Norwegian drug policy in international fora - Regjeringen.no · norwegian drug policy in...

Memorandum

Norwegian drug policyin international foraFebruary 2009

REDUCE THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF SUBSTANCE USE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY • GROUNDED IN THE NOTION OF SOLIDARITY WITH INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY’S CAPACITY FOR COHESION • A HOLISTIC APPROACH NOT ONLY AT THE NATIONAL BUT AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL AS WELL • BALANCE BETWEEN A

HUMANE AND A RESTRICTIVE POLICY APPROACH • SUFFICIENT TREATMENT CAPACITY, THE BEST POSSIBLE QUALITY AND COMPETENCE • REDUCE THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF SUBSTANCE USE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY • GROUNDED IN THE NOTION OF SOLIDARITY WITH INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY’S CAPACITY

ONLY AT THE NATIONAL BUT AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL AS WELL • BALANCE BETWEEN A HUMANE AND A RESTRICTIVE POLICY APPROACH • RESTRICTIVE DRUG POLICY • SUFFICIENT TREATMENT CAPACITY, THE BEST POSSIBLE QUALITY AND COMPETENCE • REDUCE THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF SUB-

STANCE USE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY • GROUNDED IN THE NOTION OF SOLIDARITY WITH INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY’S CAPACITY FOR COHESION • A HOLISTIC APPROACH NOT ONLY AT THE NATIONAL BUT AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL AS WELL • BALANCE BETWEEN A HUMANE CAPACITY, THE BEST POSSIBLE QUALITY

AND COMPETENCE • BASIC PHILANTHROPIC APPROACH • REDUCE THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF SUBSTANCE USE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY • GROUNDED IN THE NOTION OF SOLIDARITY WITH INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY’S CAPACITY FOR COHESION • A HOLISTIC APPROACH NOT ONLY AT THE

NATIONAL BUT AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL AS WELL • BALANCE BETWEEN A HUMANE AND A RESTRICTIVE POLICY APPROACH • SUFFICIENT TREATMENT CAPACITY, THE BEST POSSIBLE QUALITY AND COMPETENCE • REDUCE THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF SUBSTANCE USE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY • GROUNDED

IN THE NOTION OF SOLIDARITY WITH INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY’S CAPACITY FOR COHESION • A HOLISTIC APPROACH NOT ONLY AT THE NATIONAL BUT AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL AS WELL • CORE VALUES AND THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE• BALANCE BETWEEN A HUMANE AND A RESTRICTIVE POLICY

APPROACH • SUFFICIENT TREATMENT CAPACITY, THE BEST POSSIBLE QUALITY AND COMPETENCE • REDUCE THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF SUBSTANCE USE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY • GROUNDED IN THE NOTION OF SOLIDARITY WITH INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY’S CAPACITY FOR COHESION • A HOLISTIC APPROACH

NOT ONLY AT THE NATIONAL BUT AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL AS WELL • BALANCE BETWEEN A HUMANE AND A RESTRICTIVE POLICY APPROACH • SUFFICIENT TREATMENT CAPACITY, THE BEST POSSIBLE QUALITY AND COMPETENCE • REDUCE THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF SUBSTANCE USE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SOCI-

Memorandum

Norwegian drug policyin international foraFebruary 2009

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CONTENTS

1 : INTRODUCTION ________________________________________________________ 4

1.1 BACKGROUND ______________________________________________________ 4 1.2 COREVALUESANDTHEPRIMARYOBJECTIVEOFNORWEGIANDRUGPOLICY____ 5

2 : THE EXTENT AND CHARACTER OF THE DRUG PROBLEM ______________________ 6

2.1NEGATIVECONSEQUENCESOFDRUGUSE________________________________ 6 2.2DRUGS 6 __________________________________________________________ 6 2.3SPREAD 7 __________________________________________________________ 7 2.3.1 National _________________________________________________________ 7 2.3.2 International______________________________________________________ 7 2.4RELATIONTOOTHERPOLICYAREAS_____________________________________ 9

3 : DRUG POLICY WORK ____________________________________________________ 10 3.1NORWAY’SROLEININTERNATIONALDRUGPOLICYWORK___________________ 10 3.2CONTROLMECHANISMS ______________________________________________ 11 3.2.1 Norwegiandruglegislation __________________________________________ 11 3.2.2 Internationalcontrolmechanisms _____________________________________ 11 3.2.3 Otherrelevantconventions___________________________________________ 12 3.2.4 Measurestoreducedemandandsupply_________________________________ 13 3.3DEMANDREDUCTIONMEASURES_______________________________________ 13 3.3.1 Prevention,treatment,rehabilitationandharmreduction___________________ 13 3.3.2 Prevention________________________________________________________ 13 3.3.3 Treatmentandrehabilitation_________________________________________ 14 3.3.4 Harmreductionandfreedomfromdrugs________________________________ 15 3.3.5 HarmreductionandHIV/AIDS ________________________________________ 16 3.3.6 Harmreductionandtheliberalisationdebate ____________________________ 16 3.4SUPPLYREDUCTIONMEASURES ________________________________________ 16 3.4.1 Theillegalmarket__________________________________________________ 17 3.4.2 Regulationandcontrolofthelegaltradeindrugs _________________________ 18 3.4.3 TradeinnarcoticsubstancesontheInternet______________________________ 19 3.4.4 Thedrugeconomyanditsrelationtoorganisedcrime,corruption, moneylaunderingandterror _________________________________________ 19 3.4.5 Eradicationofbannednarcoticplantsandalternative waysofmakingaliving–assistanceprogrammes_________________________ 20

4 : CONCLUSION ___________________________________________________________ 21

Appendix1:Narcoticsandprecursors________________________________________ 23

Appendix2:Drugs–asummaryofNorwegianparticipation ininternationalcooperation _______________________________________________ 26

TheMinistryofHealthandCareServiceshasanoverallcoordinatingresponsibilityfordrugpolicy, while several other ministries have asubsidiary responsibility. This memorandumand appendices have been prepared by theMinistryofHealthandCareServicesinclosecollaborationwith theotherministriesmostinvolved–theMinistryofFinance,theMinis-tryofJusticeandthePoliceandtheMinistryof Foreign Affairs.The Directorate of Health,theNorwegianMedicinesAgency,theNorwe-gianInstituteforAlcoholandDrugResearch,theNorwegianInstituteofPublicHealthandvoluntary bodies in Actis – the NorwegianPolicyNetworkonAlcoholandDrugs–havealsocontributed.

This memorandum is primarily concernedwith positions regarding international drugpolicy.Thefocus ison illegaldrugsandmis-useofmedicines,notonalcoholmisuse.Inter-nationally,alcoholanddrugpolicyareasaremoreoftenhandledseparately.HoweveritisimportanttorememberthatNorwegianalco-holanddrugpolicyisasfaraspossiblecarriedoutthroughajointsubstanceabusepolicy.

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1 Introduction

1.1 BACKGROUND

Drugproblemsaffectalargenumberofpeo-ple,their familiesandthosearoundthem. Inaddition to the many human tragedies andthe social harm caused by substance abuse,drugproblemsalsocauseinsecurityinmanypeople’sdaily life.Therearealsomajorcostsintheformofdrug-relatedcrimeandtheex-penseofenforcingthelaw,preventioninter-ventions,andsocialandhealthservices.

There are no simple answers to the drugproblem.Thecausesarecomplex.Thereisanenormous illegal production of and interna-tionaltradeinnarcoticsubstances.Therearealsoindividualandsocialconditionsthatleadsomepeopletoabuseboth legalandillegalsubstances. These substances create addict-ion tovaryingdegrees,andbothshort-termandlong-termusecandoirrevocableharm.

This memorandum has been devised toclarifytheNorwegianpositionontheirdrugpolicy and to ensure that Norway maintainsaclearanddistinctvoiceininternationalcon-texts.Thememorandumisalsoananswertotheneedfora“referencework”forNorwegianforeign service missions and for Norwegianofficials with assignments in internationalassociationsandmeetingplaces.Thememo-randummaybeusedtoensureNorway’sin-terestsanditsstatedpositioninrelevantandassociatedareas.Seepoint2.4regardingrela-tiontootherpolicyareas.

Thememorandumdescribes theNorwegiandrugpolicyandexplainsthedrugpolicy’sbasicassumptions,formulatedgoalsandpositions,aswellasinternationalagreements.Attachedtothisdocumentareamoredetaileddescrip-tionofnarcoticsubstances(Appendix1)andasummaryofNorwegianparticipationininter-nationalfora(Appendix2).Astrategytoshedlight on instruments and the choice of tar-getedactionsisbeingpreparedasaseparateappendix.

1.2 COREVALUESANDTHEPRIMARY OBJECTIVEOFNORWEGIANDRUG POLICY TheoverridingobjectiveofNorwegianalco-holanddrugpolicyistoreducethenegativeconsequencesofsubstanceuseforindividu-alsandsociety.

Limitingtheharmdrugscausetoindividualsandsocietyrequiresacoordinatedcontribu-tioninaholisticandbalanceddrugspolicy.Aholisticapproachisimportantnotonlyatthenationalbutattheinternationallevelaswell.

Norwegiandrugpolicyisbasedonassump-tionsandvaluesrootedinanapproachbal-ance between a humane and a restrictivepolicyapproach:

• Drugsareandwillremainillegal• Allpersonswithadrugaddiction problemareentitledtoaworthylife. Theyshouldbetreatedwithrespect bysocietyandthecaresystem.• Thelevelofthenegativesocialand healthconsequences,includingdisease andaccidents,correspondstoincreased druguse.Theobjectiveisthereforeto reducetheuseofdrugs.

The drug problem can be approached anddescribed in several ways, each with differ-ent response implications.The so-called in-dividual approach tends to emphasise theheavyconsumptionofdrugs,oftenfocusedon heroin use. Related responses includemotivation, harm reduction, treatment andrehabilitation.Alternatively,theproblemcanberegardedasprimarilyacontrolissue,andassociatedresponseswouldthenbeofalegal-lyrepressivenature.

Norway’sdrugpolicyisgroundedintheno-tionofsolidaritywithindividualsandsocie-ty’scapacityforcohesion.Drugproblemsare

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linked with social inequality, social trends,socialexclusionandovercomingchallengesatschoolandintheworkplace.Thebasicdig-nityofallhumanbeingsmustberespected,eveninthemostdemandingsituations.Drugpolicyshallbebuiltonafoundationofsoli-daritywithpeopleaffectedby thenegativeconsequencesofdruguse.Atthesametime,theprohibitiononselling,possessingandus-ingdrugswillbemaintained,andeffortswillbe targeted at preventing production, traf-fickingandsale.

