In 2023, the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken launched the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats. The Coalition is designed to bring together a geographically, economically, and politically diverse group of stakeholders to produce action and results in response to the rise in synthetic drug threats. With over 140 countries and international organizations participating, the resolve of our global community in combatting the urgent challenges posed by synthetic drugs is clear. The Coalition convenes through Working Group and Sub-Working Group meetings to identify and advance concrete actions and outcomes.
The coalition is guided by the Ministerial Declaration on Accelerating and Strengthening the Global Response to Synthetic Drugs, participating governments expressed their commitment to “taking into account input from civil society in Coalition objectives.” As part of the efforts to solicit meaningful civil society input, the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement and the Vienna and New York NGO Committees on Drugs (VNGOC & NYNGOC) are inviting civil society organizations to share written inputs, including recommendations, planned initiatives and good practice examples.
You can find all inputs collected in the below table and selected inputs will also be featured on the Coalition website (https://www.globalcoalition.us/civil-society/). They will serve as a reference for governments to individually consider engagements opportunities and make commitments on specific initiatives.
Civil society organizations working on synthetic drug related issues are invited to share their inputs through this online form: https://forms.office.com/e/G7y6LFZrrp
We also encourage you to post your inputs on the NGO Marketplace: https://mp.vngoc.org/marketplace/1-1/home
| Organization | Country | Input to the work of the Global Coalition | Website | Contact person | Contact email |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A HAND TO HUMANITY ASSOCIATION | Cameroon | Protecting the Future: Promoting a Drug-Free School Environment in Africa and the World Distinguished delegates Esteemed colleagues Ladies and gentlemen It is with profound honour and a deep sense of responsibility that I stand before you today, representing A Hand to Humanity Association, to address the critical issue of synthetic drug threats and their devastating impact on our youth, both in Africa and around the world. The rise of these deceptive substances, casts a dark shadow over our future, threatening the health and well-being of countless young people. It is imperative that we, as a global community, unite in our determination to combat this menace and protect the future of our children. Our Recommendations: Strengthening International Cooperation: • Establish a global task force dedicated to combating synthetic drug trafficking and sharing intelligence among nations. • Foster collaboration between law enforcement agencies, border control authorities, and intelligence services to dismantle criminal networks and disrupt supply chains. • Promote international cooperation in research and development to enhance detection methods and develop effective treatment strategies. Promoting Comprehensive Drug Education: • Implement age-appropriate drug education programs in schools worldwide, starting from the primary level. • Equip teachers with the knowledge and skills to deliver effective drug education lessons, utilizing innovative and engaging teaching methods. • Develop culturally sensitive educational materials that resonate with students from diverse backgrounds. • Foster open communication between students and teachers, creating a safe space for them to discuss drug-related issues without fear of judgment. Empowering Parents and Communities: • Organize workshops and awareness campaigns for parents and community members to educate them about the dangers of synthetic drugs and equip them with the tools to support their children. • Establish strong partnerships between schools, families, and community organizations to create a unified front against drug abuse. • Promote open communication and collaboration between parents and teachers to monitor students' behaviour and address potential issues early on. Investing in Prevention and Treatment Programs: • Allocate sufficient resources to develop and implement evidence-based prevention and treatment programs for individuals struggling with synthetic drug addiction. • Ensure access to affordable and quality treatment services, including detoxification, rehabilitation, and ongoing support. • Promote research into the long-term effects of synthetic drugs and develop effective strategies for prevention. More information: https://ahandtohumanity.com/documents/ | ahandtohumanity.com | Peter Nillong | ahandtohumanity@gmail.com |
| ACEID | Costa Rica | There is a need to reduce and/or eliminate criminalization, stigma and discrimination towards people who use drugs. This punitive and negative social or political context is considered a stuctural barrier to access to health and social services to prevent or treat drug use. Background information: https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc5453-human-rights-challenges-addressing-and-countering-all-aspects, https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc4740-arbitrary-detention-relating-drug-policies-study-working-group, https://www.undp.org/publications/international-guidelines-human-rights-and-drug-policy, https://www.unodc.org/documents/ungass2016/Contributions/Civil/INPUD/DUPI-Stigmatising_People_who_Use_Drugs-Web.pdf, | facebook.com/aceidcr | Ernesto Cortes | ecortes@aceidcr.org |
| Community Addictions Peer Support Association | Canada | Photovoice, a participatory action research method, is used by civil society to identify, document, and analyze aspects of individual, familial, and/or community life with a goal of achieving program, policy, and procedural change. Photovoice projects, including those involving people who use drugs/have substance use disorders, have been demonstrated to reduce stigma, emphasize the expertise of people with lived/living experience, re-distribute power, influence policy, and translate local community goals to policy and decision-makers (Flanagan et al., 2016; Abayneh et al., 2020; Weinstein et al., 2021; Wallerstein et al., 2019). CAPSA and the University of Derby have initiated a systematic review to scope the available evidence on Photovoice studies exploring Substance Use Health promotion and care. Findings will inform participating governments and Coalition Working Groups on existing civil society expertise related to addressing synthetic drug harms and realizing individual and community Substance Use Health goals. Ethical and implementation considerations of this participatory action research method will increase capacity to solicit meaningful civil society feedback. https://capsa.ca/wow-festival/ ; @capsaCanada https://www.pathwaystorecovery.co.uk | https://capsa.ca; https://www.pathwaystorecovery.co.uk; https://www.facebook.com/CAPSACanada/; @capsacanada | Lisha Di Gioacchino | LDiGioacchino@capsa.ca |
| Dalgarno Institute | Australia | Taking the NOVEL out of NPS – Health Harms & Reducing Demand Introduction only ‘Learning is education that transforms.’ Dalgarno Institute Education changes behaviour, but what ‘kind’ of education does this and to what end? Whilst we will examine key aspects of Harms done by New/Novel Psychoactive Substances, what we don’t’ want to do is waste your time simply inventorying descriptive data that may or may not give you some facts about this subject matter that you don’t already know. We will attempt in this presentation to open up more proactive focus on the reducing of demand and diverting from NPS use. One key framework for a behaviour transitioning educative process. + Aware – Information (Whilst a starting point of contemplation, giving ‘facts’ in a vacuum has little traction in behaviour change) + Move – Education (This is where knowledge is added giving facts some context for application and a potential direction) + Change – Learning (This is where knowledge is applied in a sustained direction with purpose, under tutelage for a specific outcome – This helps create new behaviours) It is important to understand that teaching and learning mechanisms and modes have many elements and both the cognitive, (but more specifically) the affective domain education pedagogies are enhanced by both evidence-based practice, as well as, by practice based evidence. This is no more evident than in indigenous cultural settings, and of growing importance in sub-cultural ‘tribal’ settings too. Evidence-based Practice & Practice-based Evidence? Efficacious pedagogies in the Affective Domain education arena include imperatives such as the contextualised sharing of relevant earned resiliency and lived experience with the learning audience. This is one of a few vital components of an education strategy, that seeks to develop proactive and protective behaviours in the child and emerging adult. Lived experience alone (i.e. substance user) is only valuable in a protective context when it is paired with the earned resiliency that empowered them to exit and stand from substance use and its harms, that proves valuable in the behaviour change education process. “One with lived experience is seen by the client/student as an authentic knowledge holder.” Gemma Khodr – Indigenous Health & Alcohol CRE Forum September 2020 Dalgarno Institute – Research Team Background Information: https://d2wbwr2x09eh50.cloudfront.net/images/resources/pdf/TakingNoveloutofNPSFullPresentationOct2024.pdf or https://nobrainer.org.au/index.php/student-teacher/curriculum/1191-taking-the-novel-out-of-nps-health-harms-reducing-demand . | www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au | Shane Varcoe | director@dalgarnoinstitute.org.au |
| Drug Advisory Training Hub (DATH) a project of Youth Council for Anti Narcotics (YOCFAN) | Pakistan | Synthetic Drug is also a big threat of our young generation and we are facing a lot of problems due to synthetic and others chemical drugs. Most of drugs coming from Afghanistan and Pakistan is pipelines. Our students from universities, colleges even senior school boys are using ice and others chemical drugs. Our government like law enforcement agencies also controlling the supply and we we are working on demand side. We need a comphernsive policy to tackling the issues. Published Different reports in pront and electronic media. DATH also highlighted the issues of chemicals and ice drugs among youth. University, college and senior school boys using in educational institutions and hostals. | www.facebook.com/dathcentre | Syed Zulfiqar Hussain | youthnarcotics@hotmail.com |
| Drug Awareness Foundation | United States | All hospitals should be adding fentanyl testing to their federal five tox screens. Background information: https://www.suopt.org/fentanyl-testing-toolkit-hospital-settings, https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/fentanyl-testing-not-required-in-most-emergency-room-drug-screenings-166130245764 | https://www.drugawarenessfoundation.org/ | Juli Shamash | DrugAwarenessFoundation@gmail.com |
| Drug Free America Foundation, Inc. | United States | We recommend a focus on education and awareness, community engagement, policy and regulatory measures, healthcare integration, and international cooperation, to effectively prevent drug use and combat synthetic drug threats. 1. Education and Awareness • Educational Programs: Implement school-based drug education curricula and public awareness campaigns using multimedia platforms. • Training: Conduct workshops for educators and community leaders on drug prevention and identification of drug use, and provide continuous training for drug demand reduction professionals on drug trends and evidence-based strategies. 2. Community Engagement • Community Coalitions: Form local coalitions with schools, healthcare providers, law enforcement, and other stakeholders to develop prevention strategies focusing on reducing risk factors and promoting protective factors. • Parental Involvement: Organize workshops and distribute resources to help empower parents with effective parenting strategies, building family bonds, understanding drug risks and warning signs, and understanding children’s brain development. 3. Policy and Regulatory Measures • Regulatory Strengthening: Advocate for stricter controls on precursor chemicals and supportive drug prevention laws. • Law Enforcement Training: Provide training to law enforcement on identifying and dismantling synthetic drug operations, including safety mechanisms. • Combatting Online Drug Sales: Implement measures to combat the illicit sale of drugs on social media and hold dealers and social media platforms accountable. • Social Media Integration: Integrate social media platforms into drug prevention efforts to spread awareness and support prevention initiatives. 4. Healthcare Integration • Screening and Intervention: Train healthcare providers to screen for drug use and offer early interventions. • Treatment Access: Expand the availability of gender-sensitive treatment programs and develop support systems like helplines. 5. International Cooperation • Collaboration: Share intelligence and conduct joint operations to disrupt drug trafficking networks. • Capacity Building: Offer technical assistance and training to developing countries. • Monitoring Systems: Enhance global monitoring systems to detect and respond to synthetic drug trends. www.dfaf.org https://www.samhsa.gov/ https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/substance-misuse-prevention-pep19-pl-guide-1.pdf | Website: www.dfaf.org Twitter: https://x.com/DrugFreeAmerica Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrugFreeAmericaFndn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drugfreeamericafoundation/ YouTube: @drugfreeamericafound | Chantel Lincoln | clincoln@dfaf.org |
| Drug Free Australia | Australia | Please take the time to review to review The important Fourth Wave Report and comments by Scott Walton Chief Executive Officer, Millennium Health. Most People who Used Fentanyl with the Other Primary Drivers of Overdose Death Used Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Only, Followed by Fentanyl and Cocaine Only or All Three Combined Background information: https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-mark-butler-mp/media/almost-500000-vapes-detained-in-largest-operation-in-australian-history?language=en | www.drugfree.org.au | ||
| Drug Policy Alliance | United States | This submission uplifts a good practice example relating to drug education: namely the comprehensive curriculum “Safety First: Real Drug Education for Teens” which has been independently evaluated and implemented in school districts across the United States. Stanford Medicine’s ‘Research and Education to empower Adolescents and young adults to Choose Health’ or REACH Lab, who are experts in developing curricula for primary prevention, included and expanded Safety First in their training modules to include lessons on opioids/fentanyl, alcohol, and other drugs. Effective programs need to provide strategies to help youth make well-informed, safety-oriented decisions. The Safety First curriculum is guided by the principle that the safest choice for young people is to avoid the non-medical use of drugs, but acknowledges that those who choose to use drugs need factual information in order to be safer. In the context of the overdose crisis driven by fentanyl and synthetic opioids, young people need information about how to detect and respond to an overdose. Scare tactics and traditional abstinence-only based drug education fail to provide people with the tools they need to keep themselves or their friends safer when problems with drugs may occur. The interactive drug education curriculum provides practical and science-based information to empower youth to make safer choices. The training curriculum is available at no-cost on the REACH lab’s website at https://med.stanford.edu/halpern-felsher-reach-lab/preventions-interventions.html Safety First was independently evaluated and the results are published in the Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention and Policy Journal available at: https://substanceabusepolicy.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13011-022-00502-1). For additional background on how Safety First was developed and piloted, please see: https://drugpolicy.org/resource/safety-first/ | www.drugpolicy.org | Theshia Naidoo | tnaidoo@drugpolicy.org |
