INCB mission to the Federal Republic of Germany
VIENNA, 6 September 2018 - An INCB mission visited the Federal Republic of Germany from 3 to 5 September 2018. The mission was conducted by Prof. Jallal Toufiq, First Vice-President of INCB, accompanied by Mr. Adrian Moicean, Drug Control Officer of the INCB Secretariat. The last mission to the Federal Republic of Germany took place in July 2003. The mission was organized by the Ministry of Health.
The objective of the mission was to review the drug control situation in the Federal Republic of Germany and the Government's compliance with the three international drug control conventions to which Germany is a party. The situation of, and the actions by the Government to counter drug trafficking, to prevent drug abuse and to provide treatment and rehabilitation for drug dependent persons as well as the availability of narcotic drugs including cannabis, and psychotropic substances for medical purposes were also discussed.
The mission met with the Federal Drugs Commissioner as well as with high level officials of the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Ministry of Interior, the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Central Customs Authority and the President accompanied by high level officials of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). The mission also met with the Drugs Commissioner of the Federal Land Berlin and conducted a visit to the Customs Administration at the airport Berlin-Tegel.
The mission visited NGO's active in drug abuse prevention in Berlin such as Patrida (substitutiontherapy), Birkenstube (a "supervised drug consumption facility") and Tannenhof (inpatient rehabilitation centre) and also had meetings with NGO representatives from Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe, Deutsche Hauptstelle fur Suchgefahren and Fixpunkt.
The findings of the mission will be reviewed by the Board at its 123rd th session in November 2018 and will be reflected in the 2018 INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2019.
Photo: Prof. Jallal Toufiq, First Vice-President of INCB (third from right) and Ms. Marlene Mortler, Federal Drugs Commissioner (center), with officials from the Office of the Federal Drugs Commissioner, the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM)