For information only – not an official document
UNIS/NAR/1458
25 May 2022
VIENNA 25 May (UN Information Service) – The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) met civil society representatives today to hear their perspectives on the trend towards legalizing the non-medical use of drugs, particularly cannabis. The meeting was held during the Board’s 134th session currently taking place in Vienna.
At the meeting, the INCB President Jagjit Pavadia said: “INCB has recognized the important work being carried out by non-governmental organizations towards achieving the objectives of the drug control conventions, particularly in the field.”
As part of the ongoing INCB dialogue with civil society, speakers from a broad spectrum of civil society organizations from around the world shared their views, experiences and ideas with the Board on trends in the legalization of certain drugs for non-medical use. The Board will take the civil society perspectives into consideration when preparing the thematic chapter of its 2022 Annual Report on the topic to be launched in early 2023.
The contributions from the meeting will be made available on the website of the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs, which selected the speakers and coordinated the participation of over ninety NGO observers. The Chair of the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs, Jamie Bridge, also addressed the meeting.
In closing, the INCB President expressed appreciation to the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs for its role in facilitating INCB’s cooperation with civil society, including through such dialogues and during INCB country missions.
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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.
The Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs (VNGOC) was established in 1983 to provide a link between non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the Vienna-based agencies involved in setting drug policy: the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
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For further information please contact:
INCB Secretariat
Telephone for media inquiries: (+43-1) 26060 4163
Email: incb.secretariat[at]un.org
Website: www.incb.org
