, they presented a proposal to legalise parts
of the Afghan opium production in order to produce morphine and other opium
based medicines for both domestic use and export. Meanwhile, in view of the
increasing oil prices and the need for renewable substitutes, Info-Chanvre
from Switzerland offered to organize supplies of hemp fuel oil for
Switzerland, and called for other hemp farmers to pressure the government
to obtain suppression of taxes on vegetable oils destined for domestic
heating purposes.

As a platform of more than 120 grassroots organisations from 27 European
countries, ENCOD is trying to raise the voice of citizens who want to
replace injustice and stupidity in drug policy by justice and
effectiveness. Our membership is by no means wholly drawn from the 10% of
the European population (35 million people) who actively use currently
illicit drugs, but also their parents, health workers, entrepreneurs,
academic experts, and political activists.

ENCOD members are as diverse as the population of Europe, we probably have
more areas on which we disagree than on which we concur, but we are
learning to accept these differences and to co-operate, the hard way. We
are working with only 20% of the money we need to do the job decently. This
means that the group of most involved activists is small and vulnerable,
certainly compared to the people we have to convince.

Still we are creating opportunities. One of them is the organisation of a
conference in the European Parliament in Brussels, which could take place
in the coming months. This conference would facilitate a concrete encounter
between citizens, local and regional authorities opposed to the war on
drugs, and Members of the European Parliament. Here, a start could be made
towards a European-wide strategy to build the critical mass that is needed
to challenge the prohibitionist regime in 2008. Parliamentarians of four
different political groups in the European parliament (Social-democrats,
Liberals, Greens and United Left) are giving their political support to
this ENCOD initiative, but to make this event happen is ultimately down to
sufficient funding.

A real, honest and public debate on the pros and cons of drug prohibition
would surely lead to the complete dismantling of the official anti-drug
rhetoric. However, only a powerful drug policy reform movement will force
this debate to take place. Perhaps the least we can hope to achieve is that
in 2008, the world’s governments will feel forced to come with a
declaration that does not make them look like hypocritical fools, and
that‘ll be it. But maybe our activities will contribute to a growing
feeling that Europe should challenge US domination on the drug issue and
insist on the need to update the UN Conventions.

It is quite likely that it will take a change of climate, not just a
shelter from the storm, to change drug policies worldwide. It is possible
that by 2008, the Bolivian, Jamaican and Afghan government will present a
request to the UN to withdraw coca leaves, cannabis and opium respectively
from the List of Controlled Substances, so that they can legalize their
production and export for beneficial purposes. With the support of European
citizens, these legitimate demands from some the world’s poorest nations
could trigger the collapse of the universally imposed consensus on drug
legislation.

ENCOD plays its role in this whole scenario, with a new campaign for the
‘Freedom to Farm’ that is launched during this month (see the www.encod.org  
website or contact us for more details). But if we want to continue doing
this, we need better conditions. Every member, subscriber or, indeed anyone
who wants to help, please contact us. You could not have come at a better time.

Joep Oomen (thanks to Eliot Ross Albert)


SIGN THE PETITION FOR A CHANGE IN EU DRUG POLICIES NOW:
http://action.encod.org
EUROPEAN COALITION FOR JUST AND EFFECTIVE DRUG POLICIES (ENCOD)
Lange Lozanastraat 14
2018 Antwerpen
Belgium
Tel. 00 32 (0)3 237 7436
Mobile: + 33 6 148 156 79 (Farid Ghehioueche)
Fax. 00 32 (0)3 237 0225
E-mail:encod@...
Website: www.encod.org


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