Norwegiandrugpolicyisthusbasedontheidea that a successful approach must be abalancedapproach,inwhichconsiderationsofreactionandpreventionmustbebalancedagainsttheneedsoftheindividualforhelp,care, treatment and harm reduction. Toomuchemphasisononeaspectcanhaveneg-ativeconsequencesfortheother.

Norwaywill • promotearestrictivedrugpolicy whichmaintainsabasicphilanthropic approach,caresfortheweakestand whichisanchoredintheUNhuman rightslegislation.

larly vulnerable, and substance use duringpregnancy carries the risk of damaging thefoetus.

Substanceuseaffectsotherstoo,forexamplethrough road traffic accidents or other inci-dents. In Norway alone, more than a hun-dred people a year die because of drivingundertheinfluenceofintoxicants(legalandillegal intoxicants taken together). Criminalviolencecausedbysubstanceusersleadstoaconsiderablenumberofinjurieseveryyear.

Drug use causes considerable costs to soci-ety, in the formofcrimeandhumansuffer-ing.Thisalsoappliesinternationally,throughfinancialcrime,corruptionandmoneylaun-dering,terror,armsdealing,waranddisturb-ance.Crimeisdrivenbythemotiveforgainand represents billions of US dollars yearly,$322billion,accordingtotheUNWorldDrugReport,2007.

Theinternationalillegaldrugstrade,whichislinkedtocrimeandcorruption,continuestothreaten the security, stability and integrityof the countries involved.This has been re-portedbytheUNOfficeonDrugsandCrime(UNODC/CND/2008/WG.1/2). Drugs trad-ing and smuggling at sea continue to be asignificant threat to border control in manycountries. A problem in many vulnerablecountriesisthelackofspecialisedlegislation,expertise, equipment and training. The im-provement of control mechanisms in manycountriescannotkeepupwiththedevelop-ment of equipment, competence and tech-nologyaccessible to thecriminals.Therela-tionshipbetweenthedistributionandsaleofdrugsandofweaponshasnotbeenproperlyinvestigated.Legalinvestigationsintodrugstraffickingoftentakeplaceinisolation,with-out, for example, considering the relation-shipbetweenthedrugsandarmstrades.

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2.1 NEGATIVECONSEQUENCESOFDRUG USE

Drugshavebecomecheaperandmoreeas-ily available in recent years. This applies tomostcountries.AbuseandmortalityinNor-wayareattheirhighesteverlevel.Thedrugproblemisamajorchallengefortheworld’spopulation and threatens peace, securityand health. Drugs are a particular threat tochildrenandyoungpeople.Thelargefinan-cial profits from the production, smugglingand sale of drugs contribute to destabilisa-tion and threaten security in many parts oftheworld.

Thatdrugsarebeinggrown,manufactured,sold and used has negative consequencesfar beyond the harm they cause to addicts.Substance abuse can have negative conse-quencesfortheindividualuser,family,thirdpartiesandsocietyasawhole.

Mostdrugscanbeaddictivetoagreaterorlesserextent.Thecravingfordrugscandom-inate behaviour and become such a majorpartofthelifeoftheindividualthatitimpairsboththeirhealthandlifesituation.Themedi-cal definition of drug dependence is basedon tests used in the health service (DMS IVand ICD10).Thosewithsubstancedepend-ence often also have mental disorders andconsequentialphysicalinjuryfromsubstanceabuse.Theriskofdamagetohealthisfurtherincreased when a variety of substances areabused,especiallywhendrugsarecombinedwith sedative prescription drugs or alcohol.Manyofthosewhoaredependentondrugsfeel socially excluded. Rehabilitation is usu-allyalong-termandextensiveprocesswithahighfrequencyofrelapse.

Drugdependencyalsoaffectsthefamily.Thefamily’severydaylifeisoftenaffectedbythesignificant psychosocial and financial costs.Thechildrenofdrugdependentsareparticu-

2 The extent and nature of the drug problem

2.2 DRUGS

Drugs are substances that have an effecton the brain leading to intoxication. Drugshave their own individual effects, but theyallshareanintoxicatingeffect,oftencharac-terisedbyexhilaration,lossofconcentration,lossofmemory,lackofjudgmentandmoodchange.

Drugsmaybeillegal,suchasheroin,cocaine,amphetaminesandcannabis.Therearealsoanumberofmedicines thataffectthecen-tralnervoussysteminsuchawaythattheyareclassifiedasdrugs.Thelegaluseofsuchprescriptiondrugscanalsoleadtoaddiction,if a patient does not follow the doctor’s in-structionsoriftheprescriptionisnotinlinewith established medical practice. Further-morethereisasubstantialillegalmarketforprescriptiondrugs.Suchmisuseofprescrip-tiondrugsoccurseitheraloneorinadditiontoillegaldruguse.Thesedrugsaretakenasasupplementinordertoeitherincreasetheeffect or lessen the side effects of previoussubstance abuse. In this memorandum theterms drugs refer to both illegal drugs andtheillegaluseoflegalprescriptiondrugs.

The volume of drugs being produced andput on the market is huge and worldwide.Thisappliestomosttypesofdrugsanddrugsmost common drugs. The most commondrugs are cannabis, opioids (such as heroinandmorphine)andpsychotropicstimulants(such as amphetamine, methamphetamineandecstasy).Individualsubstancesandpre-cursors are discussed in more detail in Ap-pendix1.

2.3 SPREAD

Drugs and the types of drugs that are used,differ according to cycles. These cycles, ortrends,arelargelyinternational,butnotiden-tical in time and expression in all countries.

Thereisnosimpleanswerastohowandwhysuchtrendsariseanddevelop.Theproblemiscommon to large parts of the global societyand international collaboration is necessarytomonitorandexplainthephenomenon.Thesolution must be sought in an internationalcontext.

2.3.1 DomesticThe illegal drugs being sold and used inNorway are almost exclusively transportedandillegallyimportedfromanothercountryoforigin.Limiting theuseofdrugsandthenegativeconsequencestowhichtheyleadisthereforesubjecttobothnationalandinter-national determination and must be solvedincollaborationbetweenproducerandcon-sumercountries.

Aselsewhereinthewesternworld,cannabis,primarily hashish, is the drug most youngpeoplereporthavingused.Theuseofcanna-bisandotherdrugsremainedstableamong15- to 20-year-olds, during the first half ofthe1990s.Usethenincreasedintheyearsuptothemillennium.Inrecentyearstherehasbeen a slight drop. On the other hand, theproportionofyoungadults(21–30)whore-porthavingusedvarioussubstancesismuchmore frequent thanbeforeandthe trend isrising.Surveysshowthatasmanyasathirdof 21- to 30-year-olds in Norway have usedcannabis.InOslothatfigureisnearer50percentandexperimentingwithamphetamineand cocaine has become more common. Inolderagegroups,takenasawhole,theuseof illegal drugs other than cannabis is stillnot widespread. The National Institute forDrugandAlcoholResearch(SIRUS)estimatesin its annual report for 2008 that there arebetween 8,200 and 12,500 injecting drugsusers inNorway.Accordingtoofficialdocu-mentation, the figure has been fairly stableinrecentyears.

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2.3.2 InternationalDrugs cross many national borders beforethey reach their destination. The same ap-plies to the various precursors making uppartofthistraffic.Alongthetraffickingrouteswecanoftenseethatthedrugprobleminallitsformsisincreasing:useanddependency,organisedcrime,oppressionandcorruption.It is therefore reasonable to suppose that,where availability of supply is greatest, theabuseproblemswillalsoincrease.Thisoftenaffects relatively poor countries. Drugs findtheirway tocountrieswithgrowingecono-miesandapopulationinthepositiontobuythem-suchasNorwayandmostotherWest-ernEuropecountries.Onaglobalbasisabout

25 million people are serious substanceabusers,andthe incidenceofHIV/AIDSandhepatitisamongthesegroupsisincreasinglyworrying in a number of countries. Globaluseisillustratedinfigure10intheUNOfficeonDrugsandCrime(UNODC)annualreportfor2007.Forunclearreasons,theproductionandsaleof heroin and cocaine have received muchmoreattentionthancannabis.Thisisdespitethefactthatcannabisisthemostwidelyusedsubstance and is believed to generate themostmoneyandthelargestIllegaleconomy.AccordingtotheEMCDDAannualreportfor

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ILLEGALDRUGUSEATTHEGLOBALLEVEL(2006/2007)

Totalworldpopulation:6,475millionpeople

Worldpopulationage:15-64:4,272million

None-drugusingpopulationage:15-64:4,064million(95.1%)

Annualprevalenceofdruguse:208million(4.8%)

Monthlyprevalenceofdruguse:112million(2.6%)

Problemdruguse(age15:64):26millionpeople(0.6%)

Extentofdruguse(annualprevalence*)estimates2006/07(orlatestyearavailable)

2008, the use of cannabis has increased inpracticallyallEuropeancountriesduringthe1990sandearly2000s.Whileitnowappearsthat use is somewhat decreasing, the levelof use is stillhigh in thehistoriccontext. Inrecent years we have also improved our in-sight into the long-termconsequences thatwidespreaduseofthissubstancerepresentsfor public health. Increasingly people arereportinganeedfortreatmentofcannabis-relatedproblems.FindingeffectivemeasurestocombatcannabisuseisstillakeyquestioninEurope.

2.4 RELATIONTOOTHERPOLICYAREAS

Norwegian drugs policy is anchored in thesocialsector.Theaimistoprevent,treatandlimittheharmcausedbyuse.Thedrugsprob-lemiscomplex;itaffectsnumerousareasandchallenges at various levels. The problemcannotbesolvedbysocialandhealthpolicyinstruments alone. Coordination involvingaffectedministriesandotherconcernedau-thoritiesisthereforevital.

Drugs policy has many implications of rel-evance to health and social policy, criminaljusticepolicy,communicationpolicysuchastrafficking,controlandforeignpolicy.

Thebranchesofinternationalcrimewiththeiruncontrolledmoneysupplystemsfromseri-ous international drug-related crime. In theEUareaalone,thedrugstradegeneratesmil-lionsofEurosayear(OECDannualreportoncrime2001).Drugspolicycannotbeviewedin isolation,butmustbeseen in relation tothefightagainstcorruption,moneylaunder-ing,armsdealingandterrorism.Eventhoughitisdifficulttofindconnectionsbetweentheflowofmoneyandassociatedbusinesstrans-actions relating to drugs, there is no doubtthatmoneyfromdrugtraffickingisusedforterror,conflictandwar.Anexampleismoneylaundering, intended to hide the illegal ori-

gins of money or other items that are – orcomefrom–criminalacts.Asuccessfulmon-eylaunderingprocessiswhentheprofitscanbeusedwithoutsuspicion.

