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Yama Enayat [ Profil ] |
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Fwd: [harmreduction] PRESS RELEASE: Eastern European health crisis demands new drug policy
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Mar 15th, 2009 - 03:14:28 |
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: joya banerjee
Date: Mar 12, 2009 6:30 AM
Subject: [harmreduction] PRESS RELEASE: Eastern European health crisis
demands new drug policy
To: Yama Enayat
FWD:
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PRESS RELEASE -- FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
Contacts: Dasha Ocheret, +7 903 173 8827; Raminta Stuikyte +370 699 666 77
Eastern European health crisis demands new drug policy
A new report highlights health and human rights impact of drug policy
Vienna-Vilnius, March 10, 2009 -- Over the last 10 years, increasing
problem drug use and a limited response in Eastern Europe has led to
epidemics of HIV and hepatitis. On the eve of a high level UN meeting
to determine the future directions of global drug policy, the Eurasian
Harm Reduction Network, in its new report, calls for practical
solutions grounded in science and human rights.
The Eurasian Harm Reduction Network (EHRN) researched the progress in
4 countries of Eastern Europe all of which have experienced a major
increase in drug related problems. Prevalence of drug injection in
Russia and Ukraine are now among the highest in the world. Between 1%
and 2% of the population in both countries inject drugs and in both
countries some of the worlds highest rates of HIV and hepatitis among
injecting drug users are seen. The specter of the HIV epidemic
spreading to the general population has led to some improvement drug
policy, as programs began to be developed to provide medical and
social services to people affected by drug dependency.
Though the evidence clearly shows that needle exchange programs,
opioid substitution therapy and alternatives to imprisonment for drug
users reduce the social and health costs of drug use to society, the
application of these programs continues to be debated and therefore
they are available only to less than 2% of those in need. Drug
dependency treatment is available to only 1.9 - 10% of those in need
in the 4 countries. While Lithuania, Georgia and Ukraine have
improved access to modern drug dependency treatment, Russia continues
to ban low-cost, effective drug treatment options like opioid
substitution therapy.
On March 11 12, 2009, a high-level segment of the 52nd session of
the Commission on Narcotic Drugs will convene during which ministers
and other high-level government officials will evaluate the
implementation and consequences of the Political Declaration adopted
at the UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on drugs in 1998
and will adopt a new Political Declaration. The 1998 Declaration
committed UN member states to achieve significant and measurable
results in reduction of the illicit supply and demand for drugs in 10
years.
The new EHRN report entitled, The impact of drug policy on health and
human rights in Eastern Europe: 10 years after UN General Assembly
Special Session on Drugs, calls for a more balanced approach to drug
policy with investment in public health and human rights equal to the
investment that is made in reducing the supply of drugs.
Key findings:
Georgia, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine tracked a rapid growth of drug
use and problem drug use with stabilization of the growth within last
few years;
Numbers of people officially registered as drug users doubled in
Lithuania and Russia
In Georgia, Russia and Ukraine, national drug policy documents and
budgets focus reducing drug supply as the key pillar of drug policy,
neglecting investment in drug demand or harm reduction.
Lithuania has a better balance between focus on drug supply and demand
reduction policies. Since European Union accession health spending
per drug user has increased significantly.
Georgia remains the only country of the four that still criminalizes
drug use per se. More money budgeted for drug testing than on drug
dependency treatment. Fines for users who test positive may reach up
to 200% of the average monthly salary.
In all 4 countries, many people are incarcerated for drug related
crimes and few have access to harm reduction services while rates of
HIV in prisons is high and HIV transmission in prisons is recorded
No alternatives to imprisonment are foreseen in Georgia and Russia;
but are in legislation of Lithuania and Ukraine
In Russia and Ukraine, the police subject drug users to physical and
psychological abuse.
In Georgia, Russia and Ukraine, though all countries have ratified the
Universal Declaration on human rights, but none of them mention human
rights in the context of drug policies;
Russia and Ukraine experienced one of the fastest growing epidemics in
the world in the last 5-6 years with almost 90% of 1.5 million Eastern
Europeans with HIV living in those countries. Up to, 60-80% of all
people living with HIV are injecting drug users.
The full-text of the report is available electronically in English at
http://www.harm-reduction.org/images/stories/documents/ungass_report_2009_03_04_en.pdf
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--
Best regards,
Yama Enayat
E-mail: yama.enayat (at) gmail.com
Phone: +93799 316770
Regional Focal Point - EECA
Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS
Kabul - Afghanistan
E-Mail: yama (at) youthaidscoalition.org
Founder, Director
YouthamaGlobal
Youth Assistance & Mainstream Activities
E-Mail: youthamaglobal (at) yahoo.com
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