| European Coalition for just and effective drug policies (ENCOD) | Austria | Prohibitions, both past and present, have inadvertently fueled the demand for increasingly hazardous drugs, in particular synthetic formulations. This trend underscores the urgent need to shift our focus back to traditional herbal drugs: They offer potential mitigation strategies, have well-known, better safety profiles, and opportunities for harm reduction and substitution. Working alongside the Cannabis, Coca, and Opium growing and using communities, our NGO has experienced first hand the effects of the criminalisation of drug users and the futile efforts at stemming the tide of synthetics around the world. Our perspective is historical and twofold: 1- The effects of prohibition and colonial capture of Cannabis, Coca, and many other traditional and sacred plants and fungi. This threatens to drive people away from these traditional, relatively safe natural products; 2 - The effects of the infiltration of synthetic drugs amidst vast legal and regulatory uncertainty. These two perspectives are inextricably linked. https://www.unodc.org/documents/commissions/CND/CND_Sessions/CND_67/Documents/ECN72024_NGO8_2404291E.pdf | encod.org | Farid GHEHIOUECHE | cannabissansfrontieres2@gmail.com |
| Fédération Addiction | France | The Fédération Addiction is France's leading network of addictology structures and professionals. In particular, we run the "Analyse ton prod'" network, which brings together facilities offering drug analysis for harm reduction purposes: we defend free, anonymous access to drug analysis as an essential tool in any harm reduction policy. For people who want to use drugs, drug analysis enables them to be better informed, to make informed choices and to implement individual and collective strategies to reduce the risks associated with the use of psychoactive products. The "Analyse ton prod'" network is also a partner in the SINTES system run by the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Tendencies (OFDT), playing an active role in health monitoring and observing trends in product mix and the arrival of new substances. In France, synthetic drugs, and in particular synthetic cathinones, are used in the context of chemsex: together with AIDES, the Fédération Addiction is leading the ARPA-Chemsex project, designed to model support and care for chemsex users by combining the skills of specialized addictology structures and LGBTI community health services, taking into account the specificities of the MSM public and the stigmatization issues associated with sexuality. Background information: https://www.federationaddiction.fr/thematiques/analyse-de-drogues/ ; https://www.federationaddiction.fr/actualites/prise-en-charge-du-chemsex-des-partenariats-pour-ameliorer-laccompagnement-et-la-pluridisciplinarite/ | federationaddiction.fr | Benjamin Tubiana-Rey | b.tubiana-rey@federationaddiction.fr |
| Fields of Green for ALL NPC | South Africa | For decades, drug policy has created violence and lawlessness. This has led to a dangerous pivot to synthetics, compounding legal uncertainties and public health issues. Focusing on human rights, harm reduction and policy reform are the only interventions that will benefit public health, anywhere in the world. Outdated and racist policies perpetuate a system that affects the health and safety of marginalised communities the world over. South Africa has just passed the first act of Parliament in Africa to legalise and regulate the Adult Use of Cannabis. Since 2011, our NGO has worked towards positioning the legal regulation of Cannabis as the gateway to more rational drug laws in our country. The most effective way to do this is through the regulation of “Dagga Private Clubs” (Cannabis Social Clubs in Europe). These associations tick all the boxes for putting people first and are an invaluable environment in which to enable the safe use of plant-based drugs in a wide variety of communities. These legally regulated spaces can serve as data gathering points and build bridges between governments, law enforcement and people on the ground whose lives are threatened by the rapidly expanding international market in synthetic drugs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EY-TDDLdbM / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJRPGCyU / https://fieldsofgreenforall.org.za/dagga-private-clubs/ /https://cannabisembassy.org/ https://cannabis2030.org/ | https://www.fieldsofgreenforall.org.za | Myrtle Clarke | myrtle@fieldsofgreenforall.org.za |
| Former Acting Board Chair of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP); no current affiliation. | United States | The “Undifference” Between Fentanyl and Heroin American Addiction Centers explain some of the differences between two popularly used opioids in an article entitled, “Fentanyl vs. Heroin: An Opioid Comparison.” Overdose fatalities involving heroin or fentanyl are rising. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that close to 30,000 Americans died from an opioid overdose in 2014. Overdose deaths from synthetic opioids like fentanyl nearly doubled from 2013 to 2014, and heroin overdose fatalities quadrupled from 2002 to 2013, the CDC publishes. Yet public attitudes and political realities continue to resist harm-reduction remedies such as safe-injection sites, drug treatment centers, pharmaceutical-based addiction treatment, drug maintenance programs for persons addicted to drugs, widespread naloxone availability, clean needle distribution, drug-dealer licensing, and government inspection and regulation of legalized illicit drug products. Commenting on this sad reality regarding safe-injection sites, Illinois state Rep. LaShawn K. Ford commented on the political reality, noting that support for safe injection sites is “bad politics.”226 Reflecting that same popular sentiment, and not in my backyard sentiment (NIMBY), the Haymarket Center recently filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court regarding a village’s denial of zoning relief to permit the conversion of a Holiday Inn into a disparately needed 240-bed, drug treatment facility in Itasca, Illinois, following two years of pleading, petitioning and thirty-five public hearings.227 Treatment centers, safe injection sites and legalized and labeled drugs could change the course of the deadly fentanyl overdose phenomenon, but lifesaving, healthy drug policy is counterintuitive and frightening to the current, vocal “silent majority.” 803 new synthetic drug concoctions were invented,160 deaths directly associated with drug use were up 6o%,161 less than 1% of the half of drug-trafficking revenues funneled into money laundering was seized (the whole of those revenues estimated to be $426-652 USD Billion),162 and illicit demand for ecstasy, cannabis and opioids was up by 33%, 17% and 16%, respectively.163 The 2009 Declaration and Plan continued to march society down the wrong, well-worn road — the 1961 Single Convention International Highway.” The Silver Bullet excerpts, https://www.amazon.com/Silver-Bullet-Solution-time-Drugs/dp/1592113389 Trinity Christian College, Gierach PowerPoint presentation, https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/i09u31u45zayr0tbt4ww5/Trinity-Christian-College_4.25.12.ppt?rlkey=w9ncjps8oe5b4fjeriwvmkjuk&dl=0. 30-minute Chicago cable-TV interview with Dan Bigg, https://www.dropbox.com/s/33xt5tbexbd47wo/Chicago%20War%20on%20Drugs%20with%20Dan%20Bigg.mp4?dl=0 | https://www.tumblr.com/jamesgierach | James E. Gierach | drugnews1ayahoo.com |
| GEMPITA (Red Ribbon Independent Movement) | Indonesia | Make policies that apply to all countries by looking at the facts that occur in problematic countries | Instagram : @yayasangempita | Samuel Naibaho | muelmueng.gempita@gmail.com |
| Global Commission on Drug Policy | Switzerland | We acknowledge that an unconscionable number of people are dying from the consumption of synthetic drugs available through illegal channels. The primary focus of international and national efforts on drug policy should be on saving lives and on reducing the harm caused by the consumption of illicit substances and by law enforcement efforts to stop that consumption. We urge the Coalition to ensure that no action it takes will jeopardise access to medicine for pain relief, anesthesia, and palliative care. Overall, the efforts of the Coalition should not replicate the harmful and repressive environment created by the international drug control framework. https://www.globalcommissionondrugs.org/reports/taking-control-pathways-to-drug-policies-that-work | https://www.globalcommissionondrugs.org/ | Anna Tomasi | anna.tomasi@globalcommissionondrugs.org |
| Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) | Switzerland | In recent years, the global landscape of illicit synthetic drug markets has undergone profound transformations, driven by a complex interplay of factors ranging from decentralized production models and deepening geopolitical schisms to open-source databases and other technological advancements. From the proliferation of dark web marketplaces to the emergence of new and novel psychoactive substances (NPS), these trends have generated significant and sometimes contradictory challenges to law enforcement agencies, public health systems and policymakers worldwide. Rapid, unregulated expansion of the global pharmaceutical and chemical sectors has been a fundamental driver behind what has become, over the last 10 years, but particularly in the last two years, a global explosion in illicit synthetic drug production, trafficking and use. A mass proliferation of chemists and firms producing and vending synthetic substances and their many precursors has helped propel an unprecedented propensity for licit industrial production channels and supply chains being diverted into illicit economic activity. One consequence of all this is the realization that synthetic drugs have become the future of drug trafficking. The diversion of precursor and pre-precursor chemicals from legitimate sources and supply chains has been a fundamental driver of the production of synthetic drugs on an industrial scale – and the harm that accompanies it. This diversion, either directly from the chemical and pharmaceutical enterprises that manufacture these substances or through acquisitions from compromised organizations that source supplies ostensibly on behalf of legitimate industrial end users, demonstrates the ineffectiveness of the current voluntary reporting and regulatory schemes that are in place across such a vast and complex industrial sector. The intersection of synthetic drug markets with other illicit activities further complicates efforts to address these challenges effectively. Organized criminal networks leverage the profits generated from synthetic drug production, trafficking and distribution to fund their criminal operations. This contributes to perpetuating cycles of violence and instability that are affecting an ever-greater proportion of countries around the world, and occurs alongside the exploitation of highly interconnected financial hubs, like Singapore, Panama and Dubai. In response to these evolving trends, governments and international organizations have sought to adopt a multifaceted approach, combining law enforcement efforts with public health initiatives. Some efforts have achieved positive results, particularly those that arise from public health-based objectives. However, the gravity of the crisis and, in particular, a recognition of the limits of our knowledge and capacity to understand and respond to what is happening in these markets around us, are inescapable. Enhanced international surveillance, cooperation and information sharing will become increasingly crucial in addressing the transnational nature of synthetic drug markets and their trade. Drug suppliers have adapted to shifts in the illicit drug landscape. As a consequence, these markets reflect a complex and dynamic global economy characterized by advances in technological innovation, the incessant exploitation of vulnerabilities that arise from a steadily globalizing transport and communications infrastructure, and the complicity of corrupted individuals and groups who operate throughout the global economy, without whom the illicit trafficking in synthetics (and other illegal commodities, for that matter) would not exist. https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Jason-Eligh-Global-synthetic-drug-markets-The-present-and-future-GI-TOC-March-2024.pdf | https://globalinitiative.net/ | Darren Brookbanks | darren.brookbanks@globalinitiative.net |
| Graduate Women International (GWI) | Switzerland | In response to the call, Graduate Women International (GWI) submits the following background and written statement. GWI founded in 1919, is a non-governmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, comprised of graduate women in more than 60 countries who are dedicated to advocating for safe access to quality education and lifelong training. Since 1947, GWI holds special consultative status with the United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), that allows GWI to submit written and oral statements, to the UN and its agencies thereby contributing to shaping international policies and programs that directly impact women and girls' education, a step towards reduce drug use. GWI's programs address critical barriers to education. Moreover, GWI recognizes that education is a powerful tool in combating synthetic drug threats by providing individuals with the knowledge and skills to pursue sustainable livelihoods, reducing the allure of illegal activities, and promoting social and economic stability in communities prone to drug trafficking and abuse. Written Statement: Education is crucial to propel opportunity, especially for women and low-income individuals. With synthetic drug issues on the rise globally, it is pivotal that States mobilize the power of education to mitigate these issues and pave the way for citizens to embark on sustainable and fruitful career paths. Education is the sole vehicle that can equip individuals with crucial life skills and worldly understanding to lead a successful future. Areas that lack essential education programs are those that lack economic opportunities, often leading to escalating drug trafficking issues. Paired with longstanding gender norms and inequalities, women, who globally endure lower access to education than their male counterparts, often suffer a disproportionately more significant effect on both ends of the synthetic drug trafficking issue. On one hand, women who suffer both economic and social resource disadvantages and are susceptible to domestic violence and human trafficking often turn to selling synthetic drugs to generate income or escape abuse. Additionally, the vulnerability and oppression that women face often make them more susceptible to drug abuse, further hindering their opportunity prospects and eliciting more significant societal discrimination in various institutions such as health care and social services. The Global Coalition must recognize education’s ability to propel productive career paths and lower synthetic drug trafficking issues. Moreover, they must recognize the interplay between systemic gender inequality and the increased adverse effects that women endure in the face of worsening synthetic drug trafficking issues. GWI urges The Global Coalition to: ● Increase funding for comprehensive drug-use prevention curricula to educate students about dangers of drugs. ● Work closely with expert, grassroots NGOs like GWI to promote equal access to education for women and girls, reducing their vulnerability to drug-related activities. ● Implement career guidance and skills training in low-income schools to provide alternatives to drug-related activities. ● Increase funding for rehabilitation centers that offer educational programs, helping individuals in recovery build drug-free futures. ● Develop and expand programs that educate communities about the links between human trafficking and drug abuse, empowering individuals to avoid these dangers. Equal education is the basis for propelling individuals into sustainable lifestyles and promoting a more inclusive culture, thus ensuring a conscious dealing with drug-related issues. The Global Coalition must recognize equal educational systems as pivotal to challenging escalating synthetic drug issues throughout the world and work towards implementing them with adequate funding and anti-drug initiatives. www.graduatewomen.org | www.graduatewomen.org | Stacy Dry Lara, Executive Director | sdl@graduatewomen.org |
