International Narcotics Control Board

1
International Narcotics Control Board Briefing
for Permanent Missions to the United Nations (New
York)
Professor Hamid Ghodse President International
Narcotics Control Board (INCB)
2
Historical overview

• 1909 Shanghai Conference
• 1912 Convention
• 1925 Agreement 1925 Convention Permanent
  Central Board established
• 1931 Convention Drug Supervisory Body
  established, 1931 Agreement
• 1936 Convention

3
Historical overview (contd.)

• 1948 Protocol
• 1953 Protocol
• 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs
  International Narcotics Control Board established
• 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances
• 1988 Convention Against Illicit Traffic in
  Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances

4
Role of INCB

• Overall treaty function
• To monitor and promote
• treaty compliance

• To encourage dialogue with Governments

Quasi judicial function
5
Role of INCB

• Work focuses on six main aspects
• ensure that cultivation, production, manufacture
  and utilization of drugs are limited to medical
  and scientific purposes
• ensure availability of drugs for medical and
  scientific purposes
• identify weaknesses in the implementation of the
  international drug control conventions and
  suggest remedial action
• prevent illicit cultivation, production,
  manufacture, trafficking and use of drugs
• evaluate and recommend chemicals for possible
  international control
• monitor chemicals and prevent their diversion
  into illicit channels

6
Composition of the Board

• 13 members
• - 3 nominated by WHO
• - 10 nominated by Governments
• elected by ECOSOC for a period of 5 years
• serve in their personal capacity not as
  government representatives

7
Qualifications of INCB members

• Article 9, paragraph 2, 1961 Single Convention on
  Narcotic Drugs
• Members of the Board shall be persons who, by
  their competence, impartiality and
  disinterestedness, will command general
  confidence.

8
Impartiality of INCB members

• Impartiality -central principle
• During their term of office they shall not hold
  any position or engage in any activity which
  would be liable to impair their impartiality in
  the exercise of their functions. Article 9,
  paragraph 2, 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic
  Drugs

9
Impartiality of INCB members

• ECOSOC/Governments should ensure that principle
  of impartiality is adhered to at the time of
  election
• INCB has established internal procedure to ensure
  impartiality during term of office of Board member

10
Incompatibilities

• Member of Government
• Representation of Government at international
  forums on drug-related issues
• any private or public activity impairing
  impartiality

11
Status of adherence to the international drug
control treaties(as at 1 January 2005)
12
INCB secretariat

• Located in Vienna within UNODC

• Responsible only to the Board on matters of
  substance

• Acts on behalf of the Board

13
INCB missions 2004

• Pakistan
• Portugal
• South Africa
• Sweden
• Thailand
• Timor Leste

• Belgium
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Denmark
• Indonesia
• Israel
• Madagascar
• Mauritania

14
Dialogue with Governments

• Correspondence
• Meetings
• Country missions
• Technical visits

15
INCB reports

• Annual Report of the Board

• Technical reports

16
INCB reports

• The annual report
• Analyses global drug control situation
• Draws attention of Governments to any weaknesses
  in national drug control and treaty compliance
• Suggests possible improvements at both national
  and international levels.

17
INCB Annual Report

• Three chapters
• Chapter I Review of topical issue
• Chapter II Operation of the international drug
  control system
• Chapter III Analysis of the world situation

18
Chapter I

• Integration of supply and demand reduction
  strategies
• Moving beyond the balanced approach

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Illicit drug markets

• Availability (supply) influences demand for
  illicit drugs
• Price
• Social and economic factors
• Prevention and education efforts

20
Recommendations

• Central national authority with balanced
  representation of supply and demand reduction
  agencies
• Training
• Research and analysis
• Compile effective experiences of supply and
  demand strategies

21
Recommendations (contd.)

• Focus interdiction efforts
• Alternative development
• Combine street-level law enforcement activities
  with other demand reduction activities
• Provide alternatives to incarceration for
  non-violent drug abusers
• Sustained education programmes

22
Chapter II

• Implementation of the international drug control
  treaties

23
Public incitement to drug abuse

• Article 3, paragraph 1 c (iii) of 1988 Convention
  requires parties to establish as criminal
  offences
• publicly inciting or inducing others, by any
  means, to commit any of the offences established
  in accordance with this article or to use
  narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances
  illicitly

24
Afghanistan

• Overall drug situation in Afghanistan appears to
  have deteriorated
• Illicit drug crop cultivation and related
  activities at an unprecedented levels
• Control of narcotic drugs and psychotropic
  substances for medical and scientific purposes
  remains inadequate
• Article 14, 1961 Conventions remains invoked
  until the situation improves.

25
Dutch policy on cannabis

• Crucial and significant change in Dutch cannabis
  policy
• Recognition that coffee shops are not blameless
  in the maintenance of the illicit drug trade and
  are not satisfactory in terms of suppressing
  drug-related crime.
• Important step in the right direction
• Recognition of health and social problems
  associated with cannabis abuse, cultivation and
  trafficking is important for the Netherlands,
  Europe and beyond.

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Other important issues

• Control of cannabis used for medical or
  scientific purposes
• Provisions regarding travellers under treatment
  involving the use of medical preparations
  containing controlled substances
• Use of narcotic drugs manufactured from seized
  materials
• Medical prescription of heroin

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Chapter III

• Analysis of the
• World Situation

28
Analysis of the world situation (1)

• AFRICA
• Abuse of cannabis remains an issue of concern but
  trafficking and abuse of cocaine, heroin and
  amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) also continue
  to rise
• Uncontrolled sale of medications containing
  internationally controlled substances persists in
  many African countries
• Most African countries have no adequate
  legislative framework or administrative
  mechanisms to address the drug problem.

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Analysis of the world situation (2)

• AMERICAS
• North America remains the worlds largest drug
  market but drug abuse has declined significantly
  in the United States
• Eight major international drug trafficking
  organizations were dismantled in 2004 and the
  operations of 7 others were weakened
• In Central America, youth gangs are involved in
  violent crime and drug trafficking
• In South America, the total area under illicit
  coca bush cultivation has declined for the third
  consecutive year.

30
Analysis of the world situation (3)

• ASIA
• Illicit drug production and related activities
  have reached unprecedented levels in Afghanistan
  and threaten the stability of the country
• Illicit opium production continues to decrease in
  Myanmar and Lao Peoples Democratic Republic
• Significant increase in seizures of MDMA
  (Ecstasy) in East and South-East Asia.

31
Analysis of the world situation (4)

• EUROPE
• Cannabis abuse has shown an upward trend in
  almost all countries in Europe over the past
  decade
• After three successive years of bumper harvests
  of opium poppy in Afghanistan, heroin trafficking
  has regained some momentum in Europe
• Abuse of cocaine has increased over the past five
  years, with a tendency towards stabilization
• Availability of treatment for drug addicts has
  increased steadily over the past few years.

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Analysis of the world situation (5)

• OCEANIA
• In Australia, heroin abuse has significantly
  declined
• Considerable increase in the illicit manufacture
  and abuse of ATS in Australia and New Zealand
• Pacific island countries continue to be
  vulnerable to drug transit trafficking and the
  abuse of ATS.

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Report of the International Narcotics Control
Board for 2004
End of presentation