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Hearing on Bill C-45 as it relates to Canada’s international obligations
An inter se agreement on cannabis regulation would allow a group of countries to modify certain treaty provisions amongst themselves alone
Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Meeting regarding Bill C-45 as it relates to Canada’s international obligations
Thursday, April 19, 2018
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The international dimensions of Bill C-45 are of utmost importance not only for Canada itself but for many countries around the world that are moving in the direction of legally regulating the cannabis market. The position Canada will take vis-à-vis the UN drug control conventions could well be a crucial moment in the long and troubled history of international drug control. Inter se modification appears as a legitimate safety valve, and perhaps under current circumstances the most elegant way out for a group of countries to collectively derogate from certain cannabis provisions. -
Regulating Cannabis in Accord with International Law: Options to Explore
CND side event on Friday, March 16, 2018: Conference Room M5, 13:10-14:00
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As a growing number of countries move towards legal regulation for non-medical cannabis, governments are pushing the boundaries of the three UN drug control treaties. At the 61st session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in March 2018, TNI, the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and the Global Drug Policy Observatory (GDPO) organised a side event to explore the issue, addressing the various challenges and opportunities involved. At the event a groundbreaking report on the issue was presented: Balancing Treaty Stability and Change: Inter se modification of the UN drug control conventions to facilitate cannabis regulation. -
Cannabis and the Conventions: Aftermath of UNGASS
Side event will consider the growing treaty tensions surround - ing cannabis policy innovations underway in many countries
The UNGASS 2016 Outcome Document asserted that the United Nations drug conventions “allow for sufficient flexibility for States parties to design and implement national drug policies according to their priorities and needs.” But does such flexibility extend to reforms now being enacted or contemplated in numerous jurisdictions to create legal access to cannabis for purposes other than exclusively “medical and scientific”? In the meantime, the World Health Organization’s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence has announced that it will hold a meeting dedicated to a pre-review of cannabis.
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Stimulant drug use in Latin America and Asia
Users, markets and harm reduction approaches
Problematic use of stimulant drugs, with a particular focus on smokeable cocaine and methamphetamine, still lack of specific technical guides for effective health and social interventions. This session will share available knowledge that provides insightson research and programmes and projects that have been developed in Latin America and Asia to respond to this problem.
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Supply side harm reduction
Evidence shows that most drug control measures taken to limit the supply of plants used for illicit purposes are not only ineffective in reducing the total amount of drugs available on the global drugs market, but also fuel conflicts and impact negatively on the human rights of the communities involved. The same is true in urban settings where law enforcement tends to crack down on the most visible part of the drugs markets: users and dealers. In this session we will hear several examples from different settings in Latin America to showcase new insights on the subject. Presentations will focus on alternative policy proposals.
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Panel: Advances towards Cannabis Regulation
Undeniable that a strong movement towards the regulation of the cannabis market is emerging
6th Latin American and 1st Caribbean Conference on Drug Policy
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
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In spite of the prejudices and legal obstacles that persist in relation to a legal market for cannabis, it is undeniable that a strong movement towards the regulation of the cannabis market is emerging. On this premise we look for a way to construct tools and debate the pros and cons that are presented by the regulation of such a market. Including the usage of medical and traditional uses of cannabis, the right to grow, social grow clubs, the situation of farmers and the of responses of governments to this reality.
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Cannabis and the Conventions: UNGASS and Beyond
Cannabis is clearly the elephant in the room at UNGASS
Conference Room B, United Nations Headquarters, April 20, 2016
With an increasing number of jurisdictions enacting or contemplating reforms creating legal access to cannabis for purposes other than exclusively "medical and scientific," tensions regarding the drug conventions and evolving law and practice in Member States continue to grow. How might the UN system address these growing tensions in ways that acknowledge the policy shifts underway and explore options that reinforce the UN pillars of human rights, development, peace and security, and the rule of law?
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Cannabis Science and Policy Summit 2016
New York City, April 17-18, 2016
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With California and other states likely to vote on full cannabis legalization, decisions made in 2016 may well shape the future of cannabis policy for a generation or more. Scientists, policy thinkers, journalists, industry leaders, and advocates came together at the Cannabis Science and Policy Summit 2016 on April 17 and 18 in New York City for a discussion of what is happening, what is likely to happen, and what should be done in the world of cannabis legalization. Martin Jelsma and Tom Blickman of TNI participated in two different panels. -
Civil society urges EU leadership on drug policy ahead of UNGASS
“Budapest Group” releases recommendations on EU engagement at 2016 UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS)
Budapest, July 21, 2015
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The Budapest Group is a network of European NGOs working in the field of drug policy reform, including Harm Reduction International, the Global Drug Policy Program of the Open Society Foundations (OSF), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Transform Drug Policy Foundation, the International Drug Policy Consortium (also hear public policy alumna Gloria Lai on the topic here), the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, and the Transnational Institute. -
Exploring the land-drugs nexus
Land is one of the key factors of production in the drug economy
European Development Days, June 4, 2015
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"For many communities in Myanmar who grow opium, for them opium is not the problem, it is the solution to their problems," said local project consultant, Tom Kramer, from the Transnational Institute. And therein lies one of the greatest challenges for policy makers in the fight to eradicate the scourge of drug crops in developing countries. Most drug crop cultivating areas are greatly affected by poverty, physical isolation, landlessness, insecure land rights and conflicts over natural resources. For many poor farmers, the cultivation of drug crops represents a coping mechanism to prevail in difficult environments.
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