The Harm Reduction Charter (first draft)

We are presenting first draft of Harm Reduction Charter please distribute it widely and send us your comments and amendments.

The Harm Reduction Charter

1. The European Parliament have in the account following facts:
   a) criminalization of drug users has proven to be ineffective and counter productive answer to the drug problem
   b) criminalization of drug users is leading them to further marginalization and social exclusion
   c) Harm Reduction is proven to be useful strategy in tackling many of drugs problems
   d) Harm Reduction measures are effectively reducing transmission of HIV/AIDS and other blood bonded diseases
   e) substitution programs and experimental schemes of drugs distribution are:
   aa) helping to stabilize lives and are leading drug users toward social inclusion
   bb) limiting founding of criminal and terrorist organizations
   cc) reducing crimes that are commit to obtain money for illicit drugs

f) drug consumption rooms that are existing in some Member States are limiting health risks of illicit drug use

g) alarming rise of new synthetic substances and the need to effectively handle their use through testing purity of drugs

h) inadequate access to Harm Reduction programs in some of the Member States, mostly in the Central and Eastern Europe

i) need to further expand accessibility and variety of Harm Reduction measures

j) some of the Harm Reduction measures requires depenelization or decriminalization of possession of illicit drugs for personal use

2. The European Parliament is recommending following:
   a) establishment of Harm Reduction, as primary and leading strategy in all of the Member States
   b) create special budget line for Harm Reduction programs and support of further debate on drug policies
   c) guarantee equal and broad access to all Harm Reduction measures including but not limiting to:
   aa) needle and synergies exchange
   bb) substitution therapy
   cc) testing purity of drugs
   dd) consumption rooms
   ee) experimental drug distribution schemes

d) stop punishing recreational and problematic drug users for possession of illicit drugs for personal use

You can also download PDF version of this Charter.

Please send back Your comments and share this document with Your friends.

Our Mission

Our mission is to create the Harm Reduction Charter that will be for drug users like the Human Rights Charter for the common people. It will guarantee all drug users equal access to various Harm Reduction programs. It will also guarantee that non-one is punished or criminalized for simple possession of illicit drugs for personal use.

We are informal group of organizations and individuals working for Harm Reduction and Drug Policy Reform in Europe and beyond. Our goal is not to setup a new organization. We will work, as informal umbrella group to introduce the Harm Reduction Charter.

In our work we will focus first on the European continent to later introduce the Harm Reduction Charter to the United Nations. We will work with various governmental institutions and governments itself to enact the Harm Reduction Charter in their national and international legislations.

The Harm Reduction Charter is not a unified drug policy. Instead is a set of recommendations established to harmonize national and international drug policies in the countries all over the world.

Our ultimate goal is to introduce Harm Reduction Charter, as new International Convention on Drugs but we will first focus on the work with the Council of Europe, European Parliament and European Commission.

If You have any questions regarding the project or want to support it please contact us directly.

Introducing myself

My name is Artur Radosz. Beside begin Java Developer for many years I was working on the drug policy in my country, Poland and more broadly in the Europe.

Many knows me from begin a coordinator of Kanaba – Polish Movement for Legalization of Cannabis  but with time I expanded my activities on whole topic of the American War on Drugs and supported work of  ENCOD –European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policy.

Begin quite successful with reform in my country that was supported by the Minister of Health Marek Balicki and also with work on the European stage (the Council of Europe and the European Parliament) I was forced by the life and lack of financial support to surrender this work. Moreover I was sent to jail for possessing 0.8g of cannabis what has completely destroyed my life. I lost a job and appartment and landed oo the streets.

Now. After break I want return to topic of drug policy with new international initiative. Stay tuned and folllow us on facebook, google+ and twitter.