| Institute for Narcotics Studies and Analysis (INSA) | India | What is concerning is the proclivity of synthetic drug use and its growing popularity amongst the users. Particularly in India, huge seizures of methamphetamine have raised alarms about its burgeoning use. The evolving landscape of processing, manufacturing and use with new actors and players have made it imperative to view the problem of tackling drug use with a new pair of lens. New and potent drugs continue to make its way into the market from the laboratories and will continue to do so. India has a growing pharmaceutical, textile and chemical industry and does it is so much easier to procure precursor chemicals with lenient controls. This is certainly a catalyst and incentive for Mexican and African drug cartels to spread its tentacles to India, partnering with some pharmaceutical companies and Individuals and shift its processing and manufacturing operations to India. Lets take the case of cocaine in India. In a report published in 2004, cocaine was not a commonly used illicit drug. Just about 0.01 % of the population used cocaine. By 2006, India emerged as a big cocaine market. By 2015, Mumbai was claimed to be the 'cocaine capital' of India followed by Delhi. This interestingly coincided with a global uptick in cocaine cultivation, manufacturing and trafficking followed by use. The extent of seizures went up from 8.667 kgs in 2021-22 to 310.21 kgs in 2022-23- up by a staggering 3479%. The retail price of cocaine went up from INR 4000 -5000 per gram in 2006 to INR 15.000 -20,000 per gram in 2023. The resilience of the cocaine markets is surprising. New methods of 'cocaine camouflaging' as Black Cocaine, Liquid Cocaine and Cream Cocaine lends credence to the the existence of illicit laboratories in India which has the technology to extract cocaine from the above modes once successfully smuggled. Coming back to India's tryst with precursor chemicals, ethyl acetate, one of the precursor chemicals for manufacturing the use of cocaine, is freely available in India. The market for ethyl acetate which was US$645.44 million in 2021 is expected to skyrocket to US$1200.88 million by 2029. Indian consumer market for cocaine is growing and there are clear indications that India's role in the international cocaine trade is changing, with increase in use and seizures presenting a grim reality of the harms perpetrated by synthetic drug use. | http://narcoinsa.in/ | Dr Kawal deep Kour | kawaldkour@gmail.com |
| Institute for Narcotics Studies and Analysis (INSA) | India | What is concerning is the proclivity of synthetic drug use and its growing popularity amongst the users. Particularly in India, huge seizures of methamphetamine have raised alarms about its burgeoning use. The evolving landscape of processing, manufacturing and use with new actors and players have made it imperative to view the problem of tackling drug use with a new pair of lens. New and potent drugs continue to make its way into the market from the laboratories and will continue to do so. India has a growing pharmaceutical, textile and chemical industry and does it is so much easier to procure precursor chemicals with lenient controls. This is certainly a catalyst and incentive for Mexican and African drug cartels to spread its tentacles to India, partnering with some pharmaceutical companies and Individuals and shift its processing and manufacturing operations to India. Lets take the case of cocaine in India. In a report published in 2004, cocaine was not a commonly used illicit drug. Just about 0.01 % of the population used cocaine. By 2006, India emerged as a big cocaine market. By 2015, Mumbai was claimed to be the 'cocaine capital' of India followed by Delhi. This interestingly coincided with a global uptick in cocaine cultivation, manufacturing and trafficking followed by use. The extent of seizures went up from 8.667 kgs in 2021-22 to 310.21 kgs in 2022-23- up by a staggering 3479%. The retail price of cocaine went up from INR 4000 -5000 per gram in 2006 to INR 15.000 -20,000 per gram in 2023. The resilience of the cocaine markets is surprising. New methods of 'cocaine camouflaging' as Black Cocaine, Liquid Cocaine and Cream Cocaine lends credence to the the existence of illicit laboratories in India which has the technology to extract cocaine from the above modes once successfully smuggled. Coming back to India's tryst with precursor chemicals, ethyl acetate, one of the precursor chemicals for manufacturing the use of cocaine, is freely available in India. The market for ethyl acetate which was US$645.44 million in 2021 is expected to skyrocket to US$1200.88 million by 2029. Indian consumer market for cocaine is growing and there are clear indications that India's role in the international cocaine trade is changing, with increase in use and seizures presenting a grim reality of the harms perpetrated by synthetic drug use. | http://narcoinsa.in/ | Dr Kawal deep Kour | kawaldkour@gmail.com |
| Instituto RIA | Mexico | The international drug control treaties, specifically the 1961 Single Convention on Drugs (SCD) does provide a pathway to legal markets, provided it is for medical or scientific purposes. A country could choose to undertake the cultivation of opium poppy production, duly notifying the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) and establishing a government agency to oversee all aspects of the production chain, including the exportation to countries with an interest in providing a harm-reducing alternative to the illegal injection drugs market. Although we advocate for the full, legal regulation of all drugs for adult use, a poppy cultivation pilot project to export opium products could occur more quickly within a medicinal, therapeutic or research framework. Numerous countries have implemented medical heroin programs (including Switzerland, Germany, and the UK), However, this policy proposal would also integrate a diversity of products and economic opportunities for communities that cultivate, rather than a pharmaceutical model that usually maintains such benefits within a singular company. If Mexico were to opt for regulating opium for medicinal use, the country would send a notification to the INCB, identifying the area and geographical location of cultivation and the approximate quantity of opium that will be produced. A government agency would need to oversee all aspects, including determining licensed cultivators and administering the harvesting of the production. This agency could also integrate social equity mechanisms to ensure participation of communities most impacted by prohibition. The agency would have exclusive rights to import, export, and wholesale as well as maintain stocks and licenses held by manufacturers of opium alkaloids and medicinal opium, as defined in the 1961 SCD. The Mexican government could be responsible for quality testing, analysis, and exportation; this legal framework would then permit other countries to purchase poppy tea, opium gum and other opium-based products (including heroin) from the country, as a life-saving harm reduction complement. An import and export authorization or certificate would need to be issued by the appropriate and relevant authorities in both the import and export countries. Allowing for the legal production of poppy and opium gum would mean cultivating communities could legally protect their right to work, and all its encompassing benefits. A pilot project for the legal regulation of opium gum that envisions a social justice approach would include bring in vulnerable groups, especially youth and women, as well as repairing the harms of prohibition through licensing exclusivity. Providing a legal framework to work safely and with dignity would allow these families to access other basic services, such as education and healthcare, as well as reduce displacement and conflict caused by the militarised response to the prohibition of this industry. The safe supply of opium gum and manually extracted heroin could improve harm reduction and treatment options worldwide, while providing economic opportunities for communities that cultivate poppy. People who use drugs, particularly those that inject drugs, can and must be provided with a broad range of products, including opium that can be smoked or eaten. Once people have a spectrum of options, they might choose to reduce injecting and, in that way, reduce undesired health consequences such as abscesses, overdoses or disease transmission. Offering a wider range of products, including poppy tea and opium gum, as well as heroin, would better meet the needs and rights of people who use drugs. Background information: https://www.talkingdrugs.org/could-opium-gum-be-the-solution-to-the-overdose-crisis/, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349069808_Tracing_a_path_for_opium_gum_from_Mexico_as_a_safe_supply_harm_reduction_measure_for_Canada | www.institutoRIA.org | Zara Snapp | zsnapp@gmail.com |
