U.S. and Europe split over drugs policy

ReutersFriday, January 30, 2009 12:54pm GMTBy Luke BakerLONDON (Reuters) - U.N.-sponsored negotiations on a new global drugsstrategy are close to breaking down, with profound divisions betweenEurope and the United States on key policy issues, participants at thetalks in Vienna say.The problem is that U.S. negotiators are trying to push throughanti-drug programmes that were promoted during the former Bushadministration but which are no longer advocated by President BarackObama, they said .Whereas former President George W. Bush believed in a zero-toleranceapproach in the war on drugs, one of Obama's first moves was to back thelifting of a ban on federal funding for needle-exchange programmes. Healso gave tacit support to so-called "harm-reduction" strategies thatare seen as crucial in the fight against drug-related diseases such asHIV/Aids.The Vienna stand-off, which threatens to scupper a March summit at whichthe new drug policy declaration is to be signed, has prompted Democratsin Congress to write to the new U.S. ambassador to the United Nationscalling for intervention.Drug policy campaigners say that without a change in the U.S. position,anti-drug strategies could be set back for the next decade and have aknock-on impact on the spread of HIV/Aids and other diseases."We understand that the U.S. delegation in Vienna has been activelyblocking the efforts of some of our closest allies -- including theEuropean Union -- to incorporate in the declaration reference to harmreduction measures, such as needle exchange," read the letter, sent toSusan Rice on Wednesday and signed by California Congressman HenryWaxman, among others.The U.S. delegation should be given new instructions from the newadministration, it said."Otherwise, we risk crafting a U.N. declaration that is at odds with ourown national policies and interests, even as we needlessly alienate ournation's allies in Europe."Officials close to the U.S. negotiators in Vienna denied that Bush-erapolicies were being "rammed through" but said instructions from Obamaadministration had not been received."We are currently hearing out proposals, keeping options open andWashington informed. Our new administration will continue to review anddevelop our negotiating positions," a spokeswoman for the U.S. missionin Vienna said:THE NEEDLE AND THE DAMAGE DONEThe Vienna negotiations, under the auspices of the U.N. Office on Drugsand Crime, have been going on intermittently for several months but aredue to wrap up before a summit on March 12-13 when the new declarationis due to be signed.While the United States is the chief proponent of a zero-toleranceapproach to the estimated $160 billion (111.9 billion pound) illegaldrugs industry, it has support from Russia and Japan, neither of whomsupport 'harm reduction' policies, which can include medication-assistedtherapy and drug legalisation.The European Union's policy position is supported by Australia, LatinAmerica and Iran, among others, all of whom favour policies that includeharm-reduction measures.Drug policy campaigners believe that if the United States could bebrought closer to the European position, Japan, Russia and othersincluding China and India would follow, potentially producing consensuson a new global drugs strategy."Time is very tight and the race is now on to change the instructionsfrom U.S. officials before the ink dries on the previousadministration's line," said Danny Kushlick, head of policy atTransform, a British drug policy foundation."The implications of changing the political line is enormous for thosewho have suffered under the U.S. administration's refusal to supportbasic harm reduction measures."U.S. sources said that while it was not impossible that the negotiatingposition could be changed, it would only happen once new instructionswere issued from Washington.At the same time, while the Obama administration differs from Bush, itdoes not advocate all 'harm reduction' strategies, which can includedrug consumption rooms, safe-injecting rooms, and providing heroin andneedles in prisons.(Additional reporting by Mark Heinrich in Vienna)(Editing by Angus MacSwan)