IDPC Advocacy Note - Proposals for the Development of the European Drugs Strategy 2013-2020

The European Union (EU) Drug Strategy covering the period 2005-2012, is currently undergoing its final review. Two official evaluation reports have been produced to inform discussions on how much has been achieved in the last eight years, and what adjustments need to be made in the new strategy. An early draft of the new EU Drug Strategy for 2013-2020 has been produced by the Cypriot government, which holds the EU Presidency during the crucial period for finalising the new Strategy – July to December 2012.IDPC welcomes the balanced, progressive tone of the initial draft, and of the Council Conclusions that have informed it, but considers that significant redrafting is necessary to produce a credible and coherent EU Drug Strategy for the next eight years. In this advocacy note, IDPC makes recommendations to produce a strategy that is coherent, evidence-based, and supports member states in dealing with increasingly complex drug policy challenges.