What is going on during the informal meetings in Vienna?
The UNGASS and the UN guidelines so far have been exclusively based on a “Zero Tolerance” policy: in 1961, the deadline set for the total eradication of Coca was 25 years, and it was 15 years for Cannabis. Today we are assessing why another deadline, of 10 years, has again failed. So you have a group of countries which are stepping away from the idea of “Zero Tolerance”, and that’s where the “Harm Reduction” principle comes in, which has become a symbolic focus of discussion in Vienna. Some countries have to accept that drug use is here to stay, and give more attention to the most harmful effects of drug use and of the existence of the illicit market. They also need to try and balance the negative effects of repression and discuss what is the most effective policy to reduce those dangers, instead of perpetuating the illusion that drugs can be wiped out from the planet. The EU is very explicitly in favour of this policy shift; it keeps demanding “harm reduction” language, and stressing
