“People are afraid of the Police. If you go to protests… you are marked and whenever they see you, they might stop you, control you.” This is just one of the obstacles restraining drug user activism in Macedonia. An article by Vlatko Dekov.
European Drug Policy
No-Alcohol Policy Means No Shelter For The Homeless
“The local authorities in Bucharest, Romania, don’t have any official statistics on the city’s homeless population.” According to a local NGO, there were about 5,000 people in 2010. Read the story of Florian, by Vlad Odobescu, who cannot go to shelters because of his alcoholism.
“Sport Isn’t For Drug Users!”…Or Is It?
Vašek is a drug user; when he was younger, he played football for many years. He had a dream – to have a football cup for drug users. Watch this video of David Pešek from the Czech SANANIM Contact Centre about the Harm Reduction Cup 2016.
I Also Have the Right to Humane Treatment
An image from the centre of Skopje: Children, barely five years old, walk around the park, holding a bag, pressing it to their faces from time to time to inhale. Healthy Options Project Skopje fights for available treatments for these kids thus for their lives.
An Anthropological Perspective: Terminological Confusion
“Instead of promoting harm reduction programs, journalists and other relevant actors use stigmatizing and discriminating terminology” Ognjen Martinović and Irena Molnar from the Serbian NGO Re Generation deconstruct the problem drug and terminological confusion.
A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Harm Reduction in Amsterdam
Deep compassion and cool-headed pragmatism – this is the essence of harm reduction in Amsterdam. Read about the adventures of a Czech social worker, David Pešek, who spent a week-long internship at the Regenboog Groep in Amsterdam to see how the everydays go there!
Darknet: Light in the Dark of Ignorance
Interview with two psychonauts from Belgrade who are testing new psychoactive substances on themselves. Read the article of Bojan Arsenijevic!
Warsaw Declaration – Next Step Forward, Implementation
Warsaw Declaration – the city of Warsaw is to implement a two-year program to reform city drug policy. The Polish Drug Policy Network will take further actions to encourage the EU to develop a common drug strategy for use at local level.
“You Cannot Promote Safety Through Prejudice” – Interview with Marinella Kloka On Harm Reduction in Greece
Marianella Kloka is one of the leading figures of the Greek harm reduction movement, and is currently the advocacy officer at the Praksis NGO. We interviewed her about how the government and civil society in Greece have responded to the threat of an HIV epidemic among people who use drugs. Read her inspiring thoughts, and watch our video about people, drugs and harm reduction in Greece!
Legalisation of Medicinal Cannabis in Macedonia
In February 2016, Macedonia legalised medicinal cannabis but the law is far from ideal. Drugreporter’s Macedonian partner, Healthy Options Project Skopje – HOPS – carried out an analysis of the law. Read their key remarks and recommendations presented by Vlatko Dekov.
