E-Substance April 2009

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Dear reader,

We begin with a short analysis of last month's United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs meeting, and then bring issues back home with a note on an alcohol bill currently before Parliament (on which April 23 is the deadline for submissions - so make sure you submit yours in time).

In the news: Economists put a hefty figure on the cost of alcohol and other drug-related harm; and Pres. Obama dismisses calls to legalise cannabis (is it really the answer to the global recession?).

We announce a new workforce development opportunity on youth development and community action.

And get an insider's view on the Vienna proceedings with a couple of new videos.

Finally, read about new events and job vacancies (yep, even in a recession there are jobs going).

Thanks for your continued interest in our work! To submit an item for next month or to provide feedback email editor@drugfoundation.org.nz.

 

Vienna 2009: One step forward, one step back?

"There is an almost total unwillingness to confront the real policy dilemmas, and a series of increasingly surreal political and diplomatic battles over wording that are entirely disconnected from the reality of drug use and problems as experienced in the outside world."

That was the assessment of the International Drug Policy Consortium of last month's UN drug policy review held in Vienna.

The progress towards a more integrated and realistic drug policy approach was marred not only by Member State politics (with the usual suspects Russia and Japan being especially belligerent), but also by the way which UNODC executive director Antonio Costa presented his keynote report. While Mr Costa presented some interesting and helpful arguments that member states should seriously consider (including on human rights, harm reduction, and criminal black markets), he often undermined the strength of his analysis with unnecessary rhetorical flourishes and the inaccurate use of data and evidence.

The issue of data and evidence became a key item of debate over the 2-week meeting.  The Europeans were especially helpful with their release of an independent report on the global drug market, which refuted UNODC's claims that the global drug market has been successfully "contained".

And while civil society played a greater role in 2009 than ever before, especially through networks such as the International Drug Policy Consortium and Beyond 2008, the support provided by the CND secretariat and member states was patchy at best. There is still a long way to go before the UNODC and CND would meet the standards already set by other UN bodies. This was outlined clearly in a report by the International Harm Reduction Association examining civil society engagement with CND, which revealed the extent to which the CND is out of step with UN practice in NGO engagement.  But congrats must go to the New Zealand Government who included an NGO representative on the official delegation.

The final words on Vienna go again to the IDPC: "fundamentally, the outcome is one of no change [...] on the positive side, crucial issues like human rights, harm reduction, access to essential medicines, a developmental approach to illicit cultivation, and evidence-based drug policy making, all made it prominently to the negotiations table. Even if the end-result in terms of approved final texts is highly disappointing, the nature and tone of the debates has changed irreversibly. The already visible divides are likely to further deepen in the years to come."

For more on these critical global debates, we strongly recommend these readings:

 

Drug Foundation training - Youth development and community action

The New Zealand Drug Foundation is excited to announce these fabulous training opportunities by internationally respected youth development trainer Maureen Sedonean.

Maureen is Founder and President of the Youth Leadership Institute, which is a California-based organisation that helps build communities where young people and their adult allies come together to create positive social change.

YLI has become an international leader in the youth sector for consultations, training and program development that truly empower young people.

The workshops, to be held in June, will be tailored to New Zealand communities with a focus on community engagement in the areas of prevention, public policy, civic engagement and leadership. This is a great opportunity for drug and alcohol NGOs, Pubic Health Units, youth health and development organisations, CAYADs and others working in youth health, advocacy and community action. 

The 3 workshops will be held:

  • Auckland 22-23 June
  • Wellington 25-26 June
  • Christchurch 29-30 June

To register or for more information contact catherine.milburn@drugfoundation.org.nz.

 

ACTION - Public submissions on new liquor legislation due April 23

If you would like to make a submission on the Sale and Supply of Liquor and Liquid Enforcement Bill, do not miss this deadline. The Bill amends the Sale of Liquor Act 1989, the Summary Offences Act 1981, and the Land Transport Act 1998 to implement recommendations arising from recent reviews of the sale and supply of liquor to minors, and sale of liquor and liquor enforcement issues. It also introduces a new system of enforced self-regulation of alcohol advertising. It would give local authorities more powers on liquor licensing, tighter regulations for retail outlets, and tougher penalties for selling or supplying alcohol to minors. The Bill also includes a zero-alcohol limit for drivers under 20 without full license. For information on making submissions visit Parliament's website.

