INCB participates in 63rd session of the Commission on
Narcotic Drugs
VIENNA, 6 March 2020 - The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) concluded its sixty-third session today, having met in Vienna from 2 to 6 March 2020 to continue its work in addressing the complex drug control issues affecting the health and welfare of humanity.
Throughout the week, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) President, Mr. Cornelis de Joncheere, and Member of the Board, Mr. Bernard Leroy, were actively engaged in dialogue with the Commission, Member States, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Health Organization and civil society representatives.
The INCB President addressed the opening of the Commission and made a number of statements to the Commission under agenda item 5 on implementation of the international drug control treaties, on:
- the work of INCB, presenting the 2019 Annual Report and Precursors Report;
- the availability of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances for medical and scientific purposes;
- Challenges and future work of the CND, the WHO and the INCB in the review of substances for possible scheduling recommendations;
Upon recommendation of INCB, the Commission voted during the session to include to methyl alpha-phenylacetoacetate, otherwise known as MAPA, in Table 1 of the 1988 Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. MAPA has no known legitimate use and can be classified as a designer precursor. Placing MAPA in Table 1 will allow Governments to request pre-export notifications as a means of monitoring shipments entering their territory.
The INCB President was invited to an informal dialogue with the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs to respond to questions made by representatives of various NGO's. During the informal dialogue, Mr. de Joncheere discussed the Board's positions and recommendations on various matters including availability of internationally controlled medicines, cannabis for medical and scientific purposes, the reduction of adverse consequences of drug abuse, human rights, and the concept of proportionality and alternatives to conviction and punishment for drug-related offences of a minor nature. Mr. de Joncheere recognized the important role played by civil society in the provision of prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and social reintegration services, and stressed the Board's commitment to continue its dialogue with civil society, including during its country missions.
In addition, Mr. de Joncheere and Mr. Leroy participated in a number of side events, including " Drug Reform: From a punitive to supportive approach - the Norwegian proposal", the launch of INCB's e-learning modules in Spanish, "Accelerating support for increasing access to controlled medicines while preventing diversion and non-medical use", "Tackling Dangerous Substances Trafficking Through the Internet - Updates and Developments" and " Equipment used in illicit drug manufacture: Approaches to preventing and investigating diversion as complementary tools in addressing illicit drug supply".
At the margins of the session, the President of the Board, together with Mr. Leroy of the Board, met with various Government officials and civil society representatives to discuss the implementation of the international drug control conventions and cooperation towards addressing the world drug problem. On 5 March, the INCB President met with Ms. Leigh Toomey, Vice-Chair of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Human Rights Council.
During the week, the INCB technical publications on narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances were published and made available to Government delegations attending the Commission.