| International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) | Global (members in 75 countries, secretariat in Ghana, Netherlands, Thailand and UK) | On behalf of the IDPC network of 196 NGO members from 75 countries around the world, we wish to submit four main recommendations and observations to the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats to support their work to generate actions and collaboration in response to the rise in synthetic drug markets. 1. Firstly, efforts to raise awareness of a fast-growing synthetic opioid overdose crisis must prioritise better data collection around the issue. It is a significant failing of UNODC and the World Drug Reports, that 2019 global data (around 500,000 drug-related deaths per year) are still being reported in 2023. In contrast, the IDPC ‘Shadow Report’ for the midterm review in 2024 (linked below) highlights how outdated this number likely is: available regional and national data point to an alarming rise, with more than 100,000 overdose deaths in 2022 in the USA alone. Better data will also clarify that this is a problem caused by fentanyl and other high-potency synthetic opioids – and not by tramadol and other synthetic drugs that are targeted by some governments, especially in Africa. Furthermore, data should be disaggregated by age, gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status, as preliminary research from civil society shows the disproportionate impacts of overdose poisoning deaths on people of African descent and people living in poverty. 2. Linked to the above, and building on the groundbreaking 2024 CND resolution on overdose, this crisis has to be seen first and foremost as a health crisis that requires a robust, evidence-based health response. It requires greater access to, and funding for, essential and lifesaving harm reduction and treatment services: widespread access to naloxone (including peer distribution), drug checking services, needle and syringe programmes, overdose prevention sites / drug consumption rooms, low threshold access to opioid antagonist treatment, as well as safer supply programmes. These are the strongest lines of defence we have against escalating death rates. Energy and resources must not be misspent on scaling up punitive responses, law enforcement or the stigmatisation of drug use – these will simply keep people from accessing help, and place them more at risk. 3. Thirdly, the rhetoric around the response to rising synthetic drug use and supply continues to omit one key reality: these high-risk changes to drug markets are a direct result of the international drug control system itself. As early as 2008, UNODC acknowledged “unintended consequences” of the system they oversee – including a lucrative, global criminal market, the treatment of people who use drugs as criminals, and “substance displacement” which was even back then identified as the cause of “the increasing popularity of synthetic drugs” (UNODC, Making drug control ‘fit for purpose’, 2008). Government attempts to arrest, incarcerate and punish as a way to overcome the overdose crisis are doomed to fail, and will simply be fuelling stigmatising, ill-informed mantras at the cost of human lives. Responding to the overdose crisis also requires decriminalising drug use and related activities, to remove all sanctions against people who use drugs - as well as the consideration of responsible regulation for all drugs - as recommended by the OHCHR among others. This crisis should also be an opening for serious, honest international debate about how to modernise an outdated drug control system to respond effectively to the current realities. 4. Finally, with the Global Coalition initiative set to end in 2024, it is essential that civil society is included in all future efforts. NGOs, and especially those with lived experience, have an irreplaceable role to play in designing, implementing and evaluating the response at all levels. Their engagement should not be an afterthought, nor a box-checking exercise – but a commitment to use their expertise and experience to help save lives. https://idpc.net/publications/2023/12/idpc-shadow-report-2024, https://www.ohchr.org/en/calls-for-input/2023/call-inputs-ohchrs-report-human-rights-challenges-addressing-and-countering | www.idpc.net | Ann Fordham | contact@idpc.net |
| International Helping for the Young | Chad | To fight against synthetic drugs, civil society must have capacity building how to fight against synthetic drugs, to have a solution for generations | https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088450118976&mibextid=ZbWKwL | Mahmat Abdelkerim Abbas | internationalhelpingyoung67@gmail.com |
| International Movement for Advancement of Education Culture Social & Economic Development (IMAECSED) | India | Drug abuse has a direct impact on major social and economic aspect of the nation. In the present growing trend of globalization and resilient digital economy there is no part of any country or region the world which is free from drug abuse. The connotation of drug is a phenomenon which is primarily used for medical or prescribed drug but due to its vast global supply chain and increasing productivity, pushing upwards its demand, as a result drug users are not within the parameter of prescribed or legal drug it is take turn mostly on synthetic or illegal drug. Illicitly-manufactured synthetic drugs such as fentanyl, Tramadol, methamphetamine, captagon, MDMA, and ketamine threaten the health, security and well being of people around the world. Synthetic Drug Threats cut across both public health and criminal justice; within a country no single agency can provide the solution: law enforcement, regulatory, commercial, and public health entities must work together both within their borders and around the world. One vital part play in this coalition process prevention of illicit manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs, detecting emerging drug threats and use patterns, promoting public health interventions and services to prevent and reduce drug use, overdose, and other health related problems Background information: It leads to unsafe life. Drug addiction not only breaks the family harmony but also puts high economic burden on the society. The economic impact due to Drug abuse is immeasurable. The use, production and marketing of drugs, emergence of a class of drug consumers is a huge challenge for mankind. It ultimately leads to unemployment, weak human resources, weak brain power, unhealthy society and increasing crime at large. The socioeconomic impact is associated with the expenditure incurred. We need to design a policy to prevent drug abuse. We must develop a prevention strategy and we need to educate the youth and protect the human resources. The impact is felt in various domains of life such as: family, industries, workplace and economy of the country. According to UNDCP report, the economic effects of drug abuse can be measured in two forms, i.e. cost of government drug enforcement polices and the lost human productivity such as lost wages and decreased production that results from illness and premature deaths related to drug abuse. There are many hidden costs relating to disturbance in social life, wastage of young energy and increased crimes. In simple terms socio-economic impact of drug abuse means undesirable or negative changes in the social fabric due to drug abuse; it also includes negative economic impact on individual, society and Government. It has many aspects. Use of drug by common people leads to many social consequences such as – Instability in family relationship, Domestic Violence, Crime prone life, Reduction of sense of belongingness to the family and the society. There is also lack of social harmony and happiness within the family. On the other hand, family plays an important role in the life of an individual. Family members have a strong bond with each other, they support each other, face crisis together and affect the behavior and attitude of each other. Once any member becomes a drug addict the entire family is negatively affected. The family can play a major role in preventing drug addiction within the family. Further even if unfortunately a member becomes a drug addict, deaddiction is impossible without the support of the family. Doctors alone cannot cure a drug addict without the support of the family. Use of drugs by any family member particularly the parents and the elders negatively affect the young ones. Weak family link also reduces its influence for preventing drug abuse. It has been found that use of drugs by elders leads to use by youngsters. Use of drugs by a family member creates a vicious circle of drug users and its leads to a drug prone society. Family is the basic unit of the society. The harmony of the family depends on the family members. When one member of family becomes drug abuser then he disturbs the entire family harmony. Every family member suffers due to a single drug abuser. It affects the life style, behavior, personality formation of the children and also financial condition of the family. The money spent on drugs can be put to better use. Amongst the poor the spending on drugs deprives others from food. The nation also pay heavy price in terms of workforce and from economic point of view relating to absenteeism, lack of performance and accidents at work place are the common problems created by the drug abusers. The drug abusers show criminal attitude in family. It ultimately breaks down the family bondage. Parents of young drug abuser suffer a lot. Parents cannot face the child who is taking drugs and behaves abnormally. When the younger ones observe the elders using drugs, they wrongly assume that drug abuse is an accepted behavior. The family members ultimately accept this with anger, fear, shame and embarrassment. Drug abuser in family generally shows socially unacceptable behaviors, violence, aggression, irresponsibility and selfishness. Many addicts also indulge in gambling. Drug addicts in the family affect children negatively. They create fear amongst children. When the | https://www.facebook.com/imaecsed | Samir Kumar Das | samirkdaslegal@gmail.com |