Drugspolicyrelatestomajorquestionssuchas human rights and aid policy. Aid whichfacilitatesalternativedevelopmentbyreduc-ingcultivationbringsaboutcropsubstitutionand consequently less harm to substanceabusers. Norwegian aid to Afghanistan willhopefully influence the amount of heroinavailable to Norwegian addicts and thusthe extent of the damage and injury beingcaused to them. Furthermore, reduced de-mand and production will in its turn affectthebasisfororganisedcrimeandthefinanc-ingofterror.

Illegaldealingorpossessionofdrugsbringsabout heavy penalties. Often no distinctionis made between harder or softer drugs orbetween smuggling and possession. Over60countriesintheworldpracticethedeathpenalty.Norwayisagainstthedeathpenaltyinanycontext.Thedeathpenalty isconsid-eredtobeincontradictionwiththeprincipleof humanity and respect for the individual.Norway considers it very worrying that thenumberofpeoplebeingexecutedcontinuestoincrease,inspiteofthefactthatlesscoun-triespracticethedeathpenalty.

Norwaywillcontinuetoworktoensurethatthe authorities’ conduct and interrogationmethods in all countries follow acceptednorms. Furthermore, Norway will work ac-tively to promote good witness protectionprogrammes, which safeguard witnesses aswell as the police and the prosecuting au-thority.

Thedrugspolicyalsohassignificancefortheprevention of, and the treatment of peoplewith, HIV and AIDS. Sharing needles repre-sentsagreatriskofspreadingtheHIVvirus.

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Globallyitisestimatedthatabout10percentofallthoseinfectedhavebecomeinfectedinthisway.IfweexcludeAfricasouthoftheSa-hara, sharing needles is probably the causeof30–40percentofallHIVinfection.Inject-ingdruguseiscausingarapidincreaseintheHIVepidemicinEasternEuropeandCentralAsia.Inmanycountries,injectingdrugusersarecloselyconnectedwithprostitution.TheMinistryofForeignAffairs’memorandumonHIV and AIDS (November 2006) emphasisesin particular the work directed at specificvulnerablegroups,bycombatingstigmatisa-tionanddiscriminationofthosegroupsinawaythat reduces theirexposure toHIVandensuresthembetteraccesstobasicservices.

Norwaywill • Strengtheninternationaleffortsto promotedemocratisationand institutionbuildingincountrieswhere drugrelatedcrimehasamajorimpact ontheeconomy • prevent,identify,andraiseawareness aboutandcombatseriouscrossborder crime,includingdrugrelatedcrime, therelationtointernationalterrorism aswellasillegalarmsdealing • worktostrengthenactionagainst moneylaundring • worktoensurethattheauthorities’ actionsandinterrogationmethods inallcountriesfollowacceptednorms • worktoendcapitalpunishmentin anycontext • worktopromotegoodwitness protectionprogrammes • pursueandstrengtheneffortsto promotehealthinpoorcountries, includingthroughastronger commitmenttotheworkagainst HIV/AIDS

3 Drugs policy work

3.1 NORWAY’SROLEININTERNATIONAL DRUGPOLICYWORK

Substanceabusearoseasaproblemamongyoung people in the mid 1960s. Since thattime, Norway has conducted a restrictivedrug policy. Possession, use and dealingdrugsareprohibited.Illegalimportanddeal-ingcan, inthemostseriouscases,carrythestrongestpenaltiesof the law.Neverthelessgreatemphasishasbeenplacedonbalanc-ingtherestrictivecontrolmeasureswithoth-erpreventive,helpandtreatmentmeasures.

The bases on which drugs policy is estab-lished are largely set by the internationalcommunity. In a globalised world, we mustworkinternationallytoensurethepossibilityofconductingthepolicywewish.Whathap-pens internationally affects Norway’s abilitytocarryouteffectivepublichealthstrategiesaimed at the general public. Norway has along tradition of active participation in in-ternational collaboration on drugs, in orderto exchange information and obtain good,comparabledataandalsotoinfluenceinter-nationaldrugpolicy.

OneofNorway’sgoalsistolimitdrug-relatedharmatagloballevel.NorwaywillcontributetoimprovingthehealthsituationinNorway’simmediateareaaswellasinotherpartsoftheworld.ItisthegoalofNorway’sinternationalhealth collaboration to meet internationalhealthchallengesbydevelopingschemesforeffectivepreventionandcombatingillness.

Norway’s international commitment occurschiefly through the UN, the Council of Eu-rope,EU/EEA,theEU’sNorthernDimension,the Nordic Council of Ministers and otherNordiccollaboration.Norwayprimarilychan-nelsitsfinancialaidtotheinternationalcol-laboration on drugs through multilateralorganisations and participates in their gov-erning bodies. We shall work towards the

effectiveness of international bodies of sig-nificance for drug problems and for bettercoordination between them. This is impor-tant to safeguard Norwegian policy and tocontributetogoodsolutionsinotherpartsoftheworld.Wemustallensurethatthemosteffectivesolutionsarechosen–effortsmustbemadewheretheimpactisgreatest.

NGO’s do an important job in the area ofdrugs.The Government intends to facilitatevoluntary work and enabling volunteers tocollaborateinnetworksandcontributetoin-ternationalprocessesthathaveanimpactontheareaofdrugs.

Norwaywill • worktoensurestrong,bindingand long-terminternationalcollaboration ondrugsbyexchangingandsharing informationandexperience

3.2 CONTROLMECHANISMS

3.2.1 NorwegiannarcoticslegislationTheintentionofNorwegiannarcoticslegisla-tionistocontrollegaluseandcombatillegaluseofnarcotics.Inlaw,thetermnarcoticsisused for those substances that have at anytimebeendefinedasnarcoticsbylegislation.Alluse,possession,dealingandotherformsof illegal handling of narcotic substancesand prescription drugs may render offend-ers liable to prosecution in Norway (cf. ActNo.132of4December1992132relatingtomedicinalproducts(MedicinalProductsAct)sections24and31andActNo.10of22May1902 General Civil Penal Code (the PenalCode)sections162and317).

TheMedicinalProductsActprovidesthe le-gal basis for determining which substancesshould be regarded as narcotics on a nar-coticslist.Thesubstancesanddrugs(plants,

partsofplants)comingundertheUNconven-tionsonnarcoticsareincludedonthislist.

The narcotics list is determined by the Nor-wegian Medicine’s Agency cf. regulation of30June1978No.8onnarcoticsetc.section3. Inaddition to thesubstanceson theUN’slist,theMedicinesAgencycanaddothersub-stancestothenarcoticslist iftheymayhavesimilar damaging effects as substances al-readyincluded.ForexamplekhatisregulatedasanillegaldruginNorway,butisnotontheinternationalnarcoticslist.Useofkhatisbe-ing seen increasingly often in Norway andNorwayisconsideringworkingtowardshav-ingkhatincludedontheUN’snarcoticslist.

A large number of the substances that aredefinedasnarcotics intheregulationarein-cluded as active ingredients in prescriptiondrugs and therefore have completely legalapplications.InadditiontodefiningwhatareconsideredtobenarcoticsinNorway,thenar-cotics regulation also has provisions regard-ing(legal)internationaltradeinnarcoticsetc.

The Medicines Agency has been given theauthoritytoissuethenecessarypermitsandcertificateswhencompaniesimportorexportprescription drugs and other products that,according to the regulation, are considerednarcoticsetc.Narcoticsetc.maynotbetakenacross theNorwegianborderunlesspermis-sion has been obtained from the MedicinesAgency.Carryingnarcoticprescriptiondrugsforpersonaluseonforeigntravelisalsoregu-latedbytheregulation.

3.2.2 InternationalcontrolmechanismsThe three UN drug control conventions onthe prohibition and control of narcotic sub-stances, which Norway has ratified and un-dertaken to observe, are the foundation ofinternationalcontrolofnarcotics.

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• TheSingleConventiononNarcotic Drugsof30March1961chieflycovers substancesthatarenaturalproducts ormadefromthem.Theconvention cameintoforcein1964andhassince beenamenedbytheprotocolof1972.• TheConventiononPsychotropic Substancesof21February1971(thePsy- chotropicConvention)establishesan internationalcontrolsystemfor psychotropicsubstances.. Theconventioncameaboutasaresult oftherapidlyincreasingabuseof synthetic,addictiveprescriptiondrugsin the1960sandcameintoforcein1976.• TheConventionagainsttheIllicitTraffic inNarcoticDrugsandPsychotropic Substancesof20December1988controls illegaltransportanddealingandextends thecontrolsystemtoalsoapplyto dealinginthebasicsubstancesthatare usedinthemanufactureofnarcotics (precursors),andcameintoforcein1990.

TheUNInternationalNarcoticsControlBoard(INCB)monitorsthethreenarcoticsconven-tions and publishes annual reports on howcountriesareimplementingtheconventions.TheINCB’sannualreportsgiveasummaryoftrendsintheglobalnarcoticssituation.

The universal declaration on human rightswas adopted on 10 December 1948 and itsgoal is to ensure respect for human rights.Article25isconcernedwiththerighttoad-equate social services in the event of lackof livelihood in circumstances beyond theindividual’s control. Everyone has a right toastandardof livingadequateforthehealthandwell-beingofhimselfandhisfamily, in-cludingfood,clothing,housingandmedicalcare and necessary social services. Mother-hood and childhood are entitled to specialcare and assistance. All children, whether

born in or out of marriage, shall enjoy thesamesocialprotection.

Norwayratifiedthe23September2003con-vention against transnational organisedcrime, with its three protocols about a) traf-ficking in persons, b) smuggling of migrantsandc)firearms.Thepurposeoftheconventionand its protocols is to promote internationalcollaboration for preventing and combatingorganised crime. The convention and pro-tocolsare followedupeveryotheryearwithconferencesofmembernationswiththeaimofimprovingthemembernations’workinfol-lowingandimplementingthecontentoftheconvention.Theconventionwithitsprotocolsprovidesthebasisfortheworkofpreventingorganisednarcoticscrimeandstrengthensin-ternationalcollaborationtocombatit.

3.2.3 OtherrelevantconventionsOther conventions under which Norway hasobligations, includingtheUNConventiononSocial and Economic Rights of 1966, also in-clude safeguards for the individual’s right tohealthandtosocialandeconomicrights.Theobligations under these conventions are en-tirely relevant to the debate on harm reduc-tion.

On 20 November 1989, the UN General As-semblyadoptedthefirstinternationalhumanrights convention to give children a speciallegalstatus.TheConventionontheRightsoftheChild,isquiteclearthatchildrenarenotminihumanswithminirights.Childrenshouldberespectedandprotectedinthesamewayasadults.Inotherwords,childrenandadultshave the same rights.This means that all in-ternationalUNconventionsandregionalandnationallegislationshouldprotectchildreninthe same way as adults.The Children’s Con-vention, article 33 states that children havetherighttobeprotectedfromillegaluse,sale,andproductionofdrugs.

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The Council of Europe was established in1949andwasfoundedwiththeintentiontodevelop throughout Europe common anddemocraticprinciplesparliamentarydemoc-racy and constitutional government basedon the European Convention on HumanRightsandotherreferencetextsonthepro-tectionofindividuals.

The council devises joint agreements for its47memberstateswiththeintentionofcoor-dinatingthesocialandlegal linesofaction.The Council of Europe’s social charter setsout rights and freedoms and establishes asupervisory mechanism guaranteeing theirrespectbytheStatesparties.

The social charter guarantees rights andfreedoms which concern all individuals intheirdailyexistenceandwasfirstcompletedfor ratification in 1961. The basic rights setout in the Charter are as follows: housing,health, education, employment, social andlegal protection, free movement of personsand non discrimination. The revised socialcharterwasadoptedin1996.Itincludessig-nificant improvements, especially with re-gardtowomen’srights.

3.2.4 MeasurestoreducedemandandsupplyReducingtheavailabilityofdrugsatthenation-allevelisimportantfromapublichealthpers-pective.Theextentofdruguse isdeterminedby,andistheresultof,thepopulation’soveralldemandforandaccesstodrugs.

The basis of Norwegian drugs policy is thatreduction of the population’s overall use ofdrugs reduces the extent of harm. Measurestoachievethis includepreventingexperimen-tation with and recruitment to drugs use andhelpingthosewhousedrugstostoporrestricttheirconsumptionthroughtreatment,harmre-ductionandrehabilitation.Limitingdemandisfirstandforemostanationaltask,butinterna-

tionalcollaborationisnecessarytoensurethatgood methods are developed and come intouse.

Reducingsupplyandavailabilityisamuchmoreinternationalconcernand isachievedbycon-trol and seizure and by promoting alternativedevelopmentthrougheffectiveprogrammes.

Itisalsothecasethatgoodmeasuresforreduc-ing demand indirectly affect the supply side.Successfullyreducingdemandintheconsumercountrieshasaneffectoncultivationandpro-ductionintheproducercountries.Inthiswayabasisiscreatedforalternativedevelopmentandstabilisation.Thereisaclearexpectationonthepartoftheproducercountriesthattheconsum-ercountriesshouldcontributethroughcrediblemeasurestoreducedemand.

Asaconsumercountry,Norwayisinterestedincontributing to limiting production and sup-ply.We know that drug production and drugdealingleadtopoverty,corruption,crimeandviolenceintheproducercountries,suchasAf-ghanistan,whichcurrentlyaccountsforagood90 per cent of the world’s opium production.Norwayparticipatesintheinternationalworkofimprovingthelivingconditionsofthepopula-tionofAfghanistan,soastoreducetheexten-sivepoverty,butalsotoreducetheproductionofopium.

Norwaywill • worktofundthewarfareagainstthe drugproblemincollaborationwith producercountries(supply),transit countries(thosethatformpartof smugglingroutes)andconsumer countries(demand),followingthe principleofsharedresponsibility

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3.3 DEMANDREDUCTIONMEASURES

3.3.1 Prevention,treatment,rehabilitationand harmreductionThecausesofdrugdependencearecomplex.Thecombinationofpsychosocialandbiologicalfactorsisreflectedinthechallengeofprovidinggoodprevention,treatmentandrehabilitation.

3.3.2 PreventionTheextentofthenegativesocialandhealthconsequences, including disease and ac-cidents, increases parallel to the increase inconsumptionofdrugs. It is thereforeagoaltoreducethepopulation’stotaluseofdrugs.Prevention is a prerequisite for a success-ful drug policy that hinders recruitment toabuse.

In Norway we emphasise measures to pre-venttherecruitmentofchildrenandyoungpeopleintosubstanceabuse,andespeciallyinto social environments with substanceabuse.Itisessentialtofocusoninter-depart-mental and inter-disciplinary collaborationand formal and informal education and in-formation,inordertostrengthenpreventivemeasuresaimedatchildrenandyoungpeo-ple.

The most effective are universal preventionstrategies aimed at the entire population,bythemeansofregulationsandcontrol.Weknow from alcohol policy that regulatorymeasuresintendedforthepopulation,suchas age limits, limiting permitted hours forsaleandthemonopolyscheme,haveadocu-mentedeffectonconsumption.

Apublichealthperspectivemustbesupple-mentedwithselectivemeasuresfocusingonparticularly vulnerable groups. Preventionalsoincludesmeasuresaimedatpeoplewhohave already caused themselves harm, tolimitand ifpossiblereversethisharm.Suchindicativemeasuresmustalsobeincludedinaneffectivepreventionpolicy.

Norwaywill • worktoensureapublichealth perspectiveandknowledge-based strategiesformthebasisofdrug preventionpolicy

3.3.3 TreatmentandrehabilitationTreatmentandrehabilitationarethecorner-stonesofdrugpolicy.Allpeoplewithanad-diction have the right to a worthy life andto be met with respect by the treatmentsystem,cf.humanrights.Drugusersshouldnotbediscriminatedagainstorstigmatisedbecauseoftheirsubstanceabuse.Individualand human rights considerations call for awell-constructed treatment and rehabilita-tion system. A well-established treatmentsystemwillaffectdemand,sincethosewhoreceive treatment and rehabilitation will re-ducethedemandfordrugs.Treatmentisalsothereforeavitalandnecessarycontributingfactorinreducingdemand.InNorway,peo-plewithdrugproblemshavethesamestatu-toryrighttotreatmentaspeoplewithotherhealthproblems.

In addition to sufficient treatment capac-ity, every effort should be made to ensurethebestpossiblequalityandthatmeasuresimplemented should be knowledge-based.Many interventions are characterised byideology,goodintentionsandmorality,andtheir effects are often not documented. Ex-tensive research and exchange of informa-tionandexperiencearenecessary.

Thetreatmentofferedshouldbediverse,in-cludingbothtreatmentwithoutmedicalas-sistance and drug-assisted rehabilitation. Inmanycountries,medicaltreatmentandrehab-ilitation is controversial and is not offered.Beneficialeffectsofmedicaltreatmenthavebeendocumented,butwedonothavesuf-ficient knowledge about side effects. In re-

14

centyearsanincreasehasbeenrecordedinthenumberofdeathsduetopoisoningthatcanberelatedtotheuseofmethadone.Itisnotclearhowmanyofthesedeathsrelatetopeople undergoing treatment or to metha-doneacquiredbyothermeans.

Treatment without medication is importantandreflectstheideathatpeopledevelopinrelationtootherpeopleandwithinpsycho-social conditions. Dependence problemscannot be reduced to biological and phar-macologicalconditions.

Thosewhoareaddictedtodrugsoftenhavedual problems. Treatment for dependencyis often not sufficient. Psychosocial follow-upisnecessary inordertoachievethegoalofsocial inclusion.Thisdemandsacomplexinitiativerelatingtoanumberofconditions.Thismayincludeprovisionofhousing,edu-cation and training, appropriate work andtheestablishmentofnewnetworksand lei-sureactivities.Allthisregardlessofwhetherthegoalfortheindividualinquestionistobedrugfreeor toundergomaintenancetreat-ment.

Norwaywill • worktoensurethatallcountriesoffer peoplewithadrugdependency adequatetreatmentandrehabilitation respectingtheirhumanrights

3.3.4 HarmreductionWhatprimarilydistinguishesharm-reducingmeasuresfromothermeasuresistheattemptto reduce the damaging consequences ofsubstanceabusewithouttheusernecessar-ilystoppingthedruguse.Someexamplesofharm-reducing measures for injecting sub-stanceabuserswouldbethedistributionofneedles,druginjectionrooms,housingpro-visionandprovidingmeals.Harmreduction

emphasizestheneedforpragmatismindeal-ingwithsubstanceabusers,insteadoffocus-ingonidealdemandsandgoalsthatwillbeunattainable for many. On the other handthis does not mean that we should give upouridealgoalsofabstention.Itrathermeansthat we should recognise that the road toa drug free life often goes via a number ofsmaller objectives. Harm-reduction meas-uresmaythussignalthesociety’srespectfortheuserandhisorhervarioushealthprob-lems.This in turn can have a positive effecton the user’s motivation to do somethingabouttheabuse/dependencyitself.Theper-sonwithadrugdependencyisofferedhelp,but abstinence must not be a preconditionofreceivinghelp.

Theideaistolimittheadditionalharmthatsubstanceabuseincursfortheuser,forpublichealthandforthegeneralpictureofdisease.Itisimportanttoensurethatharm-reductionmeasuresarewellestablishedandeffectivelyintegratedwithothermeasures. It is impor-tanttoavoidabstentionandharm-reductionmeasures become two separate mindsetsandformsoftreatment.

Harmreductionmeasuressuchasdruginjec-tion rooms and needle exchange programsare much discussed and are prohibited inmany countries. The UN narcotics controlbody(INCB)isoftheopinionthatdruginjec-tionroomsarenotinlinewiththeUNdrugcontrolconventions.Injectionroomsareper-mittedinNorwayonpermanentbasis.

In many countries volunteers are used tomotivateinjectingsubstanceabuserstouseclean equipment and not share needles.These volunteers often give out needles tothosewhoneedthem,butmanyhavebeenarrestedbecausepossessionofhypodermicneedlesisillegal.Inthisway,harmreductionworkamongthedrugdependentisstopped.Given that many people find it impossible

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to remain drug free, and because constantdevelopment is going on in medical-basedtreatment and rehabilitation, abstention atthe individual level isno longeramatterofcourse. Harm-reduction measures, such asmedically assisted rehabilitation and low-threshold health initiatives, are thereforebeingincludedinthedrugspoliciesofmoreandmorecountries.

An international debate is going on aboutharm reduction and harm-reducing meas-ures,especiallyinconnectionwiththeissueofabstinenceasanoverallgoal.Thereasonforthisislargelytheproblemofrelapseandalsodevelopmentsinthefieldofmedication-basedtreatmentandrehabilitation.There isalsodisagreementoverwhetherharmreduc-tion gives users dignity, responsibility andautonomy.

Norway is not in agreement with countriesthat promote harm reduction as a goal initself and not as a subsidiary goal. Neithercanwejoinwiththosewhoexcludeharmre-duction,arguingthatitpromotestheuseofdrugs.The ideal of abstinence does not ex-cludeharmreduction.Onthecontrary,harmreductioncanbethefirststeponthepathtoabstention. Thus sobriety and harm reduc-tionareinnowayconflictingconcepts;theyrathercomplementeachother.

