D. Europe Amphetamine-Type Stimulants) Is Also Occurring in Central Asia
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E/INCB/2000/1 reported for the first time the dismantling of a proceeds illegally obtained from drug-related laboratory for the illicit manufacture of Captagon. activities. The Board therefore reiterates its call to the Significant quantities of Captagon were also seized in Government to withdraw its reservation regarding the the Syrian Arab Republic (1.4 million tablets) and provisions against money-laundering in the 1988 Jordan (512,000 tablets). Convention. 439. The abuse of stimulants (mainly methcathinone sold under the name of ephedrone, but also other D. Europe amphetamine-type stimulants) is also occurring in central Asia. Methcathinone can easily be Major developments manufactured in home laboratories from ephedrine, which is extracted from the Ephedra plant. There is an 443. The availability of drugs in Europe has increased. abundance of wild-growing Ephedra plants in While cannabis abuse appears to have remained stable Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Ephedrine is converted in most countries, the availability and abuse of into methcathinone (ephedrone) for injection or is used synthetic drugs and cocaine have continued to rise in as a precursor in the manufacture of methamphetamine. most parts of the region. In many countries, the For a number of years, ephedrine from China has been prevalence of the abuse of amphetamine-type smuggled into countries in central Asia. stimulants is second only to that of cannabis abuse. Despite public concern about synthetic drugs and the 440. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, the abuse of fact that scientific evidence has shown them to be benzodiazepines in the form of pharmaceutical tablets harmful even to occasional users, few measures have is widespread. Benzodiazepines are often abused in been taken to prevent their abuse. It appears that some conjunction with opium and heroin, indicating that authorities in western Europe are firmly convinced that controls over the licit distribution of such products are the abuse of such drugs cannot be prevented. Measures weak in those countries and in the countries adjacent to to reduce the illicit demand for such drugs therefore them. The abuse of benzodiazepines (Rohypnol) is also tend to consist of advising drug abusers on the “safe increasing in Turkey. In Pakistan, benzodiazepines (for use” of such substances and providing drug-testing example, diazepam) are also reportedly being added to facilities at events where synthetic drugs are abused. heroin as adulterants. Such action, although well-intended, leads to ambigu- ous messages and confusion. Thus, many drug abusers Missions are not aware that there is no safe use of such drugs. 441. In November 1999, a mission of the Board visited 444. Drug policy discussions in western Europe have Lebanon. The Board notes with appreciation that the focused on the implementation of harm reduction Government of Lebanon has prevented the re- activities such as the establishment of drug injection emergence of opium poppy cultivation, has continued rooms or the effectiveness of heroin maintenance its campaign against illicit cannabis cultivation and has programmes. Following the attention given to harm made efforts to curtail illicit trafficking in narcotic reduction in western Europe, it appears that some drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors. countries in central and eastern Europe have also The Board trusts that the Government will promulgate started to put more emphasis on harm reduction. a decree categorizing the substances to be controlled under the new law for precursors, thereby making it 445. The Board acknowledged many years ago, in its 45 possible for the law to be fully implemented. report for 1993, that harm reduction had a role to play in a tertiary prevention strategy for demand 442. The Board notes with regret that the Government reduction purposes. However, the Board also drew of Lebanon has shown no intention of lifting bank attention to the fact that harm reduction programmes secrecy in cases involving drug traffickers. Under could not be considered substitutes for demand current legal stipulations in Lebanon, it is extremely reduction programmes. The Board would like to difficult to investigate money-laundering and it is reiterate that harm reduction programmes can play a virtually impossible to confiscate assets of drug part in a comprehensive drug demand reduction traffickers; that leaves the country vulnerable to strategy but such programmes should not be carried out attempts to use its banking system to “launder” 59 E/INCB/2000/1 at the expense of other important activities to reduce Action Plan addresses, inter alia, questions regarding the demand for illicit drugs, for example drug abuse the improvement of drug coordination at all levels and prevention activities. the development of national drug coordination units in each member State of the European Union. 