| International Police Organization | Serbia | In Serbia there is a very little information about synthetic drugs. Users, especially young people often think that a pill is safe, that cocaine is always pure and only with natural content . We need support for stong campaign against synthetic drugs | www.iposrbija.rs | Ilija Zivotic | ilijazivotic@gmail.com president@interpolice.org |
| INTERPOL CENTER UN | Canada | www.un-ipc.com | www.un-ipc.com | VALERII PAVLOV | interpolcentr@gmail.com |
| Journey ngo | Maldives | I strongly recommend governments to address the synthetic drug threat through a balanced approach consisting of supply, demand and harm reduction. International pressure could be important to move countries that have remained stagnant in addressing national drug challenges, leaving the challenge to escalate. Additionally countries such as the Maldives were resources are scarce need international support that could empower us to mitigate the devastating effects of synthetic drugs. We need research to understand the shift form depressants to stimulant use among our drug users, to better be able to formulate targeted interventions. | Ali Adyb | alyadyb@gmail.com | |
| Mainline | Netherlands | For any initiative to be successful, the people concerned should not only be engaged or consulted, but should have a position of influence in the design of the initiative, as well as in it's management, implementation and monitoring. Background information: https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/publications/nothing-about-us-without-us (old, but not outdated). | https://mainline.nl/en | Ancella Voets | a.voets@mainline.nl |
| MENANPUD | Pakistan | To effectively address the synthetic drug threat, the Global Coalition should focus on comprehensive strategies that encompass both supply and demand reduction measures. This includes: Enhanced international cooperation: Strengthening collaboration among countries to share intelligence, resources, and best practices in combating synthetic drug trafficking networks. Targeted law enforcement efforts: Prioritizing investigations and interdictions to disrupt the production, distribution, and sale of synthetic drugs, particularly through coordinated operations targeting key trafficking routes and organizations. Capacity building: Supporting capacity-building initiatives in countries affected by synthetic drug trafficking to improve their ability to detect, investigate, and prosecute synthetic drug-related crimes. Public health approach: Implementing evidence-based prevention, treatment, and harm reduction programs to reduce demand for synthetic drugs and mitigate their impact on individuals, families, and communities. Research and innovation: Investing in research and innovation to better understand emerging synthetic drug trends, develop new detection methods, and identify effective interventions to address the evolving nature of the synthetic drug threat. Multilateral partnerships: Engaging with international organizations, such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as regional and non-governmental organizations, to leverage their expertise and resources in addressing the synthetic drug challenge on a global scale. By adopting a multifaceted approach that combines law enforcement, public health, research, and international cooperation, the Global Coalition can work towards reducing the production, trafficking, and consumption of synthetic drugs and protecting public health and safety worldwide. Background information: http://menahra.org/en/menahra-resources/external-publications/591-methadone-and-art-will-help-to-reduce-hiv-transmission-among-pwid http://sti.bmj.com/content/93/Suppl_2/A231.2 | https://twitter.com/MENANPUDOFCL | Zeeshan Ayyaz | amitielwelfare@gmail.com |
| México Unido Contra la Delincuencia | Mexico | States should adopt a policy based on further establishing a better information and health-based approach to deal with synthetic drugs, as well as a push towards regulation, which is the only long-term solution to the misuse of synthetic drugs and other illicit drugs. The illicit market will exist, and as such a more health-based approach to these substances needs to be adopted. On many senses, the lack of information, the serious size of both what we do know but also what we ignore, make this a serious concern for the current government. In terms of drug use, recollection, analyses and publication of the data is essential to develop better public policies on harm reduction. It’s also important to have more accurate data on the cross contamination of other substances of synthetic drugs. Government has the opportunity to push for a collaboration with many civil society organizations that are currently working on the field doing this work. This would allow for better interventions at the local level, as well as the development of information campaigns which avoid harmful and racist stereotypes and are directed at drug uses who are in most danger to overdose. The illicit market will exist, and as such a more health-based approach to these substances needs to be adopted. Around the world, civil society organizations have been pushing for a harm reduction approach to address health issues associated with drugs use, and a better policy would require a support for them from the government instead of their criminalization. | https://www.mucd.org.mx | Jonathan De Vicente Encarnación | j.devicente@mucd.org.mx |
| NANSANA DIVISION COALITION AGAINST DRUGS | Uganda | Unveiling the Harmful Surge of New, Inexpensive Alcoholic Beverages and Their Impact on Youth Mortality in Nansana Division as an emerging threat. Background Information: The Nansana Division Coalition Against Drugs, a community-based organization, initiated a research project to investigate the alarming rise of inexpensive alcoholic beverages in the local market and their potential contribution to the untimely deaths of young individuals. This study aimed to shed light on the prevalence and impact of these newly emerging brands on the community's youth. | https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067331221862&mibextid=LQQJ4d | NAKINTU GRACE | nansanadivisioncoalition@gmail.com |
| Organization of the fight Against Narcotics, Prohibited Drinks, Smoking and Alcoholism (OLCOS) | Burundi | My contribution is based on the criminal justice system, including alternatives to incarceration as well as synthetic drug trafficking. It is expected that all Governments around the world will put in place effective laws and strategies to combat drug trafficking by mobilizing their police and legal institutions Background information: The information I want to share with others is how drug trafficking and its consumption have become a serious threat to developing countries as well as developing countries. | Page: www.facebook.com/olcos | Raphael NGENDAKUMANA | raphangendakumanaa@gmail.com |
| REAJUD | Mozambique | We intend to learn more about synthetic drug addiction treatment. Harm Reduction or drug verification programs do not yet address synthetic drugs, although they exist and are gaining an ever-growing market. | Job Mutombene | mutmoz@gmail.com | |
| Rotary Action Group for Addiction Prevention | Belgium | Prevention: Project Youth Prevention Influencers (YPI) in line with UNODC Youth Initiative, RAG AP is developing a training for trainers to train candidate YPI, selected by Rotary clubs in cooperation with local NGO's. After their training YPI's are encouraged and supported to develop their own prevention actions in their own youth environment also supported by ongoing evaluation by an academic institute to enable permanent adaptation of their actions. A pilot is running in Belgium, dissemination in EU will follow end of 2024 and International in 2025 throughout the international network of Rotary clubs and districts. | www.rag-ap.org | Johan Maertens | info@rag-ap.org |