Norwaywill • worktohaveharmreduction recognisedasavitalelement inaholisticsubstanceabusepolicy

3.3.5 HarmreductionandHIV/AIDSThe idea of harm reduction was first takenseriously in the drugs field because of therisk of HIV infection among injecting drugusers,but ithasalsodrawnabetterpatienthealth and public health perspective into

thedrugrehabilitationsprograms.Thetermharmreduction isusedbothwithreferencetomeasuresthatreducetheriskofHIVinfec-tionandalsomeasuresthatenablethosede-pendentondrugstofindtreatmentforAIDS,regardless of whether they are drug free ornot.Bothtypesofmeasurearecontroversialin many countries. It is important that HIV/AIDSpolicyanddrugpolicyshouldbeseenincontext.

Norwaywill • workforeffectivemeasurestoprevent, treatandlimittheharmcausedby HIVandAIDS,andtoidentify andlimitstatutoryhindrances toaneffectiveHIVandAIDSpolicy

3.3.6Harmreductionandtheliberalisation debateThedebateonharmreductionisoftenlinkedto the debate on legalisation of drugs. It isimportant to underline that these are twoseparate topics. Harm reduction is, as de-scribedabove,theproductofahealth-basedapproachtodrugaddicts.Harmreductionisthusanapproachto theuser,not toabuse,anddoesnotinprincipleassumeapositioninrelationtodrugpolicy.Harmreductionisthus not linked with any determined ideo-logical movement in drug policy.The liber-alisation debate, on the other hand, arosefromamoregeneralviewofdrugpolicyandthesocio-politicalstanceonewishestotakewith regard to drugs. Internationally, manyofthoseadvocatingagloballiberalisationofdrugpolicyarealsospokesmenfortheneedfor harm-reducing measures. As a result ofthis,manyviewharmreductionaspartofamore general liberalisation policy. This is aconflationthatdoesnotservethedevelop-mentofadiversityofinstrumentsinthefightagainstdrugs.

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There has been an unfortunate polarisationbetweenarestrictivepoliticalwingclaimingabstention as an absolute goal and a moreliberalwingwhichemphasises harmreduc-tion.This polarisation conflicts with the ho-listic view and should come in for criticism.Norwayconsidersharmreductionmeasurestobeusefulandnecessary.Wedonotacceptthe position that harm reduction measurespromote the use of drugs and are identicalto the liberalisation of drug policy and thedecriminalisation of dealing and use. Beingassociated with one of the approaches todrugpolicyisunfortunate,becauseflexibilityandinfluencecanthenbelostintheprocess.Norway does not accept such polarisationand must be prepared to clearly demarcateitselffromthewingsinthedebatewherethisisnecessary.

Norwaywill •worktoensurethattheinternational communitydoesnotwaverfromits longterm,overallgoalofworkingto achieveasocietythatisfreefromthe abuseofdrugs

3.4 SUPPLYREDUCTIONMEASURES

The aim of supply reduction measures is toreducethevolumeandavailabilityofdrugs.Measuresmustbeputinplacetopreventtheillegalproductionofdrugs,toensurepropercontrol of the legal trade in narcotic sub-stancesandtopreventtheillegalimportandtradeindrugs.Thisappliesviabothtradition-almethodsandtheInternet,tostranglethedrugseconomyandthecrimetowhichit islinked,includingcorruption,moneylaunder-ing,financingofterrorandillegalarmsdeal-ing. Norway will help to ensure that effortsaremadewheretheeffectwillbegreatest.

3.4.1 TheillegalmarketThe international, illegal trade in drugs is asubstantial part of organised crime that isincreasinglytransnationalinnature.Itisnec-essarytostrengthenbindingandlong-terminternational collaboration on border con-trolsandtheexchangeofinformation.Theseefforts must be pursued on a wide front,serve several purposes and be examined incontext.

The customs authorities in the differentcountries have an especially important roleindisclosingillegaltrading.Organisedcrimemustbecombatedwithcontrolandseizureofdrugs,withtheaimoflimitingthevolumeof drugs on the international and nationalmarkets.Itisalsoimportanttospotlightthiscrimeandrevealhowitworks.

UNODC’s World Drug Report for 2008 ac-knowledges concern about new markets inthe developing countries. UNODC doubtsthatweakgovernmentshavethepotentialtostandupagainstthepowerfuldrugsbaronsandthedrugproblemsthatwillariseamongthe population as a result The report con-firmsthatasystematicchange in the trans-portrouteshasoccurred.This isparticularlytrueforcocaine.Becauseoftheconstantde-mandfordrugsinEuropeandtheimprovedcontrol systems in the traditional transportroutes, drugs dealers have moved heavilyinto thecountriesof theCaribbean,CentralAmerica, West Africa and the border areasbetweenMexicoandNorthAmerica.

Legal hindrances to extradition and practi-calproblemscontinue–despitethefactthatmanyofthesecountrieshavedevelopedle-gal systems and entered into bilateral andmultilateral agreements on the extraditionof drugs offenders. Many countries havealso revised their laws after the UN specialsession on drugs in 1998. Most progress intermsofbilateralandmultilateralcollabora-

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tionagreementsismadeataregionalratherthanagloballevel.Thechallengeliesmainlyinthedifferentjudicialsystems,delaysintheprocessoflawandinlanguageimpediments.

Theworkofcontrolconstantlypresentsnewchallenges to the authorities. As nationalregulationsareestablishedandupdated,theillegal elements find new methods of gain-ingaccesstothechemicalstheyneedtopro-ducedrugs.Methodsarechangedto“derail”shipments and new smuggling routes arefound.The illegal elements also attempt tofind new, uncontrolled substances that canbe used to replace other substances in theillegal manufacture of drugs and which areproducedtocircumventthelaw.

The producers apply modern technology,areindependentofnationalityandareoftenahead of national legislation. Unstable re-gimesareafrequentprerequisiteforproduc-tion and dealing. The drugs syndicates arecleveratnotonlyselectingsuchregimes,butmaintainingthemtoo.Manyareoftheopin-ion that the drugs industry sees the world-wide focus on terror as favourable, since itturns attention away from their activities.Thereisreasontobelievethattheyareactivedeliberatelytomaintainthissituation.

Norway will continue to work towards thedevelopmentoftheCouncilofEurope’sCon-ventiononCybercrimeasausefulinstrumentforinternationalcollaboration.Newmarketsinthedevelopingcountrieswillbemetwithtechnicalassistance,assistanceinimprovinglegal regulation and assistance in enforce-mentandbetterprogrammestopreventtheuseofnarcotics.

Norwaywill • worktoincreaseinternationalcollabo- rationtorevealtheillegalelementsand theillegalflowofmoneyconnected withillegaldrugsproductionandto revealthedevelopmentofnewsub- stancesthatconcerndrugslegislation, aswellasmarketsfortheseandnew smugglingroutes

3.4.2 Regulationandcontroloflegaltradein drugsPrecursorsarechemicalsubstancesthatnor-mallyhavelegalapplications,suchasactiveingredients in prescription drugs and/or asindustrialor laboratorychemicals.However,thesesubstancescanalsobeconvertedintodrugsandusedfortheillegalproductionofnarcotics. Precursors are discussed in moredetailinAppendix1.

Inrecentyearstherehasbeenincreasedin-ternational focus on obstructing access toprecursors by those elements which intendto use them for the production of illegaldrugs. Without a proper global system formonitoring the illegal manufacture, spread,abuse and trading in psychotropic stimu-lants,itisimpossibletofullysolvetheprob-lemofsyntheticsubstances.Manycountrieshavenot introducedsuchsystems,which isahindrancetothefullapplicationofthein-strumentsestablishedbytheUN.

It has been demonstrated that the systemsestablishedtocontroltheillegaltradeinpre-cursorshaveaneffect.Thisisconfirmed,forexample, in the number of seizures of pre-cursors,thenumberofdisclosedattemptsto“derail”shipmentsandthechangesinsmug-glingmethodsandroutes.Inspiteofthecon-trolinstrumentsthathavebeenestablished,itisstillpossibletoobtainthenecessarypre-

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cursors for the manufacture of illegal drugssuchasheroin,cocaine,amphetaminesandecstasy.

Legallyproducedprescriptiondrugs(specialpreparations in consumer packs) have alsobeenusedrecentlyforillegaldrugsproduc-tion.Thisappliesparticularlytoprescriptiondrugscontainingephedrineorpseudoephe-drine.Theseprescriptiondrugsareobtainedbymeansofvariousassaultsonthelegaldis-tributionchain,suchassmugglingorthedi-versionoflegalshipments(cf.INCB’sannualreport 2007 (E/INCB/2007/4)). Based on theresolutions of the UN Commission on Nar-coticDrugs, themembercountriesarenowinitiatingfurthermeasuresdesignedtohelpprevent the leakage of legal prescriptiondrugstotheillegalmarket.

Problemareasthatnowneedtobefollowedup are export to countries with insufficientlegislationanddomestictradingwithoutthenecessary permits. The effective control ofthe trade in chemical substances and otherpsychotropicstimulantsisdependentonap-propriate legislation, knowledge about thesubstances in question and collaborationbetweenthepublicagenciesinvolved,bothnationally and internationally. Norway willparticipate with assistance in getting suchcontrolsystemsintoplace.

Norwaywill • worktoimproveinternationalsystems tomonitorthetradeinbasicsubstances forthemanufactureofprecursorsand encourageallcountriestoplay anactivepartinthiswork

3.4.3 TradeindrugsontheInternetThe European Monitoring Centre for Drugsand Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) reports thatthe Internet has become a marketplace forpsychoactive substances (EMCDDA annualreport2008).The informationavailablepro-vides an insight into the various aspects oftradingnarcoticsubstancesontheInternet,the methods the Internet shops use andhow they respond to new trends amongyoungpeople.Therearereportsofagrowingnumber of internet shops selling psychoac-tive alternatives to the prohibited narcoticsubstances like LSD, ecstasy, cannabis andopioids. These might for example be newsubstancesorherbsthathavenotyetbeencaptured and classified by the internationalcommunityandwhicharethereforenotyetregulated by the UN narcotics conventions.Eventhoughthesesubstancesareoftensoldonlineas”legalhighs”or”herbalhighs”,theyare subject to the same legal regulation asothernarcoticsubstances,iftheyareinclud-edontheNorwegiannarcoticslist.

It is a matter of concern that the Internetseems tobegaining increasingsignificanceasamarketinwhichdrugsareoffered.ThatdrugoffencescanbeinitiatedovertheInter-netisaseriousmatter.Thisplacesevengreat-erpressureonfirstlythecustomsauthoritiesandsecondlythepolice.There isaneedforincreasedinternationalawarenessofthede-velopment of this form of drug dealing, forthe initiation of controlling measures andforfurtherworktodisclosetheinternationalbranchesofillegaltrading.

