For information only - not an official document
UNIS/NAR/1372
4 February 2019
VIENNA, 4 February 2019 (UN Information Service) - The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) opened its 124th session today in Vienna, Austria.
During this session, which will continue until 8 February, the Board will focus on its cooperation with governments, in particular by reviewing the findings of its recent missions to Armenia, Germany, Jamaica, Luxembourg, Paraguay, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
The Board will also continue its dialogue with international organizations, with consultations planned with the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Chair of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND).
INCB will make final preparations for the global launch of its Annual Report for 2018, in March. The Annual Report for 2018 includes a thematic chapter on the risks and benefits of medical use of cannabis and cannabis derivatives and the potential impact of "recreational" use. It reviews the status of treaty compliance by States, with due attention given to proportionality of responses to drug-related crime and the obligation of States to observe human rights, the rule of law and due legal process in implementing their treaty commitments and obligations. The Report will be accompanied by the INCB precursors report and a special publication on the availability of internationally controlled medicines, which will review progress made by Governments and further steps required, particularly in national health systems. The main launch of the INCB 2018 reports will take place in Vienna with the President of the Board on 5 March 2019.
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INCB is the independent, quasi-judicial body charged with promoting and monitoring Government compliance with the three international drug control conventions: the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the 1988 Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. Established by the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, the thirteen members of the Board are elected in a personal capacity by the Economic and Social Council for terms of five years.
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For further information, please contact:
INCB Secretariat
Telephone for media inquiries: (+43-1) 26060 4163
Email:
incb.secretariat@un.org
Website: www.incb.org
