UNITED |
E |
| |
Economic and Social Council | |
Distr. 1234th Meeting | |
|
CND Res.46/7. | Measures to promote the exchange of information on new patterns of drug use and on psychoactive substances consumed |
The Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Recalling the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 as amended by the 1972 Protocol,[1] in particular article 38, concerning measures against the abuse of narcotic drugs, and article 38 bis, concerning agreements on the development of regional centres for scientific research and education to combat the problems resulting from the illicit use of and traffic in drugs, Recalling also its resolution 44/14, in which it invited States and relevant regional organizations to foster the exchange of information on new patterns of drug use and on the substances consumed, including psychoactive substances, Recalling further its resolution 45/6, Recalling the Action Plan for the Implementation of the Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction, in which all States were urged to assess the causes and consequences of the misuse of all substances,[2] including psychoactive substances, Re-emphasizing the need to improve knowledge about drug abuse and dependence in order to increase the impact of drug control policies and to strengthen the effectiveness of prevention policies, Taking into consideration the recommendations of the conference on synthetic drugs organized by the European Union and the United Nations International Drug Control Programme in Brussels on 19 November 2001, which dealt with the need, in addition to developing an early warning system, to increase knowledge about drugs, drawing on a variety of disciplines and scientific research programmes, Taking note of the consensus reached by technical experts at a meeting organized in Lisbon in January 2000 by the United Nations International Drug Control Programme and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction concerning the development of universally compatible epidemiological indicators of drug use, Concerned by the rapid pace of changes in the psychoactive substances in question and in consumption patterns, which often requires the adaptation of national regulatory frameworks and changes in the scheduling of psychoactive substances subject to international control, 1. Urges all Member States to implement its resolution 45/6, in particular by: (a) Preparing a list of certified physical and/or juridical persons or laboratories capable of conducting analytical, toxicological, pharmacological and bio-psychological evaluations and who may be consulted in their national territory; (b) Developing expertise in epidemiology for the purpose of collecting and evaluating cases involving abuse of and dependence on psychoactive substances; (c) Involving the pharmaceutical industry and law enforcement in the expansion of knowledge about the potential for abuse of and dependence on psychoactive substances; (d) Cooperating with other States in order to disseminate specialized information through international bodies; 2. Invites the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Health Organization, subject to the availability of voluntary funds and in accordance with the Commission on Narcotic Drugs guidelines for the use of general-purpose funds,[3] to convene a meeting of experts, selected on the basis of equitable geographical distribution, to establish guidelines applicable to the recording of cases of drug abuse and dependence; 3. Also invites the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Health Organization to continue to use those data and to highlight regional particularities by consolidating the national and regional databanks that already exist, with a view to improving the assessment of the potential of abuse and dependence of psychoactive substances and the knowledge of that subject and to achieving the long-term objective of establishing a worldwide databank; 4. Requests the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to report to it at its forty-seventh session on the implementation of the present resolution. |