INCB mission to the United Kingdom
VIENNA, 23 October 2018 - An INCB mission visited the United Kingdom from 15 to 1 8 October 2018. The mission was conducted by Professor Francesco Thoumi, member of INCB and Ms. Beate Hammond of the INCB Secretariat. The last INCB mission visited the United Kingdom in 2007. The mission was organized by the Home Office. The objective of the mission was to review the drug control situation in the United Kingdom and the full implementation of the three United Nations drug control conventions to which the United Kingdom is a party, including reporting to and cooperation with INCB in accordance with the Conventions. 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 were also discussed. The mission met with Ms. Victoria Atkins, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Home Office as well as with other high-level officials of the Home Office, Department of Health and Social Care, Public Health England, Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, National Crime Agency, Ministry of Justice/Her Majesty's Prison & Probation Service, Border Force, National Police and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In addition, at the request of and accompanied by officials from the Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the mission visited a site where cannabis is cultivated to produce pharmaceutical cannabis-based preparations . The mission also went to the Club Drug Clinic in London and held consultations with several civil society groups as well as with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Drug Policy Reform .
The findings of the mission will be reviewed by the Board at its 123rd session in November 2018 and will be reflected in the 2018 INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2019.