Norwaywill • worktodevelopinternational measurestocountertheInternetas amarketplaceforpsychoactive substancesandtopromoteeffective controlofimportsintoindividual countries

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3.4.4 Thedrugeconomyanditsrelation toorganisedcrime,corruption,money launderingandterrorAccording to a United Nations survey, theworldwide dollar value of illegal drugs issecond only to the amount spent on thearmstrade.Estimatingthevalueofanillegalenterprise carried on in dozens of curren-cies around the world is tremendously dif-ficult,buttheUnitedNationsOfficeforDrugControlandCrimePreventiongenerallyde-scribestheproduction,traffickingandsalesofillicitdrugsasa$400-billion-a-yearindus-try.Someofthesedrugsareproducedandconsumed domestically, but much of thedrugtradetakesplacebetweenstates.Un-liketheinternationaltradeinarms,however,whichlargelyflowsfromdevelopednationsthatproducearmstolessdevelopednationsthat use arms, the international drug tradehastraditionallyflowedfromdevelopingtodeveloped nations. At the risk of oversim-plification, cocaine production has domi-nated in Central and South America, whileheroin has dominated in both SoutheastandSouthwestAsia.

TheUNODCreport illustrates themost im-portant trading routes. Opium and heroin,whichareobtainedfromtheopiumpoppy,come from Afghanistan, via Iran and otherneighbouring countries, to Europe and toNorway. 92 per cent of all opium comesfrom Afghanistan and opium represents atleast 50 per cent of the country’s GDP. In2004, the opium-poppy economy equalledmore than half of Afghanistan’s legal GDP.Thewealthfromtheopiumeconomy,how-ever, issharedamongonlyasmallnumberof people, and the trade is protected byarmedgroupsandtiedtopowerfulinterna-tionalnetworks.InAfghanistan,theISAFhasaroleintheworkagainsttheillegalinterna-tional drugs markets and their associatedtransportroutes.

4 Avslutning

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CocainecomesfromtheAndesregionandissmuggledviatheCaribbeanorAfricaintoEu-rope.Morethan80percentoftheworld’sco-cainedealingsarecontrolledbythemafiainLatinAmericancountries.AmphetaminesfortheNorwegianmarketandrelatedsubstanc-esareproduced inWesternEuropeandthenewEUcountriesofEasternEurope.Domes-tic production of cannabis has increased inNorway,andmostcountriesinEuropereportlocal production of cannabis and of some-times large seizures of cannabis plants.Thecannabis produced in Europe is cultivatedindoors,usingintensivecultivationmethods,aswellasinoutdoorplantations.Thesizeofplantations varies according to the produc-er’s motivation and resources, from a cou-pleofplantsforprivateusetothousandsofplantsinlargecommercialinstallations.SuchinstallationshavealsobeenfoundinNorway.

Organisedcrimeisofparticularinterest.Or-ganisedcrimeisbuiltupinsuchawaythattheconnectionbetweenits leadersandtheouterfringesinwhichcrimeisconductedishidden.Partoftheorganisationwilloftenbeengagedinlegalbusinessactivities,inwhichthereturnsoncriminalactivitycanbeinvest-ed and laundered. Activities are often pro-tectedbymeansoftoughdiscipline,involv-ingtheexerciseofviolenceandthreatbothinwardly and outwardly. An internationalcriminal organisation may be engaged in awide spectrum of activities – analogous totheproductspectraoftheinternationalcor-porations–andbeoflargedimensions.ThatsomeEuropecountriesarestillcentraltothethreatsituationisduetothefearthatmafiaorganisations may achieve great influenceovertheeconomiesandstateapparatusesofmanycountriesintheeastandsouth-east.

Without doubt a significant part of terroristactivity is financed by the production, dis-tribution and illegal sale of drugs or otherdrugs-relatedcrime.Inthiswaydrugscrime

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maycontributetodestabilisinglegalregimesandhinderthedevelopmentofdemocratisa-tion and institution-building in parts of theworldwheredrugscrimeleavesitsmarkontheeconomy.Thisisinturncoupledwiththelaunderingofmoney,earnedfromillegalac-tivities, forfinancingtheplanningorexecu-tionofterroristacts.

Terror is a serious form of organised crime.Terrormustbepreventedandcombatedbylegalmeanswithindemocraticprinciplesofconstitutionalgovernmentandinabroadin-ternationalcollaboration.

Combatingmoneylaunderingisarelativelynewareaofcollaborationinaninternationalcontext. The standards for measures beingimplemented in national legislation aroundtheworldhavetheiroriginsininitiativesthatfirstexistedattheendofthe1980s.NorwayplaysacentralroleintheworkoftheFinan-cialActionTaskForce(FATF)tocountertheil-legallaunderingofmoneyfromillegalactivi-tiesandtostrengthentheinternationalworkofestablishinglawsandinstrumentsthatcanpreventmoneylaundering.

Norwaywill • worktodiscloseandcombat internationalorganisedcrime throughmeasuresagainsttheillegal internationaldrugsmarkets andtheirassociatedtransportroutes

3.4.5 Eradicationofbannednarcotic plantsandalternativewaysofmaking aliving–assistanceprogrammesAlternative development programs in theproducer countries are just as important ascombating the international trade in drugswith controls and seizures. Norway assiststhe producer countries in building democ-racyandinsocietaldevelopmentthroughbi-

lateralNorwegianaidworkandmultilaterallythroughtheUNviaUNODCandUNAIDS.

Effortstoeradicatethecultivationofopium,inAfghanistanforexample,havesignificancefortheextentofheroin-relatedharminNor-way. The enormous production of drugs inAfghanistanrepresentsaseriousthreatbothnationallyand internationally. Itcontributesto the destabilisation of the country.This isasecurityproblemwithglobalknock-onef-fects.Norwaysupportsaholisticapproachtoantidrugswork,withtheemphasisondevel-oping the village and re-establishing a sus-tainable economy throughout Afghanistan.To promote good governance and combatcorruption is of vital importance to a suc-cessfulantidrugspolicy.Itisalsoimportantforregionalstructures,includingOSCE,tobemobilised in the work of increasing bordercontrolsintheNorthofAfghanistan.Norwaycontributeswithpolicepersonneland legaladvisers in Kabul. These act as mentors forAfghandrugspoliceandforthespecialcourtfordrugscases.

Inspiteoftheconsiderableinternationalef-fortstopromotegoodgovernance,Afghani-stan suffers from a huge shortage of quali-fiedmanpower.Norwaywill thereforeplaceincreased emphasis on building up compe-tenceforpublicinstitutions,sothatthegov-ernment’s authority in the country can beabletoimplementrespectforlawandordersothattheAfghanpeoplecantakeagreaterresponsibility for their country’s develop-ment. Special attention will be paid to thecompetenceatprovincialanddistrictlevels.Norway wishes to boost the Afghan policeand judicial system.Tosucceed, theAfghanauthoritiesmustaccepttheirpartofthere-sponsibility to combat corruption amongotherreasons.

Programmes for alternative developmentmustbeadaptedtotheparticipatingcoun-

tryandtheyshouldbeanintegralpartofthecountry’sentireplanning.It isoftendifficulttofindsustainablealternativewaysoflifeandincomesforfarmerswhohavepreviouslycul-tivateddrugs.InBoliviaforexample,thereisaconcernabouttheconnectionbetweense-curityfortheindividualfarmerandmethodsofremovingillicitdrugsproduction.Itisim-portanttobuildonfoundationsforapreven-tive strategy that is not based on power orviolationsofhumanrightsorthattakesplaceattheexpenseofthesafetyoftheindividual.

Norwaywill • worktowardsbalancedandeffective programmesforreducingtheculti- vationandproductionofdrugsand workforsustainablealternativeliveli- hoodsthatdonotviolatehuman rightsforthoseaffected,andforaid resourcestobeusedtoagreater extentineffortstopromotealternative livelihoods

The UN 2008 annual report on drugs statesthat the drugs problem is considerable, butcontained. Even so it would not be realistictobelievethatdrugproblemscanbesolvedwithintheforeseeablefuture.Theillicitdrugstrade (also referred to as the illegal drugstradeordrugstrafficking)isoneofthelargestglobal businesses, at some $322 billion, ac-cordingtotheUNWorldDrugReport,2007.

Thechallenges to theongoingworkofpre-ventingandhinderingtheuseofdrugsanddrugs-relatedcrimeliethroughoutthechainofthedrugsproblem:cultivationandproduc-tion, transport, smuggling and distributionin recipient countries, preventive measuresto prevent new recruitment to abuse, treat-ment,harmreductionandrehabilitationandthe implementation of punitive measuresagainst the offenders behind drugs crime.Local and national efforts can only have along-term effect if international efforts arealsocoordinatedandstrengthened.

4 Conclusion

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Information is given below about the mostimportantnarcoticsubstancesandsubstan-cesusedinmanufacture.

CannabisCannabis is a common term for materialfrom the plant Cannabis sativa. The plantcontains a large number of substances thatare collectively known as cannabinoids.The most important of these is Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).This is the pri-mary intoxicating substance. The effects oftheothercannabinoidshavenotbeeninves-tigatedtothesameextentasTHC.Cannabisisthemostwidespreadtypeofdrugintermsofillegalproduction,dealingandconsumpti-on.SeveraldifferentproductsaremadefromCannabis sativa – marihuana, hashish andcannabisoil–representingdifferentdegreesofrefinementoftheplantmaterial.Inglobalterms,almost50,000tonnesofmarihuanaorhashishareproducedforconsumptioneveryyear.

Cannabis may be cultivated in a range ofenvironmentsandgrowswildinmanypartsof the world and it is estimated that theplantiscurrentlycultivatedin172countriesandterritories(UNODCannualreport2008).These factorsmake itverydifficult toarriveatreliableestimatesfortheglobalproducti-onofcannabis.Themostrecentfiguresfromthe UNODC for global production of mari-huana are now 41,600 tonnes (2006), withNorthandSouthAmericarepresentingmorethanhalfandAfricaalmostaquarter.

OpioidsOpioid is a common term for a number ofsubstancesthatcomefromtheopiumpoppy(opiates) or artificially produced substanceswithsimilareffects.Theopiumpoppyiscur-rentlycultivatedinawarmclimatebeltthatextendsfromtheBalkanstoSouthChinaandisanimportantsourceofincomeforfarmersandthosewhoparticipateinthedistributionchain. Common opioids are heroin, morph-ine,codeine,methadoneandoxycodone.

Medically speaking, opioid is a commontermforsubstancesthatcombinewithopi-oidreceptorsinthebody(receptorsthatareconnected with the pain inhibiting mecha-nisms in the central nervous systems forexample).Thetermopioidcovers:

• thesubstancesthatmaybeobtained fromtheopiumpoppy(suchas morphine,codeine,thebaine)(opiates)• thesemisyntheticsubstances(such asheroin,oxycodone)(semisynthetic opiates)• thesyntheticsubstances(suchasmetha- done,fentanyl)(syntheticopioids)

Special opioids are increasingly being usedin the treatment for the rehabilitation ofheroin addicts. Opioids are strongly addic-tive. Deaths from overdose can occur withthe use of opioids, including methadone.Afghanistan is without doubt the mostimportant opium-producing country and isresponsible for more than 90% of all illegalopiumproductiononaglobalbasis.

Opiates such as morphine and codeine arefrequently used in the palliative care. Thecountries which carry out legal cultivationof the opium poppy for the production ofingredients for prescription drugs collabor-

Appendix 1: Narcotics and precursor substances

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REDUCETHENEGATIVECONSEQUENCESOFSUBSTANCEUSEFORINDIVIDUALSANDSOCIETY•GROUNDEDINTHENOTIONOFSOLIDARITYWITHINDIVIDUALSANDSOCIETY’SCAPACITYFORCOHESION•AHOLISTIC

APPROACHNOTONLYATTHENATIONALBUTATTHEINTERNATIONALLEVELASWELL•BALANCEBETWEENAHUMANEANDARESTRICTIVEPOLICYAPPROACH•SUFFICIENTTREATMENTCAPACITY,THEBESTPOSSIBLE

QUALITYANDCOMPETENCE•REDUCETHENEGATIVECONSEQUENCESOFSUBSTANCEUSEFORINDIVIDUALSANDSOCIETY•GROUNDEDINTHENOTIONOFSOLIDARITYWITHINDIVIDUALSANDSOCIETY’SCAPACITY

FORCOHESION•AHOLISTICAPPROACHNOTONLYATTHENATIONALBUTATTHEINTERNATIONALLEVELASWELL•BALANCEBETWEENAHUMANEANDARESTRICTIVEPOLICYAPPROACH•SUFFICIENTTREATMENT

CAPACITY,THEBESTPOSSIBLEQUALITYANDCOMPETENCE•REDUCETHENEGATIVECONSEQUENCESOFSUBSTANCEUSEFORINDIVIDUALSANDSOCIETY•GROUNDEDINTHENOTIONOFSOLIDARITYWITHINDIVIDUTY

’SCCITYFORCOHESION•APPENDIX1•AHOLISTICAPPROACHNOTONLYATTHENATIONALBUTATTHEINTERNATIONALLEVELASWELL•BALANCEBETWEENAHUMANEANDARESTRICTIVEPOLICYAPPROACH

•SUFFICIENTTREATMENTCAPACITY,THEBESTPOSSIBLEQUALITYANDCOMPETENCE•REDUCETHENEGATIVECONSEQUENCESOFSUBSTANCEUSEFORINDIVIDUALSANDSOCIETY•GROUNDEDINTHENOTIONOF

SOLIDARITYWITHINDIVIDUALSANDSOCIETY’SCAPACITYFORCOHESION•AHOLISTICAPPROACHNOTONLYATTHENATIONALBUTATTHEINTERNATIONALLEVELASWELL•BALANCEBETWEENAHUMANEANDA

RESTRICTIVEPOLICYAPPROACH•SUFFICIENTTREATMENTCAPACITY,THEBESTPOSSIBLEQUALITYANDCOMPETENCE•REDUCETHENEGATIVECONSEQUENCESOFSUBSTANCEUSEFORINDIVIDUALSANDSOCIETY•

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cathinandnorephedrine.Theactiveingredi-entsareabsorbedintothebodythroughthemucous membranes of the mouth and alsotosomeextentinthegut.Theconcentrationof cathinone in the blood is at its highestaftertwohours.

In Yemen khat still plays a very importantrole in people’s lives; it is common for mento sit in groups and chew the leaves in theafternoon. Khat is also used in Somalia andother East African countries. Here chewingkhathasalsobecomemorecommonamongyoung people and women. This drug hasbecome more known in Norway in recentyears through immigration, especially fromSomalia. In both Norway and East Africancountries,theuseofkhatcaninvolvesome-timesmajorpsychosocialandfinancialcostsfortheindividualfamily.Khatisregulatedasan illegal drug in Norway, but is not on theinternationalnarcoticslist.

Substances used in manufacture (precursors)Theproductionofnarcoticsubstancessuchasheroin,cocaine,amphetamineandecstasyrequires access to chemicals that can beusedasprecursors in theactualproductionprocess.Anumberofthesechemicalsactual-ly have entirely legal applications as indus-trial or laboratory chemicals or as activeingredientsinprescriptiondrugs.Topreventthe leakage of these chemicals from thelegaldistributionchaintoelementsinvolvedin the manufacture of illegal substances,the international community has found itnecessarytocontrolthelegaltradeinthesesubstances. 23 chemicals, frequently refer-redtoasprecursors,arecurrentlyregulatedunder the 1988 United Nations ConventionagainsttheIllicitTrafficinNarcoticDrugsandPsychotropic Substances. According to the

ate with the UN narcotics control agency(INCB)toensurethattheareasundercultiva-tionare in linewiththeglobal requirementfor ingredients for theproductionofprescrip-tiondrugs.

Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) Amphetamine and methamphetamine are,likecocaineandecstasy,drugswhichstimu-late the central nervous system.This meansthattheyunderminetheneedforsleepandstimulatethecardiovascularsystem.Theyareall addictive. Frequent repeat use increasesthe risk of developing a psychosis-like condi-tion.InNorway,tabletscontainingampheta-mine are sold under prescription for the treat-ment of ADHD and narcolepsy. Most of theillegalamphetamineinScandinaviaisprod-uced in Europe (the Netherlands, Belgium,Poland,EstoniaandLithuania).

Like amphetamine, cocaine is a powerfulsubstance that stimulates the central ner-vous system. In particular the smoking (ofcrack) and injection, but also the sniffing,of cocaine produces a rapid and powerfulnarcoticeffect,withagreatriskofaddiction.Cocainecanbeproducedsyntheticallyoncethe active ingredient has been extractedfrom coca leaves, which are primarily culti-vatedinBolivia,PeruandColombia.InSouthAmericathemostcommonmethodofinges-tion is by chewing coca leaves. Coca leavescontain about 1% cocaine and, when takeninsmalldoses,produceamildlystimulatingeffect,buttheycanalsobetakeninamountsthat produce intoxication and can lead tothedevelopmentofaddiction.

Khatistheleafofthekhattreeandisprimar-ily cultivated inYemen and the East AfricancountriesKenyaandEthiopia.Khatcontainstheamphetamine-likesubstancescathinone,





CAPACITY,THEBESTPOSSIBLEQUALITYANDCOMPETENCE•REDUCETHENEGATIVECONSEQUENCESOFSUBSTANCEUSEFORINDIVIDUALSANDSOCIETY•GROUNDEDINTHENOTIONOFSOLIDARITYWITHINDIVIDU-

ALSANDSOCIETY’SCAPACITYFORCOHESION•AHOLISTICAPPROACHNOTONLYATTHENATIONALBUTATTHEINTERNATIONALLEVELASWELL•BALANCEBETWEENAHUMANEANDARESTRICTIVEPOLICYAPPROACH




convention, it is incumbentonthememberstatestointroducecontrolsystemsforbothnationaldistributionandinternationaltradein thesubstances inquestion.BasedontheUN drug conventions, the EU has preparedregulations that apply to internal trade with-in theEUandalso to tradewith thirdpartycountries.TheEUregulationoninternaltradeiscoveredbytheEEAagreementandisnowalsoapplicableinNorway.

Bymeansoftheinstrumentsestablishedbythe UN and the EU, the authorities controlandmonitorthelegaltradeintheregulatedsubstances. The businesses that intend todeal in the most strictly regulated substan-cesmusthavelicencefromorberegisteredwiththeauthorities.Thedespatchofanyofthe substances requires the authorities inthesendingcountrytoadvisetheauthoritiesin the receivingcountryabout thependingshipment. The receiving country may thenask for the shipment to be cancelled if theimporter does not have the necessary per-mission.

The work of control constantly presentsnew challenges to the authorities. As regu-lations are established and implemented,the illegal elements find new methods ofgaining access to the chemicals they needtoproducedrugs.Theseillegalelementsarealso engaged in research into finding new,uncontrolledsubstancesthatcanbeusedtoreplaceothersubstancesinproduction.

Inrecentyearstherehasbeenaninternation-al focus on drug precursors and efforts aremadetoobstructaccesstothesesubstancesbythoseelementswhichintendtousethemfortheproductionofillegaldrugs.

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Forum/agreement Topic Endorsement

Nordiccollaboration

NordicCouncilofMinisters(NMR)

Councilforsocialsecurityandhealth(NMR-S)anditscommitteeofseniorofficials(EK-S)havebeenassignedtoworkonsubstanceabuseissuesundertheNordicCouncilofMinisters.

MHCS

NordicWelfareCentre(NVC)

NorwayparticipatesinamoreongoingformofcontactworkinNVCinFinland,asubsidiaryinstitutiontotheNordicWelfareCentre(underEK-S),thetaskofwhichistopromotethedevelopmentofthesocialandwel-farepolicyareaintheNordiccountries.

MHCS

NordicNarcoticsForum

TheexecutivecommitteecountriesofNMRgathertheirseniorofficialsforinformalmeetingsfordialogueandexchangingofexperiencerela-tingtoactualdrugsissues.Theforumisnotlimitedtoanyonesectorandgathersseniorofficialsfromallrelevantpoliticalareas.

MHCS

Europeancollaboration

NorthernDimensionTheBarentsSeaandBalticcollaboration

NortherndimensionisanEUledinitiativethatalsoinvolvesothercountries,includingNorway.Thepartnershipisintendedtostimulategreaterandbettercoordinatedeffortsfromthepartnersinprimaryhealthcare,healthinprisons,HIV/AIDS,workingenvironmentandlifestyle.Comprehensivebilateralcollaborationisundertakenwithprojectsthatalsoincludenarcotics.ImportanteffortsundertheBarentsSeacouncilaretheHIV/AIDSplanandaprogrammeformeasuresforvulnerablechildrenandyoungpeople.

HOD

OrganisationforSecurityandCooperationinEurope(OSCE)

OSCEisthelargestregionalsecurityorganisationintheworldwith55membercountriesinEurope,CentralAsiaandNorthAmerica.OSCEfocusesonorganisedcrimeintheregion,includingtraffickinginpersons,firearmsandnarcotics.NorwayhastakenonaspecificresponsibilityforOSCE'seffortsinthefightagainstorganisedcrime.

MFA

CouncilofEuropePompidouGroup

ThePompidougroupistheCouncilofEurope'scollaborationgroupfornarcoticsissuesasministeriallevel.Thegroupworkstobuildbridgesbetweenpolicymaking,practicalworkandresearch.Anumberofdifferentexpertforahavebeenestablishedwithintheareasoftreatment,prevention,ethics,lawenforcement,airportissuesandresearch.Thegroupcollaboratescloselywithotherregionalandinternationalorganisations,notleasttheEU'sdrugsmonitoringcentre,EMCDDA.

