A group of 50 youth from more than 30 countries gathered in Vienna from 12 to 13 March at the Youth Forum to share their experiences and visions regarding drug use prevention and to learn more about the global policy-making structures and working mechanisms.
During the Youth Forum, outstanding youth leaders discussed the drug use challenges they are facing in their communities and with their peers, which are influencing their health and wellbeing. The group had the opportunity to exchange the good practice examples related to drug use prevention from the countries they are coming from and to acknowledge the role of social media to promote healthy lifestyles and not to glamorize drug use.
Resulted from the participatory active group sessions, the youth group formulated a joint statement presented in front of more than 500 delegates on 13 March at the plenary of High-Level Review of the Political Declaration and Plan of Action on international cooperation towards an integrated and balanced strategy to counter the world drug problem.
The Youth Forum participants called upon the policymakers to be more focused on evidence-based treatment for people affected by drug addiction rather than to criminal sanctions and isolation, to support parents and guardians to strengthen the communication with their children, and to provide social and economic support and services to the most vulnerable population.
The statement was well received by the delegates, strikingly concluded with the one voice remark from the Youth Forum representatives" We want and we can help. We call on the Commission on Narcotic Drugs to keep on working with us on this issue that is crucial to our health and well being".
We are a group of more than 40 youth from more than 30 countries and this is our message to you.
People who use drugs are coping with a difficult situation, they need our help, and not stigma and discrimination. Research shows that dependence is a health issue, and as such, it needs treatment. Punishing people that use drugs are costly and counterproductive. People suffering from drug dependence need easy access to treatment and health services and not criminal sanction and isolation.
We are not only the generation of tomorrow, we are the generation of today. We are committed to doing our part, especially in schools, leading by our personal example and raising the awareness of the real nature of drug addiction and its consequences that is based on science. We have also many ideas on how to use different kinds of media and how to promote an open and honest discussion about drugs.
We need your help and we are confident that you will not fail us.
We need you to develop a better education system so that children are protected. Schools need to be able to provide education on drugs that is based on scientific evidence as one of the normal subjects. If youth have problems, with drugs or with other difficulties in life, counseling should be easy to access.
Parents and guardians need your support too. When children are born, parents should be able to take care of them. As children grow, parents should have the possibility to learn how to be better parents, how to keep open communication with their children, and, later on, also to be able to talk about drugs.
Social and economic support and services must be specially provided to the most vulnerable, such as children that are not in school, disabled children, children in orphanages, and those living in the street, those who are not as privileged as we are.
A lot can be accomplished through using media wisely. Policymakers have the power to engage with media, including social media, to promote healthy lifestyles and not glamorize drug use. Please use it. A well-designed media campaign can really help, involve us and it will be even better.
We call on you to make law enforcement effective, which means to stop the availability of drugs, without punishing the people who use drugs. You as policymakers can mobilize resources. Resources should be mobilized, but we should also use them more wisely. We have heard from Dr. Volkow and Prof. Kazatchkine, let’s use that knowledge.
Finally, we acknowledge that you have hard decisions to make at present and leading to the Special Session of the General Assembly. We want and we can help. We call on the Commission on Narcotic Drugs to keep on working with us on this issue that is crucial to our health and well-being.
