Vienna (Austria), 4 May 2022 – Balanced opioid governance is the key to ensure access for pain relief and suffering while preventing diversion, misuse, and other harms, and only through strong partnerships and information sharing can we achieve it.
In a webinar jointly organized by UNODC Civil Society Unit (CSU), the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs (VNGOC), and the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC), the Chairs of the Lancet Commission on Pain and Palliative Care and the Stanford-Lancet Commission on the North American Opioid Crisis presented the main findings of their reports, followed by a discussion on the way forward with representatives of the International Narcotics Control Board, the World Health Organization, UNODC, and other stakeholders. They highlighted the need for cooperation across all sectors, international organizations, governments, civil society, caregivers, and patients.
H.E. Ghislain d’Hoop, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium and Chair of the 65th session of the Commission of Narcotic Drugs (CND) moderated the webinar after short opening remarks from Mirella Dummar Frahi, Chief of the CSU. The online event gathered over 125 participants from around the world.
Dr. Keith Humphreys and Dr. Felicia Knaul the respective chairs of the Stanford-Lancet Commission on the North American Opioid Crisis and the Lancet Commission on Pain and Palliative Care presented the main findings of their reports, showing on one hand a crisis of access, and on the other hand, mainly in North America, a crisis of overdose. Dr. Humphreys concluded that “we should not be pro-opioid, or anti-opioid, we should be pro-patient”.
The two civil society experts Maria-Goretti Ane Loglo, a lawyer and contributor to the Model West African Drug Law and Dr. Rajagopal, a founder-chairman of “Pallium India” presented various cases on how the simplification of narcotic regulations can help remove regulatory barriers in availability of oral morphine for pain relief. Dr. Rajagopal highlighted that community engagement is key and that “the principle of balance opioid should be a joint effort”.
The presentations were followed by interventions from Dr Justice Tettey, Chief, Laboratory and Scientific Section, UNODC, Dr Gilles Forte, Head, Special Projects, Access to Medicines and Health Products, WHO, and Mark Colhoun, Secretary, International Narcotics Control Board who responded to the reports of the two Lancet Commissions and presented the work of UNODC, WHO and INCB. All three drew attention to the joint call of action launched together with CND during its recent 65th session to continue working towards the Sustainable Development Goals, stop the global pain divide and #LeaveNoPatientBehind.
Concluding the event, H.E. Ghislain d’Hoop marked the importance of “putting people first” before drafting policies or making decisions and stressed the importance of civil society in improving health through access and rational use of pain relief medication.