Committee Opinion | Doc. 15114 | 10 June 2020
Drug policy and human rights in Europe: a baseline study
Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
A. Conclusions of the Committee
(open)B. Proposed amendments
(open)Amendment A (to the draft resolution)
In paragraph 3, add the following words after “international human rights standards”:
“and a public health approach”.
Amendment B (to the draft resolution)
Move sub-paragraph 4.2.1. to become sub-paragraph 4.1.1.
Amendment C (to the draft resolution)
Add the following new sub-paragraph after sub-paragraph 4.1.1.:
“considering shifting overall competence for the co-ordination of drug policy from the Ministry of Interior to the Ministry of Health”
Amendment D (to the draft resolution)
Add, at the end of sub-paragraph 4.1.2.:
“including indicators that focus on the direct impact of drug policies on people;”
Amendment E (to the draft resolution)
Add, at the end of sub-paragraph 4.1.3.:
“while paying particular attention to obtaining and disseminating gender- and age-disaggregated data on children’s drug use and related harms and on the nature of children’s involvement in the illicit drug trade;”
Amendment F (to the draft resolution)
Add, at the end of sub-paragraph 4.1.3.:
“including people who use drugs and other affected communities, as well as civil society organisations and experts in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of drug laws and policies;”
Amendment G (to the draft resolution)
In sub-paragraph 4.2.2., replace “honest” with “objective and accurate”.
Amendment H (to the draft resolution)
Insert the following new sub-paragraph after sub-paragraph 4.2.2.:
“taking all appropriate human rights-compliant measures, including legislative, administrative, social, educational and capacity-building measures, to protect children from the illicit use of drugs, including by guaranteeing the adequate availability and accessibility of prevention, harm reduction and treatment services tailored to their needs, and to prevent the use of children in illicit drug production and trafficking”;
Amendment I (to the draft resolution)
In sub-paragraph 4.3.1., add after “chronic” the words “and relapsing”.
Amendment J (to the draft resolution)
In sub-paragraph 4.3.2., replace “disproportionate” with “negative”.
Amendment K (to the draft resolution)
Add the following two new sub-paragraphs after sub-paragraph 4.3.2.:
“paying particular attention to the health and social needs of people who use drugs from the most marginalised sectors of society, and to the specific needs of women, children and adolescents;”
“prioritising health care and social support in community settings for the treatment and rehabilitation of drug dependence;”
Amendment L (to the draft resolution)
In sub-paragraph 4.4.1., replace “effectively prohibited” with “eliminated”.
Amendment M (to the draft resolution)
Add the following two new sub-paragraphs after sub-paragraph 4.4.2.:
“as regards children, adhering to the Council of Europe’s guidelines on child-friendly justice, targeting efforts primarily at diversion from the criminal justice system and promoting rehabilitation over punishment, as well as refraining from criminalising children because of their drug use or possession of drugs for personal use;”
“training law enforcement agencies in harm reduction and increasing efforts to promote public health and human rights, including by building a constructive engagement and partnership between law enforcement officials and health providers;”
Amendment N (to the draft resolution)
In sub-paragraph 4.4.3., replace “eliminate human rights abuses by” with “effectively fight”.
Amendment O (to the draft recommendation)
In sub-paragraph 2.1., replace “human rights as a cornerstone of” with “a human rights and public health approach to”.
Amendment P (to the draft recommendation)
In sub-paragraph 2.2., add the following words after “for individuals and”:
“public health, as well as”