This brief overview of the Hungarian system of diversion from the criminal justice system (elterelés) was prepared and submitted to contribute to the assessment of the European Commission on alternatives to criminal sanctions for drug offenders in Europe (PDF).
Drug Policy and Law
Drug laws in most countries of the world follow the principle defined by the three international drug conventions (1961, 1971, 1988), that is, they prohibit the non-medical and non-scientific use of some mind altering drugs. This principle is not only outdated but it has become anachronistic: the reality is that millions of people use mind altering substances for recreational purposes and most of them do not experience significant harms from drug use. What is more, many harms people do experience are directly connected to the war on drugs, which created a lucrative black market that only benefits criminal organisations. A drug-free world is an illusion, drug policies should be aimed at reducing the harms of drug use and drug policies instead. We believe that drug use should not be punished and drugs should be regulated as legal products, adjusted to the specific characteristics and risks of those drugs.
Drugreporter News | June 2022
In this episode: The wall of shame: Why crack consumption rooms are needed in Paris. Canada to decriminalize some drugs in British Columbia for three years. Italy’s recent decision to ban ayahuasca. Australia: Pill testing really does reduce the risk of harm for drug users. New US Drug Control Strategy in the midst of the Overdose Crisis.
The Right to Sit at the Table – The Civil Society Forum on Drugs
We are glad to present our new movie on why is it important to involve civil society in drug policy decision making, featuring the members of the EU’s Civil Society Forum on Drugs!
The Maternity Hospital as a Place of Punishment.
Pregnancy and the birth of a child is a bright, big, and important event. It’s about the laws of the universe and love. But, in the opinion of many medical professionals, women living with drug addiction in Ukraine have no right to it. If you choose to inject, you deserve to die.
The award winning animated documentary Kostya Proletarsky is now available online!
The animated documentary is based on the true story of Kostya Proletarsky, a drug user and HIV activist who died as a result of mistreatment and torture at a Russian prison. The animation features original audio interviews with Kostya and his mother Irina, and aims to commemorate Kostya and many others who have not survived prisons around the world.
Russian Politician Threatens Harm Reduction Activists with Imprisonment
Vitaly Milonov, a Russian government politician notorious for anti-gay and antisemitic remarks, has found a new enemy: The Andrey Rylkov Foundation, a harm reduction organisation in Moscow.
What Experts Think About Cannabis Legalisation in Europe
Cannabis legalization is coming to Europe: the governments of Luxembourg and Switzerland announced their plan to regulate the production and sale of cannabis products, other countries may follow their lead soon. What do drug policy professionals and activists think about this? We asked a couple of experts to comment, pro and con. We publish their views without editing.
Video news on drug policy and harm reduction in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Episode #1
DUNews, together with Talking Drugs, presents the first episode of Drug Policy and Harm Reduction News from Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In it, we bring you up to date on important developments in our countries and give the floor to experts for comment. We will be publishing these video newsletters on a regular basis.
Here You Go, Tomáš
On July 6th 2021, our close friend, colleague, and world-renowned addictologist Tomáš Zábranský left us. This text, written by his friend and well-known cannabis activist Jindřich Bayer, is dedicated to him. It asks the question, how did it all start? What was the context for Tomas’ decision to contribute to reforming drug policy on a global level?
People by Right
The lives of people who use drugs mean death, prison, disease, stigma and discrimination, lack of access to treatment and employment, destroyed families, and children taken away. This is the story of human rights activists and RuNPUD (Russian Speaking Network of People Who Use Drugs) from the Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) region, from the series of “People by Right” videos.