MHCS

Appendix 2Narcotics: Summary of Norwegian participation in international collaboration

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FORCOHESION•AHOLISTICAPPROACHNOTONLYATTHENATIONALBUTATTHEINTERNATIONALLEVELASWELL•BALANCEBETWEENAHUMANEANDARESTRICTIVEPOLICYAPPROACH•SUFFICIENTTREATMENTCA-

PACITY,THEBESTPOSSIBLEQUALITYANDCOMPETENCE•REDUCETHENEGATIVECONSEQUENCESOFSUBSTANCEUSEFORINDIVIDUALSANDSOCIETY•GROUNDEDINTHENOTIONOFSOLIDARITYWITHINDIVIDUTY’S

CCITYFORCOHESION•APPENDIX2•AHOLISTICAPPROACHNOTONLYATTHENATIONALBUTATTHEINTERNATIONALLEVELASWELL•BALANCEBETWEENAHUMANEANDARESTRICTIVEPOLICYAPPROACH




CollaborationinandwiththeEU

EuropeanMonitoringCentreforDrugsandDrugAddiction(EMCDDA)

NorwayisamemberofEMCDDA(EuropeanMonitoringCentreforDrugsandDrugAddiction)throughabilateralagreementwiththeEU.Thecen-tregathersandanalysesdataandworkstoimprovethecompatibilityofdataacrossbordersanddistributesinformation.

MHCS

EEU’sdrugspro-gramme

NorwayparticipatesintheEU’s2007-2013drugsprogrammetopreventandreducedependenceandharmfuleffectsfromtheuseofnarcoticsubstances.Theprogrammeespeciallyemphasisestheprotectionpublichealthandprovidessupporttoprojectsinaccordancewithannounce-ments.Theamountsthatmaybeappliedforarespecifiedintheannualprogrammes.TheprogrammeisaimedlargelyatNGOsandthecivilsocietyandaimstobuildupnetworksanddevelopsynergieswithinandbetweenthemembercountries.

MHCS

TheSchengenAgreement

Norway’smostimportantagreementwithinthefieldofpolicecollabo-rationisthe1999agreementwiththeEUonparticipationinEuropeancustomscollaboration.TheSchengencountriescollaborateoncontrol-lingandmonitoringtheregion’souterborders.

MJP

CollaborationintheUN

UNOfficeonDrugsandCrime(UNODC)

UNODC,UnitedNationsOfficeforDrugControlandCrimePrevention,isbasedinViennaandsupportsthecountriesintheirworktocombatallformsofdrugsandinternationalcrime

MFA/MHCS/MJP

UNInternationalNarcoticsControlBoard(INCB)

IINCBmonitorstheUNnarcoticsconventions.Thecouncilhas13mem-berschosenbyECOSOCandfollowingrecommendationsofWHO.Themembersshouldbeindependentofnationalgovernmentsandarechosenfortheirprofessionalandtechnicalcompetence.INCBreportstoECOSOCthroughCNDandthesecretariatislocatedinViennaaspartofUNODC.

MHCS

CommissiononNarcoticDrugs(CND)

CND(CommissiononNarcoticDrugs)isacommissionunderECOSOCandoneoftwocontrollingbodiesofUNODC.CNDisthecentralpolicybodyfornarcoticsissuesintheUNsystemandmonitorstheimplemen-tationofthenarcoticsconventions.

MHCS

CommissiononCrimePreventionandCriminalJustice(CCPCJ)

CCPCJ(CommissiononCrimePreventionandCriminalJustice)isacom-missionunderECOSOCandoneoftwocontrollingbodiesofUNODC.

MJP

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FORCOHESION•AHOLISTICAPPROACHNOTONLYATTHENATIONALBUTATTHEINTERNATIONALLEVELASWELL•BALANCEBETWEENAHUMANEANDARESTRICTIVEPOLICYAPPROACH•SUFFICIENTTREATMENTCA-

PACITY,THEBESTPOSSIBLEQUALITYANDCOMPETENCE•REDUCETHENEGATIVECONSEQUENCESOFSUBSTANCEUSEFORINDIVIDUALSANDSOCIETY•GROUNDEDINTHENOTIONOFSOLIDARITYWITHINDIVIDUTY’S

CCITYFORCOHESION•APPENDIX2•AHOLISTICAPPROACHNOTONLYATTHENATIONALBUTATTHEINTERNATIONALLEVELASWELL•BALANCEBETWEENAHUMANEANDARESTRICTIVEPOLICYAPPROACH




UNEconomicandSocialCouncil(ECOSOC)

ECOSOCistheUN'sprincipalorganforcoordinatingeconomicandsocialissuesintheirwidestsense.Thecouncilmeetsonceayear.ECOSOChandlescollaborationinanumberofcommissionsandorganisationsandseekstocoordinatetheworkthattheyundertake.ECOSOCconfirmsresolutionspassedonfromCND.

MFA

GeneralAssemblyoftheUnitedNations

TheUN’ssupremebody.Handlesnarcoticsissuesthroughitsthirdcommittee,includingresolutionsfromCNDpassedonfromECOSOC.

MFA

DublinGroup TheDublinGroupisaforumforinformaldiscussionofdrugsissuesbetweenthemajordonorstoUNODC.ThegroupcomprisestheUSAandtheEUcountries,Australia,Canada,Japan,Norway,UNODCandtheEuropeanCommission.

MFA

MiniDublinGroups

LocalminiDublingroups,atembassylevel,havebeencreatedintheproductionandtransitcountriesforthecoordinationofaidanddialoguewiththesecountries’governmentsandauthoritiesonissuesinvolvingnarcotics.MiniDublingroupshavebeenestablishedin7–8placesandthechairmanshipoftheserotatesamongthemembercountriesoftheDublingroup.

MFA

HONLEA HONLEA(HeadsofNationalNarcoticsLawEnforcementAgencies)isaforumforpoliceandcustomsagenciesandasub-committeeofCND.Regionalmeetingsareconvened.TheMinistryofJusticeandthePolice(MJP)isrepresentedattheEuropeanHONLEAmeetings.

MJP

TheParisPact Apartnershipofmorethan50countriesformedin2003.Itsaimistocombatthedrugsproblemandeverythingassociatedwithitthroughclosercollaboration,includingtheexchangeofdata.Thereisafocusonsmugglingroutes,productioninAfghanistanandtheproblemsfortransitcountries.

MJP

WorldHealthOrganisation(WHO)

WHOistheonlyinternationalbodywiththeauthoritytodeterminewhichnarcoticsubstancescanbeused,underinternationalcontrol,formedicinesandresearch.ThustheWHOparticipatesintheclassificationofsubstancesthatarecoveredbytheUNnarcoticscontrolconventions.

MHCS

UNAIDS UNAIDSisajointbodyforallUNprogrammestocombatHIV/AIDS.UNAIDSisgivingincreasingattentiontothesignificanceofsubstanceabuseinthespreadofHIV/AIDS,inparticulartheriskoftransmittingtheviruswhileundertheinfluenceofdrugsbyreasonofunconsciousbehaviourandphysiologicalcircumstanceslinkedtotheregularandheavyuseofdrugs.

MFA

WorldCustomsOrganisation(WCO)

WCO(TheWorldCustomsOrganisation)isaleaderininternationalcust-omscollaboration.WCOworkstodevelopstandards,simplificationandharmonisationofcustomsprocedures.Internationaltradeshouldbefaci-litated,whilesmuggling,internationalterrorism,tradeinnarcoticsandotherorganisedcrimeshouldbecombated.

MF

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REDUCE THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF SUBSTANCE USE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY • GROUNDED IN THE NOTION OF SOLIDARITY WITH INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY’S CAPACITY FOR COHESION • A HOLISTIC APPROACH NOT ONLY AT THE NATIONAL BUT AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL AS WELL • BALANCE BETWEEN A

HUMANE AND A RESTRICTIVE POLICY APPROACH • SUFFICIENT TREATMENT CAPACITY, THE BEST POSSIBLE QUALITY AND COMPETENCE • REDUCE THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF SUBSTANCE USE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY • GROUNDED IN THE NOTION OF SOLIDARITY WITH INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY’S CAPACITY

ONLY AT THE NATIONAL BUT AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL AS WELL • BALANCE BETWEEN A HUMANE AND A RESTRICTIVE POLICY APPROACH • RESTRICTIVE DRUG POLICY • SUFFICIENT TREATMENT CAPACITY, THE BEST POSSIBLE QUALITY AND COMPETENCE • REDUCE THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF SUB-

STANCE USE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY • GROUNDED IN THE NOTION OF SOLIDARITY WITH INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY’S CAPACITY FOR COHESION • A HOLISTIC APPROACH NOT ONLY AT THE NATIONAL BUT AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL AS WELL • BALANCE BETWEEN A HUMANE CAPACITY, THE BEST POSSIBLE QUALITY

AND COMPETENCE • BASIC PHILANTHROPIC APPROACH • REDUCE THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF SUBSTANCE USE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY • GROUNDED IN THE NOTION OF SOLIDARITY WITH INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY’S CAPACITY FOR COHESION • A HOLISTIC APPROACH NOT ONLY AT THE

NATIONAL BUT AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL AS WELL • BALANCE BETWEEN A HUMANE AND A RESTRICTIVE POLICY APPROACH • SUFFICIENT TREATMENT CAPACITY, THE BEST POSSIBLE QUALITY AND COMPETENCE • REDUCE THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF SUBSTANCE USE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY • GROUNDED

IN THE NOTION OF SOLIDARITY WITH INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY’S CAPACITY FOR COHESION • A HOLISTIC APPROACH NOT ONLY AT THE NATIONAL BUT AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL AS WELL • CORE VALUES AND THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE• BALANCE BETWEEN A HUMANE AND A RESTRICTIVE POLICY

APPROACH • SUFFICIENT TREATMENT CAPACITY, THE BEST POSSIBLE QUALITY AND COMPETENCE • REDUCE THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF SUBSTANCE USE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY • GROUNDED IN THE NOTION OF SOLIDARITY WITH INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY’S CAPACITY FOR COHESION • A HOLISTIC APPROACH

NOT ONLY AT THE NATIONAL BUT AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL AS WELL • BALANCE BETWEEN A HUMANE AND A RESTRICTIVE POLICY APPROACH • SUFFICIENT TREATMENT CAPACITY, THE BEST POSSIBLE QUALITY AND COMPETENCE • REDUCE THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF SUBSTANCE USE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SOCI-

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Norwegian drug policy in international fora - Regjeringen.no · norwegian drug policy in...

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