446. Since some harm reduction measures are controversial, discussions of their advantages and 451. The Board notes the efforts of the European disadvantages have dominated the public debate on Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction to drug policy. The fact that harm reduction programmes collect and analyse drug-related data and provide should constitute only one element of a larger, more comparable data on the drug phenomenon in European comprehensive strategy to reduce the demand for illicit States. The Board welcomes the work that the Centre drugs has been neglected. The Board regrets that the has carried out in the assessment of those synthetic discussion on drug injection rooms and some other drugs which pose a serious threat to public health and harm reduction measures has diverted the attention have limited therapeutic value. (and, in some cases, funds) of Governments from 452. The Board notes with satisfaction that a number important demand reduction activities such as primary of Governments in Europe have stepped up their prevention or abstinence-oriented treatment. bilateral cooperation. For example, the Government of the Russian Federation has concluded over 80 inter- Treaty adherence governmental and inter-agency agreements related to 447. Since the last report of the Board was published, drug control with other Governments throughout the San Marino has acceded to the three international drug world. control conventions, Liechtenstein has become a party 453. A large number of bilateral and regional to the 1972 Protocol amending the 1961 Convention agreements on drug law enforcement have led to and to the 1971 Convention and Andorra and Estonia excellent cooperation among eastern European have acceded to the 1988 Convention. Of the 44 States countries and between eastern European countries and in Europe, 42 are parties to the 1961 Convention, 42 western European countries, contributing to the are parties to the 1971 Convention and 40 States and increase in the number of seizures of drugs, in the European Community are parties to the particular heroin, in Europe. 1988 Convention. 454. The Board welcomes the fact that the law 448. Albania remains the only country in Europe that enforcement authorities of Belarus, Kazakhstan, the is not a party to any of the international drug control Russian Federation and Ukraine have continued their treaties. The Board discussed this issue with the joint efforts to fight drug trafficking, which have authorities of Albania during a mission in April 2000 resulted in major drug seizures. (see paragraphs 482-484 below). The Board urges the Government of Albania to accede to the three 455. Because of the general lack of data on the international drug control treaties as soon as possible. prevalence of drug abuse in eastern Europe, the Board, in its report for 1999,46 encouraged Governments in 449. Albania, the Holy See, Liechtenstein and that subregion to establish drug abuse information Switzerland remain the only States in Europe that have systems. The Board welcomes the fact that, since then, not ratified the 1988 Convention. a number of epidemiological studies on drug abuse have been initiated. In particular, the Board notes with Regional cooperation appreciation the results of both the multi-city study on 450. The Board notes with appreciation that the drug abuse and the Phare project on drug information European Union Action Plan to Combat Drugs (2000- systems. 2004) was endorsed by the European Council at Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal, in June 2000. The Action National legislation, policy and action Plan provides common political guidelines for all 456. The Board welcomes the adoption of new activities to be undertaken by the institutions and comprehensive drug control legislation in Slovenia, member States of the European Union to implement including updated provisions on control of the licit the European Union Drugs Strategy (2000-2004). The movement of scheduled substances, provisions related 60 E/INCB/2000/1 to the prevention of drug abuse and the treatment of Macedonia to accelerate the adoption of such drug abusers and a new law on precursor control. legislation. The Board notes that, in Switzerland, the number of suspicious transactions reported has 457. The parliament of Portugal decided in July 2000 considerably increased since the adoption of the law that penal sanctions would no longer apply to the illicit against money-laundering in that country. use, possession and acquisition for personal use of all drugs. Instead, those offences would be subject to 462. In the Russian Federation, amendments to the administrative sanctions, such as fines, or other federal law on narcotic drugs and psychotropic limitations of rights, such as the suspension of driving substances of 1997 are currently being prepared. As the privileges. A similar law is under consideration in planned changes are extremely important for national Luxembourg. drug control coordination, as well as better international cooperation, the Board urges the 458. In September 2000, the parliament of Poland Government to accelerate the enactment of that approved a bill that increases penalties for abusers and legislation. sellers of any type of drugs. The bill sets prison terms of up to three years for drug possession and up to 463.