| The J Healthcare Initiative | Canada | Predictive modelling on the fatalities caused by the emerging synthetic adulterants, policy recommendations. https://drive.google.com/file/d/19QT7UKohatCMN03TJHakYZHT0w-POcIM/view?usp=sharing | Instagram: jinitiativeorg | Atika Juristia | atika@j-initiative.org |
| Washington Office on Latin America | United States | The Global Coalition aims to "produce action and results" and the Coalition's design includes elements of "data collection, analysis and trends" as well as "policy formulation". But the Coalition appears to make no provision either for considering or for generating broader social-scientific research and evaluation. Even the most well-intended policies can lead to negative unintended consequences. Given the emergence of synthetic drugs within the dynamics of the existing prohibitionist drug control regime, what unintended consequences does research already indicate we should be mindful of as policies and strategies are being formulated to address synthetics within the confines of the existing control regime? And what provision is being made to ensure that the "actions and results" that are produced by the Global Coalition are subject to meaningful research evaluation going forward? The Global Coalition should explicitly prioritize the creation of and support for independent social science research to help understand and assess the role of the Coalition itself and of the various policies and practices that the Coalition endorses and supports. | www.wola.org | John Walsh | jwalsh@wola.org |
| Youth RISE | International (based in Vienna) | Our International Working Group member Tobias Niblock, has conducted qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 25 practitioners in the fields of youth work, alternative education, policing, restorative justice, and substance use services in Northern Ireland. His research aims to uncover the extent of young people’s involvement in drug distribution, their motivations for participation, the associated risks, and potential interventions for exiting. These findings are preliminary, and although the research does not focus specifically on Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS), their prevalence has become apparent and will be analyzed further. One unexpected theme that has emerged is the use of synthetic cannabinoids among young people aged 14-25. These substances, often referred to as ‘spice’ or ‘pine’, are primarily being vaped. The widespread use of vaping among young people reflects a broader trend. Nearly all professionals interviewed expressed concerns about the vaping of synthetic cannabinoids, noting significant mental health issues such as anxiety, paranoia, and depression. Physical health issues, while mentioned, were considered less prevalent. Synthetic cannabinoids appear to be purchased both intentionally and unintentionally, often being mistaken for THC e-liquid or disposable vapes. THC vapes are common in Northern Ireland and typically cost more than £50, while synthetic cannabinoid vapes range from £10-£50 per bottle of e-liquid. Some young people buy these e-liquids or vapes thinking they contain THC or its semi-synthetic derivatives (e.g., Delta-9-THC, HHC, HXC), but instead receive synthetic cannabinoids. Although no samples have been tested to confirm the exact substances, the term 'spice' is used by participants to describe them. The affordability of these substances makes them accessible to young people. Schools are facing significant problems with the use, buying, and selling of synthetic cannabinoids on their premises, sometimes during class time. Incidents are reportedly frequent, driven by peer pressure and, in some cases, ‘spiking’—where individuals are given vapes containing synthetic cannabinoids instead of THC. The ease of obtaining, concealing, and affording these substances further motivates their use. The issue is serious, with minimal understanding of how to address it. There is little harm reduction advice available related to spice use. It remains unclear what specific substances are being used, complicating efforts to mitigate harm. Practitioners aim to end the use of synthetic cannabinoids, often substituting them with cannabis, for which harm reduction strategies are better developed in Northern Ireland. Vaping is more easily concealable than smoking, making it harder for parents, guardians, teachers, or the general public to detect. Young people perceive vaping as less harmful than smoking, and may underestimate the potency of synthetic cannabinoids. Effective harm reduction measures include: Lab Testing: Testing e-liquid substances to identify their contents and mitigate further harms. Raising Awareness: Educating young people in both formal and informal settings about safer usage practices and expected effects of synthetic cannabinoids. Practitioner Education: Training practitioners to recognize symptoms of negative reactions to synthetic cannabinoids. Testing Strips: Providing testing strips to check for specific substances, which is particularly important as nitazenes emerge in the UK and NI drug markets. These measures aim to better understand and address the pervasive issue of synthetic cannabinoid use among young people in Northern Ireland. More details in the additional background information: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GN5VnwhlMro1ahZkwjLcPrkFN-X3ESmQvgGETJ7DWiI/edit?usp=sharing | www.youthrise.org | Rebeca Marques Rocha | rmarques@youthrise.org |
| Youth RISE | International (based in Vienna) | Lessons Learned and Recommendations on Harm Reduction for Young Opioid Users Alfonso Chávez, the harm reduction coordinator at Prevencasa in Tijuana, Mexico, has nearly a decade of experience. Prevencasa works to reduce HIV and STI transmission and provides free healthcare and harm reduction services to young people in challenging conditions, such as drug users, migrants, deportees, sex workers, and the homeless. In Tijuana, a heavily militarized area with significant fentanyl presence, young opioid users face high risks due to limited access to naloxone and methadone. Between 2021 and 2022, Chávez and his colleagues reversed over 900 overdoses, with a 99% success rate in preventing fatalities. This highlights the critical importance of naloxone and harm reduction services and the need for empathy towards young drug users. During December, Chávez and harm reduction practitioners from various countries discussed challenges and proposed recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders. Key lessons learned and recommendations include: • Safe Drug Supply: The absence of a safe drug supply increases harm and overdoses. Policies must ensure drug testing facilities and safe consumption rooms. Providing a safe drug supply is crucial to reducing accidental overdoses. • Prohibition and Punitive Policies: These contribute to stigma and discrimination, deterring young opioid users from seeking services. Policymakers must adopt supportive, health-centered approaches to reduce stigma and encourage service access. • Quality Healthcare: Stigma and surveillance hinder access to medical and social support. Efforts should create youth-tailored healthcare services and dismantle access barriers. Training for healthcare providers to offer compassionate, non-judgmental care is essential. • Political Inaction: The lack of political commitment and funding obstructs effective responses. Prioritizing accessible naloxone, syringe and needle access, and funding for harm reduction organizations is critical. Resources like safe consumption rooms are essential. • Supportive Services Over Surveillance: Creating non-judgmental environments that promote access to services is vital. Supportive services should focus on well-being rather than punitive surveillance. More findings and recommendations from the aforementioned study can be found here: https://youthrise.org/resources/catalysts-for-change-youth-driven-insights-in-opioid-harm-reduction/ We urge policymakers to adopt a human rights and evidence-based approach to protect young opioid users, emphasizing drug regulation, destigmatization, youth-tailored healthcare, and support for harm reduction practitioners. | www.youthrise.org | Rebeca Marques Rocha | rmarques@youthrise.org |
