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Eastern European health crisis demands new drug policy

A new report highlights health and human rights impact of drug policy

 

 

Vienna-Vilnius, March 10, 2009 -- Over the last 10 years, increasing problem drug use and a limited response in Eastern Europe has led to epidemics of HIV and hepatitis.  On the eve of a high level UN meeting to determine the future directions of global drug policy, the Eurasian Harm Reduction Network, in its new report, calls for practical solutions grounded in science and human rights.   

The Eurasian Harm Reduction Network (EHRN) researched the progress in 4 countries of Eastern Europe all of which have experienced a major increase in drug related problems.  Prevalence of drug injection in Russia and Ukraine are now among the highest in the world.  Between 1% and 2% of the population in both countries inject drugs and in both countries some of the world’s highest rates of HIV and hepatitis among injecting drug users are seen. The specter of the HIV epidemic spreading to the general population has led to some improvement drug policy, as programs began to be developed to provide medical and social services to people affected by drug dependency.

 

Though the evidence clearly shows that needle exchange programs, opioid substitution therapy and alternatives to imprisonment for drug users reduce the social and health costs of drug use to society, the application of these programs continues to be debated and therefore they are available only to less than 2% of those in need.  Drug dependency treatment is available to only 1.9 - 10% of those in need in the 4 countries.  While Lithuania, Georgia and Ukraine have improved access to modern drug dependency treatment, Russia continues to ban low-cost, effective drug treatment options like opioid substitution therapy.

 

On March 11 – 12, 2009, a high-level segment of the 52nd session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs will convene during which ministers and other high-level government officials will evaluate the implementation and consequences of the Political Declaration adopted at the UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on drugs in 1998 and will adopt a new Political Declaration.  The 1998 Declaration committed UN member states to achieve significant and measurable results in reduction of the illicit supply and demand for drugs in 10 years.

 

The new EHRN report entitled, “The impact of drug policy on health and human rights in Eastern Europe: 10 years after UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs,” calls for a more balanced approach to drug policy with investment in public health and human rights equal to the investment that is made in reducing the supply of drugs.

 

Key findings:

·         Georgia, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine tracked a rapid growth of drug use and problem drug use with stabilization of the growth within last few years;

·         Numbers of people ‘officially’ registered as drug users doubled in Lithuania and Russia

·         In Georgia, Russia and Ukraine, national drug policy documents and budgets focus reducing drug supply as the key pillar of drug policy, neglecting investment in drug demand or harm reduction.

·         Lithuania has a better balance between focus on drug supply and demand reduction policies.  Since European Union accession health spending per drug user has increased significantly.

·         Georgia remains the only country of the four that still criminalizes drug use per se.  More money budgeted for drug testing than on drug dependency treatment. Fines for users who test positive may reach up to 200% of the average monthly salary.

·         In all 4 countries, many people are incarcerated for drug related crimes and few have access to harm reduction services while rates of HIV in prisons is high and HIV transmission in prisons is recorded

·         No alternatives to imprisonment are foreseen in Georgia and Russia; but are in legislation of Lithuania and Ukraine

·         In Russia and Ukraine, the police subject drug users to physical and psychological abuse.

·         In Georgia, Russia and Ukraine, though all countries have ratified the Universal Declaration on human rights, but none of them mention human rights in the context of drug policies;

·         Russia and Ukraine experienced one of the fastest growing epidemics in the world in the last 5-6 years with almost 90% of 1.5 million Eastern Europeans with HIV living in those countries. Up to, 60-80% of all people living with HIV are injecting drug users.