The debate heats up as alcohol bill submission deadline looms

Closing time for bottle stores could be the same across New Zealand for the first time in 20 years under an amendment to proposed liquor-sale laws being considered by Christchurch MP Lianne Dalziel. Her statement was a response to the Hospitality Association of New Zealand chief executive Bruce Robertson saying the proposed changes could lead to off-licences trading for longer hours just across a council boundary where liquor stores were required to close early (doesn't that happen already under the current system, Bruce?). Robertson said he was not trying to undermine the bill, but it was "feel-good legislation rather than do-good legislation". "The simple answer to the association's concerns is one off-licence closing time for the whole country. I would support that if people put that up as an amendment," Dalziel said. 

 

News - Economists calculate alcohol and other drug harm cost New Zealand $6.9 billion

Economic analysis company Business Economic and Research Ltd (BERL) have estimated that harmful alcohol and other drug use costs $6.9 billion; this is approximately equivalent to the GDP of New Zealand's agricultural industry. The harms include crime, lost productivity, costs to health services and other diverted resources. The total harm was made up of $4.9 billion of tangible resource costs and a further $2.0 billion of intangible welfare costs. Harmful alcohol use cost New Zealand an estimated $4.8 billion of diverted resources and lost welfare. Harmful other drug use was estimated to cost $1.4 billion.

Read the full report here.

Radio NZ's Kathryn Ryan interviewed Ganesh Nana (BERL), Katie Sadlier (ACC), Gerard Vaughan (ALAC) and Barbara Phillips (Ministry of Health) about the report and its implications. You can listen to the full interview here.

In June last year, BERL developed the Police Drug Harm Index - a tool for the Police to assess and quantify social harms resulting from illicit drug use. In our November 2008 Matters of Substance, Professor Alison Ritter, director of the Australia's Drug Policy Modelling Program, reviewed the Index and concluded it had some significant flaws but was still a useful took. Read Dr Ritter's review here.

 

News - Legalising pot to grow economy not on Obama's agenda

A recent Open for Questions forum at The White House received many questions submitted by the public.  One question received more than three million votes: "With over 1 out of 30 Americans controlled by the penal system, why not legalize, control, and tax marijuana to change the failed war on drugs into a money making, money saving boost to the economy? Do we really need that many victimless criminals?"

Obama's response was quick and clear: "There was one question that voted on that ranked fairly high and that was whether legalizing marijuana would improve the economy and job creation," he said. "And I don't know what this says about the online audience, but ... this was a popular question. We want to make sure it's answered. The answer is no, I don't think that's a good strategy to grow our economy. All right."  Not everyone was satisfied with his answer - read the full story here.

 

Videos of the month:

There are 3 great videos this month...

  1. A Drug-free World: Reloaded
    For insiders' perspectives on the recent UN drug policy meeting check out the latest video produced by our wonderful colleagues at the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (a non-profit human rights watchdog established in Budapest, Hungary in 1994 [http://drogriporter.hu/en]).  The video contains some thrilling behind-the-scenes action, plus vox pops with delegates (spot the good looking delegates from New Zealand) and advocates.
  2. Harm Reduction: Revolutions
    The second video, also by the HCLU, examines the harm reduction debate that took place in Vienna.  As you'll be aware the phrase "harm reduction" was not explicitly included in the final Political Declaration, instead it was hidden in the words "related support services".  This is more than a debate about semantics, as was highlighted at the end of the Vienna summit when 26 countries tested the "Vienna Consensus" by requesting their support for harm reduction be noted in the declaration.
  3. Alcohol and sports
    The final video is of Australian Drug Foundation CEO John Rogerson speaking at the Drug Foundation's 2008 annual general meeting.  While our editing (and certainly our sound quality!) isn't up to the Hungarian's standards, the video is still worth viewing as John examines the issue of alcohol and sport, and ways sports clubs can improve their and their community's drinking cultures.

 

Events

For details on these and other events, and to submit your event, visit www.drugfoundation.org.nz/events.

Vacancies

  • Registered Nurse, Richmond New Zealand, Community Alcohol and Other Drugs Detoxification Service, Dunedin
  • Methadone Case Manager, Northland District Health Board, Whangarei
  • Coordinator, Maori Education and Research Projects, Weltec, Wellington

For these and other vacancies, and to submit your vacancy, visit www.drugfoundation.org.nz/jobs.

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